Grin and Bear It

Brasov sits at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, so gorgeous forests naturally surround the picturesque Romanian town. The country itself is steeped in nature, inspiring national cuisines that feature lots of meat-based soups, stews and grills. There's even a hunter's restaurant in the woods just up the hill, and it's famous for such game meals as brown bear fillets. The restaurant is really famous, though, for the same reason it closes early at 9 pm.

Why does it close early? Because bears were coming out of the woods at night and trying to dine on the diners!

I don't mean to make light of bear maulings, but you have to admit that's pretty damn funny. People go to a hunter's restaurant to eat beer only to be chased by a bear trying to eat them. The irony is ripe.

In hopes of having such an encounter (and testing my running skills), I visited the restaurant at 8 p.m. and even ate the bear, but Yogi apparently didn't have an appetite for American cuisine this night.

Still, I enjoyed the restaurant's décor and menu, which featured all kinds of different game meats and stews that would make Dr. Atkins' night. And don't worry, vegetarians, you can get the salads without the wild boar meat.

I'm no PETA activist, but even a game grubber like me had to laugh. What could be funnier than hunters finally getting a taste of what it's like to be hunted.