For many people, meat is a part of every meal, whether you’re making chili, burgers, or juicy chicken breasts. Recently, elk meat is becoming increasingly popular, and Restaurant Hospitality tells us that elk has become 115% more common on restaurant menus.

You might think elk’s rising popularity is due to a recent elk hunting surge, but the meat served at restaurants is usually farm raised. At Charlotte, North Carolina’s The Fig Tree, you can enjoy a grilled elk chop with spaetzle, cabbage, and Boursin-Dijon sauce, while the Dallas-based Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse goes big and bold with their elk entrée — a sizeable hunk of tenderloin with an espresso crust.

Although it is no longer offered, Clock & Petal in San Diego even offered elk sashimi, with lightly seared slices of elk seasoned with ginger and sesame oil. Elk has a less gamey flavor than deer, and as a low-fat, protein-rich, vitamin-filled food with half the calories of beef, farm-raised elk are free-range and eat a diet of grasses and roughage, eliminating the need for supplemental food sources.