In Coos Bay, at The Mill Casino, they have a really solid CFS breakfast. Like the Hungry Tiger Too the CFS gets its own plate and the whole b-fast will set you back about $10.
The breading on their CFS was perfect, too - crispy, dense, but not suffocating. "Firm" would be a good, positive descriptor. The meat was just thin enough w/o being too thin or too thick as well. As far as the steak goes, it was all very well proportioned and balanced.
I wish I could say the same for the gravy. It had a flavor I just couldn't place but I had the feeling they used a soup mix in there or it was a gravy mix of some kind. It definitely used the sausage drippings, though, and was the perfect blend, not runny and not too thick (like mine usually is). But that flavor was just weird, like they'd used cream of mushroom soup or something. It wasn't bad, mind you, but it was definitely off-setting. Thankfully, it wasn't off-putting enough to mess up a really well done meal.
If you're ever out at Coos Bay and want to find a good CFS, look no further than the Plank House.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Saturday, December 20, 2008
CFS from The Dockside
Hit up the reliable Dockside last weekend for breakfast and tried their CFS. I know the place doesn't look like much but they've been open quite some time, have some part in colorful local history, and have pro waitresses who work their tails off, giving service with a genuine smile.
Reasonably priced and proportioned their CFS is going to come into the middle of the rankings here, though. The main reason is the breading-to-meat ratio that leans more in favor of the former than the latter in this case. The southern-style breading and cooking was very well done, though, so it's at least a tasty imbalance. The gravy was adequate, not drawing away from the meal nor requiring additional tableside seasoning as well.
The Dockside does get a "worthy mention" for one unique thing about their CFS: The amount of gravy on the entree. As you can see in the picture it doesn't slop about the plate, making it a tough decision whether or not to put ketchup on your browns (as some places do - drives me crazy). Rather, here, the amount of gravy was in exact proportion to what it was covering. I mean, precisely mathematically calculated so that every bite had the same amount of the gravy and that none would be left over at the end. That was just downright amazing.
The Dockside is just a good place for a good meal even if their CFS is, basically, average. It's also non-smoking until 3pm on Saturdays which is good since, as I was told by one waitress there, they close at 3pm on Saturday.
Reasonably priced and proportioned their CFS is going to come into the middle of the rankings here, though. The main reason is the breading-to-meat ratio that leans more in favor of the former than the latter in this case. The southern-style breading and cooking was very well done, though, so it's at least a tasty imbalance. The gravy was adequate, not drawing away from the meal nor requiring additional tableside seasoning as well.
The Dockside does get a "worthy mention" for one unique thing about their CFS: The amount of gravy on the entree. As you can see in the picture it doesn't slop about the plate, making it a tough decision whether or not to put ketchup on your browns (as some places do - drives me crazy). Rather, here, the amount of gravy was in exact proportion to what it was covering. I mean, precisely mathematically calculated so that every bite had the same amount of the gravy and that none would be left over at the end. That was just downright amazing.
The Dockside is just a good place for a good meal even if their CFS is, basically, average. It's also non-smoking until 3pm on Saturdays which is good since, as I was told by one waitress there, they close at 3pm on Saturday.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Rose's Deli CFS
Here's a magnificent example of how to bread/cook/serve a CFS properly:
It was done in proper Southern style, thick and just barely juicy but with a perfectly-fried breading surrounding it. Little bit of salt and pepper in that breading, too, made it a flavorful surround that just refused to get soggy under a very thick gravy.
That gravy was probably its weak-point, though. While tasty, not at all runny, and having none too few pieces of their excellent bacon in it, it still lacked much punch at all. It fell prey to the role seemingly (and undeservedly) relegated to most gravy - that it be adequate to saturate or offset the dryness of the meat dish but not add anything else to it. Bollocks to that! Like sauteed mushrooms or bleu cheese butter on top of a steak it should have everything to do with enhancing that main dish. And while the gravy at Rose's Deli (between NE Broadway and Weidler) gets marks for trying it just doesn't deliver on an otherwise outstanding CFS.
It was done in proper Southern style, thick and just barely juicy but with a perfectly-fried breading surrounding it. Little bit of salt and pepper in that breading, too, made it a flavorful surround that just refused to get soggy under a very thick gravy.
That gravy was probably its weak-point, though. While tasty, not at all runny, and having none too few pieces of their excellent bacon in it, it still lacked much punch at all. It fell prey to the role seemingly (and undeservedly) relegated to most gravy - that it be adequate to saturate or offset the dryness of the meat dish but not add anything else to it. Bollocks to that! Like sauteed mushrooms or bleu cheese butter on top of a steak it should have everything to do with enhancing that main dish. And while the gravy at Rose's Deli (between NE Broadway and Weidler) gets marks for trying it just doesn't deliver on an otherwise outstanding CFS.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Biscuits Cafe
Another brewfest weekend, another large breakfast in prep. The wife and I decided to return to Biscuits Cafe since we hadn't been there in quite a while.
Our food arrived soon and, having gone with the side o' cakes and red potatoes instead of browns, our little table was soon a bit cramped. So I quickly (too quickly as it's pretty blurry) took a picture:
It's very much the southern style of prep. The gravy was a bit tasteless so I really had to pour on the pepper which you can see in my next blurry photo:
But the size of the steak was perfectly matched to the other elements in the combined nutritional breakfast. That impressed me greatly, being able to strike that balance instead of just overwhelming you. The flavor on the steak and breading was pretty good but that gravy was still a bit of a distraction. But it's a very good entry onto the list here.
Great selection, good fresh food, and good service - Biscuits is well worth the trip.
Our food arrived soon and, having gone with the side o' cakes and red potatoes instead of browns, our little table was soon a bit cramped. So I quickly (too quickly as it's pretty blurry) took a picture:
It's very much the southern style of prep. The gravy was a bit tasteless so I really had to pour on the pepper which you can see in my next blurry photo:
Great selection, good fresh food, and good service - Biscuits is well worth the trip.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Overlook
Another brewfest rolled around (the Organic Brewfest this time) so a nearby proper breakfast was in order. So we hit up the Overlook (1332 N. Skidmore) as it had been recommended for CFS to me recently.
We'd been here a couple times previously but I didn't remember ordering the CFS. First off, lemme say this: If "best CFS" was qualified by portion size then the Overlook would win, hands down. As you can see from the pic the CFS gets its own plate; mine even had three pieces (2 large, one small) on it, drowned in decent gravy. Like the Hungry Tiger Too it's a huge meal for $10. That's also a nice plus.
However, I hate to say it but it almost had too much gravy going on there. When the gravy's over an inch thick across the entire plate you might want to scale it back because it can alter taste, among other things. The breading on the steak was done alright but fairly flavorless - as was also the case with the meat itself. It was just bland, devoid of any flavor whatsoever. If it hadn't been swimming in that sausage gravy I think it would only have had texture, no flavor really at all. I mean, I had to salt and pepper it - that's how unflavored it was. That's extremely rare for me to do but this just demanded it.
It might be a good introduction for someone to the CFS world but you'd quickly want to graduate to the next level.
We'd been here a couple times previously but I didn't remember ordering the CFS. First off, lemme say this: If "best CFS" was qualified by portion size then the Overlook would win, hands down. As you can see from the pic the CFS gets its own plate; mine even had three pieces (2 large, one small) on it, drowned in decent gravy. Like the Hungry Tiger Too it's a huge meal for $10. That's also a nice plus.
However, I hate to say it but it almost had too much gravy going on there. When the gravy's over an inch thick across the entire plate you might want to scale it back because it can alter taste, among other things. The breading on the steak was done alright but fairly flavorless - as was also the case with the meat itself. It was just bland, devoid of any flavor whatsoever. If it hadn't been swimming in that sausage gravy I think it would only have had texture, no flavor really at all. I mean, I had to salt and pepper it - that's how unflavored it was. That's extremely rare for me to do but this just demanded it.
It might be a good introduction for someone to the CFS world but you'd quickly want to graduate to the next level.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Gravy, Portland, OR
So for our 5-year anniversary the wife and I took an extra day off to make a long weekend. But instead of heading outta town on that lazy Friday we decided to get some things done around the house and whatnot. My wife also had the fabulous idea to go to breakfast at a place that's normally really tough to get into on a weekend morn. Capitalizing on that idea we went to Gravy on N. Mississippi.
It wasn't too horribly crowded but it was full for a Friday around 10am. I'm always surprised and curious to see that, asking myself questions like, "Why are they here now?" and "Are they all off of work?" and the ever-popular, "Don't you people have homes?" Knowing what I wanted as soon as I got there I didn't have to look over the menu too much; altho' it is a darned fine menu of good-lookin' entrees. Jennifer opted for the monte cristo and their version is quite different than what one would expect. You can sort of see it in the background of the pic below - it's served open faced, on french toast and with the ham and turkey separately layered on each piece. The cheese and eggs are then further layered upon the entirety and it's served with a side of outstanding hash browns and a side cup of syrup (rather than jelly). It was very good, apparently, but very much not what was expected.
Neither was my CFS as it was an entire, huge, 2" thick steak that was then breaded, German-style. I'm surprised they didn't ask me how I took my steak, so large it was. It made for some slow eatin' and, while certainly not bad at all, was just very out of the ordinary and took me by surprise which, for me in the morning, ain't always such a good thing. Anyway, here's that pic:
It wasn't too horribly crowded but it was full for a Friday around 10am. I'm always surprised and curious to see that, asking myself questions like, "Why are they here now?" and "Are they all off of work?" and the ever-popular, "Don't you people have homes?" Knowing what I wanted as soon as I got there I didn't have to look over the menu too much; altho' it is a darned fine menu of good-lookin' entrees. Jennifer opted for the monte cristo and their version is quite different than what one would expect. You can sort of see it in the background of the pic below - it's served open faced, on french toast and with the ham and turkey separately layered on each piece. The cheese and eggs are then further layered upon the entirety and it's served with a side of outstanding hash browns and a side cup of syrup (rather than jelly). It was very good, apparently, but very much not what was expected.
Neither was my CFS as it was an entire, huge, 2" thick steak that was then breaded, German-style. I'm surprised they didn't ask me how I took my steak, so large it was. It made for some slow eatin' and, while certainly not bad at all, was just very out of the ordinary and took me by surprise which, for me in the morning, ain't always such a good thing. Anyway, here's that pic:
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
CFS from The Old Farmhouse Restaurant
Okay, so I only had one CFS on the road this past weekend but it was alright. It's a sure sign of a lack o' confidence when they overload the plate with potatoes vs the CFS, btw.
The place was the Old Farmhouse Restaurant, conveniently located in the parking lot of our hotel in Medford, OR. The place was about what you'd expect - full of those "bitter folks," ya' know? The CFS was okay, not great but adequate. More the German style which isn't my fave but still close enough to Southern style to meet my needs. The portion was just small, really - the consistency was fine and the gravy was good enough. The breading wasn't spiced up at all, too, making it a forgettable entry here - but an entry nonetheless!
Altho' before we left we were treated to quite a singular show outside the restaurant window. Some guy decided that was a good spot to remove his t-shirt, rub himself down, check his fingers after rubbing his pits, put on a purple vest, and continue on down the street. Neato!
The place was the Old Farmhouse Restaurant, conveniently located in the parking lot of our hotel in Medford, OR. The place was about what you'd expect - full of those "bitter folks," ya' know? The CFS was okay, not great but adequate. More the German style which isn't my fave but still close enough to Southern style to meet my needs. The portion was just small, really - the consistency was fine and the gravy was good enough. The breading wasn't spiced up at all, too, making it a forgettable entry here - but an entry nonetheless!
Altho' before we left we were treated to quite a singular show outside the restaurant window. Some guy decided that was a good spot to remove his t-shirt, rub himself down, check his fingers after rubbing his pits, put on a purple vest, and continue on down the street. Neato!
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