Chef Mario Valdez in Rainbow Lodge’s garden

When offered the chance to feast on goose prepared four ways, forget your New Year’s resolution diet and dig in.

This is exactly what the My Table team did this Thursday when presented with a beautiful goose lunch at Rainbow Lodge. Owner Donnette Hansen invited us to sample chef Mario Valdez’s multiple preparations of the high-flying fowl.

Rainbow Lodge received their first goose — they are raised in Pennsylvania and acquired via D’Artagnan, the gourmet foods company — at the beginning of January. Valdez and his staff did not waste any time figuring out how to incorporate the big birds into the menu.

Valdez explained there was an initial learning curve to cooking goose. One preparation would be perfectly cooked, the next time the goose would be dry and the time after that it would be undercooked. The geese, roughly 14 pounds each, actually yield relatively little meat (unlike a turkey) because of the large amount of fat on each bird. This is rendered out via very long and very slow cooking.

It clearly did not take much time to get the hang of goose cookery—Valdez served us goose three ways (photo below) in a large ceramic bowl and one other goose preparation, each unique and perfectly delicious.

The first preparation was traditional slices of oven-roasted goose breast (top of photo). This was the simplest preparation of the goose, but it showcased the natural flavors. The crisp skin added sweet richness to the meat.

Next to the goose breast was goose leg infused with clove, ginger and star anise served alongside Rainbow Lodge’s acorn squash and gorgonzola tart (bottom left).

The last of the trio were a pair of crépinettes — kind of like little sausage balls — made with the goose liver and leg meat and drizzled with a huckleberry reduction (bottom right). Held together with caul fat and pan-seared on medium heat with a splash of oil, the crépinettes were rich, a little gamey and tender. The reduction provided foie gras’s classic sweet fruit pairing. It was our table’s favorite of the goose-three-ways presentation.

The fourth goose dish, a confit leg with creamed arugula (photo at right), was served separately from the trio and was splendid: rich, flavorful and truly falling off the bone. It was also universally liked by the five of us.

In case we wanted something else in addition to goose (I know, we thought this was ridiculous, too), Valdez brought us three more dishes that are new to the chef’s tasting menu: a salad of baby carrots (straight from their garden), navel oranges, Brussels sprouts, winter greens, pine nuts and a blood orange vinaigrette; seared scallops served with black rice; and a final savory dish of venison carpaccio with blue cheese panna cotta and poached pears.

As the server placed dessert spoons next to us, we all took a deep breath, mentally preparing to ingest more food. However, the three variations of sorbet that were served were a sensible end to an indulgent meal.

We knew about Rainbow Lodge’s orchard — there’s a basket of Meyer lemons at the front door with a sign inviting guests to take one home — but we did not realize the restaurant has a full kitchen garden as well. After our meal, Valdez walked us across the street where we saw the herbs, micro greens, carrots, kale and such that the restaurant uses in its everyday preparations. There is something special about seeing where the ingredients we just ate came from– and it is even more special to see the chef hand-pick those ingredients for the next service.

Don’t wait long to satisfy your goose fix. Valdez says the goose will only be available until about March 1. And don’t expect a menu explaining the different goose preparations, as it is an off-the-menu specialty. Curious? Call ahead. Want a whole roast goose for a dinner party? They can fix you up.

RAINBOW LODGE, 2011 Ella Blvd., 713-861-8666, rainbow-lodge.com