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:

CFS from The Old Farmhouse Restaurant

CFS from The Old Farmhouse Restaurant
Originally uploaded by ScrumpyFU

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!

1st reader review

This comes courtesy of Pete. Thanks for taking the time! Now we got some direction when north of the border...

Attached is a pic from Paul's last weekend. This is the rest/lounge kitty corner from where the Arnada cafe was in the 'couve. If you haven't been in there before it is an old school kind of diner with the bar stools and counter facing the galley and waitress station. This CFS was more on the order of the crunchy Southern style but yet had the outer coating thickness of the Gernan style. The CFS coating was well seasoned and the gravy wasn't smothering it. There was also a nice sausage flavor without being overbearing (too sausagey)

When I was in high school I worked at a I-5 greasy spoon (The Country Junction @ the Ridgefield exit) I was a dishwasher for awhile then moved up the chain to prep cook then line cook. At that time we made our CFS's from scratch. The patties came in already formed but we made the breading and sausage gravy. These were on the order of the German style but were totally awesome. For prepping the thawed patties were dipped in a egg mixture then placed in a pan of bread crumbs and spices. The CFS's were turned several times to ensure a nice coating then placed in a clean pan to go into the walk-in until needed in the galley. A basic gravy was made with black pepper, salt and a few other spices. Then we took the leftover sausages from the breakfast rush (when it is busy we just through down a bunch even more if you were hungry) cut them up and placed them in the gravy. Over time I started altering the gravy by adding the grease from sausages and bacon right into the gravy. Sometimes even cooking the CFS right on a pool of the grease if conditions were right. A nice hot grill to fry the CFS rather then a cool grill where the grease could soak in. Another way to cook them if you forgot to start the CFS would be to throw it into the deepfryer for 30 seconds although frowned upon these actually turned out quite good as long as the oil was fresh. By the time I left there mgmt. went with ready made style from ciscos along with pre-made gravy (just add hot water) to save on labor I guess.

Cheers

Pete

Best so far?

So I don't have any pix but lemme tell you all about the best CFS I've had in the Portland area.

The wife and I hit up breakfast out on Saturdays and Saturdays only (typically, unless we're on vacation or something silly like that). We also like to run errands on Saturdays, unlike the 90k other drivers on the roads that day of the week. We thus try to grab this meal at someplace near the locus of our activities, if at all possible.

In need of snagging my prescriptions from the closest Target pharmacy one day we ended up at the fun-named Pig'N Pancake. Basically at the corner of NE 122nd & Glisan it seems to have been the only thing at this intersection for any length of time - apart from Jody's across the street. I'd been by the place a hundred times but never made it in until this day. It's about what you'd expect - an East Portland, Gresh-land eatery, filled with kitchy pig references that would be disturbing to most folks while mowing down some bacon or ham but not, of course, for this intrepid gourmand.

The fare is pretty standard but sufficient and after quickly scanning the menu I chose the CFS. Sipping truck-stop coffee I wasn't too impatient - really! When it arrived it seemed rather on the small portion side of things. But it did have the right ratio of covering gravy so I dug in and was not ready for what hit me. The seasoning in that breading, the precise thickness of that piece of meat, the consistency of the lightly-peppered gravy - the combination was damn near perfection. I'm not kidding. This little CFS from this old skool diner has an amazingly good example of southern-style CFS on display.

It might have been a little overdone for some folks but, in my book, that only added to its flavorfulness. And I don't know if maybe it was an off-day, that they're not normally this well done. But, dang, was that little CFS just darn tasty. Highly recommended!

CFS Style Guide

I'm lifting this liberally from the magnificent article from Houston Press writer Robb Walsh's outstanding article.

Basically, there are three styles of CFS in existence. Walsh's article gives the following definitions while also seeking those restaurants in tejas that served the best examples of each. That's dedication that I can definitely appreciate, even if it is from a texan.

Southern style
Features a "the crunchy crust. It should look just like the coating on a piece of Southern fried chicken."
My clear favorite style of CFS.

German style
"These are dipped in bread crumbs or cracker meal so the breading lies flat on the meat, giving it a texture like a German schnitzel."
My least favorite style, too.

Cowboy style
Grease and flour over a hot skillet in what Walsh quotes as "cowboys on trail drives would fry pieces of meat from a slaughtered steer in grease-filled skillets over an open fire."
Pure pan-fried steak, this is typically what I'd have growing up (or close to it). Not bad but definitely my 2nd choice.

Hungry Tiger Too

Chicken fried steak
Originally uploaded by ScrumpyFU

Yep, the CFS at HTT gets it's own darn plate. I didn't measure it but, if I had to eyeball it, I'd say it was a foot-long. Now, I'm as impressed by size as the next guy (insert comment here) but what impressed me most on this dish was the consistency throughout. The breading, the firmness, just everything was correct and balanced from one end to the other.

The meat wasn't dry and, as you can see, the gravy stopped politely shy of smothering (which I prefer). And, again, the sheer volume here is worthy of a reckoning.

While the coating was good and the fry-job (my new word!) was good enough the coating also didn't seem to have much to it beyond being just a coating. There was some flavoring involved but nothing that made it dance in your mouth. The combination of good meat and good gravy more than made up for this fact but, still, that's the one item keeping this one from moving to the top of my list.

It is, though, a fantastic deal for $10 - I even had to split it up and eat the remainder a day or two later. And two CFS's for $10 is a pretty sweet deal in anyone's book.

Introductions Are In Order

I've been attempting to trace my arc on this quest for finding the best possible chicken fried steak (CFS from here on out, btw) in Portland or, indeed, the country. I can't really recall the first time I had this or where or any of those circumstances. That could be because I'm getting older but, maybe, it's because I feel like this has always been part of me now. Like John Wayne in The Searchers I just can't give up this quest, no matter where it takes me or how long; but, just like his famous character of Ethan, am I prepared to face that conclusion once I've found it?

There's a thorough episode of "Good Eats" that details the origins and history of this dish. There's also a brief history here, too. The point is, I think for me anyway, that it's a staple, now proudly American and unashamed of it.

Many variations abound, some closer to its orgins from weiner schnitzel while others revel in the deep-fried knowledge our country holds dear. I prefer the latter but welcome all types here in my quest. My criteria hopefully allow for an open pursuit that can take all comers:

- Meat must be no more than 1/2" thick altho' 1/3" or 1/4" is perferable
- Meat must NOT be dried out
- Coating must be consistent; whether it's lightly dredged or quite literally battered it's gotta cover the whole steak and stay that way
- Gravy covering. This is a must, without question.

The rest of the nuances for defining perfection here come down to the flavoring - the spices in the coating, what's used during dredging, the type, consistency, and flavor of the gravy. Nothing else really impacts the dish after these so I'll try to keep my quest within those bounds.

So off I go, attempting to chronicle (or re-chronicle, for this quest has been on-going for quite a while) finding the best CFS known to man.

I'd also like to invite anyone else who wants to share their own CFS stories/reporting here. Just send an email to scrumpy fu at gmail dot com (scrunch that together for propuh addressin').