It's difficult for me to get out to new restaurants because of our family's schedule, but a weekend brunch is a pretty easy one to pull off. The only thing better than brunch is a boozy one, so I was stoked when I heard Chappy's was starting weekend brunches. Craft beers would be a great change from the usual mimosas that accompany that not-quite-breakfast meal.

My sister, my Dear Prudence and I embarked upon Chappy's that day with big hongries (and some thirsties for cold ones). I'd been daydreaming about the praline bacon, and the order is around half a pound (it's actually considered an entree). It was a bit difficult to find something on the smaller side to go along with that as the menu is limited, so I opted for a biscuit & gravy. Both the other gals went for chicken and waffles, one with regular syrup and one with spicy syrup. All of the food was amazing - but for a sissy like me, the gravy was too damn spicy. I've never seen red pepper used in gravy before, and I grew up eating biscuit & gravy every weekend in two different households (my own and my grandma's), as well as occasionally at friends' homes, but never encountered it. It was just too much. The biscuits were great and the gravy had a good texture, but it was inedible for me. Also,  it's nearly impossible to take an appetizing photo of sausage gravy - so I won't subject you to it. Just trust that it's as big as advertised.



The praline bacon was a great balance of sweet and salty, and a level of doneness that would appeal to anyone - not chewy like bubblegum, not super crispy (probably due to the saturation of the sugars).


Just perfect. It was big enough that someone with a small appetite could easily get away with ordering just that and an egg or two.

Our waitress was top notch (never had bad service there) and she knew all about their beer choices, even recommending a few beers that taste great when mixed half & half together. So many brunch options are popping up around Dayton, but I'd definitely do another brunch here just to order my own chicken and waffles. And if you're a fan of spicy, their Big A** Biscuit and Gravy is right up your alley.


4.5 out of 5 sporks!

You're probbaly figuring out by now that I have a ton of back-logged reviews.  congratulations! You're very intuitive.  Your mother says so. On another morning when Lil FvF was with the grandparents, we decided to finally get around to trying Lucky's for brunch. We get in a bad habit of always wanting to go to Golden Nugget, so our breakfast and brunch wishlist is long.  Blind Bob's menu always looks great, but for personal reasons, I don't eat there.  Lucky's brunch menu is on the smaller side, which isn't always a bad thing - plus they offered gluten-free banana bread French toast.  Score!

Well, not so fast.  It was just alright.  It was very mealy, which can be expected from g/f items, so I can't place that blame on the recipe or the cook.  I didn't taste the slightest hint of banana, either. The density inside and crunchy outside were tops, but the overall texture and taste was just off.  I got a little bit of both the maple breakfast sausage and smoked bacon, both of which were excellent.  The eggs were just eggs.  Nicely cooked, but by no means fluffy.

Mr. FvF really enjoyed his chorizo breakfast tacos, but the "home fries" went to waste because they'd been cooked with peppers and onions (not noted on the menu), both of which he can't stand.

Our server had an almost empty house, with only us and one other party of drunken ladies brunching, but she was pretty out to lunch the whole time.  We had to go to the bar and ask for refills and had no flatware on our table when our food came.

Reasonably priced, free lot parking, bloody mary bar and perfect meats give them a lot of aces, but they need to offer a few more better-executed options to keep us coming back.

For all of the years that I've loved quiche, making a good one has always been one of my greatest undoings as an unprofessional chef.  I've tried the most basic recipes to the most complex, all with lackluster (and sometimes inedible) results.  It dawned on me that since buying a new stove and pie pans, I hadn't given it another go.  I'd looked at so many recipes that I felt cross-eyed, so I decided to Frankenstein them together into what seemed like it would turn out best.  The recipe itself was incredibly simple - the secret is in the temperature adjustment.

1 refrigerated pie crust
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 C heavy cream or half & half
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 C onion, finely diced and sauteed
6 slices bacon (or more), chopped and fried crisp
1 C shredded Swiss cheese (bonus if you have gruyere to throw in, too!)

Pre-bake the shell in a pie plate or custard dish in 425 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes until it starts to turn golden brown. Don't forget to poke it with fork tines or a toothpick before baking, or it will be a bubbly disaster!  Pie weights or dry beans will also keep it from bubbling.

Bake 15 min at 425, reduce to 300 and bake another 30 minutes.

My buddy Tim from YouIndie and I fumbled our way through Cincinnati traffic (note to self: never complain about Dayton's again) on an unseasonably warm and sunny Thursday afternoon last month to see the Afghan Whigs.  Since this is basically my Metallica/Beatles/fillinsuperfanboyanswer here band, the meal needed to live up to the rest of the evening.  We had a few recommendations, but everyone had mentioned Senate in OTR.  They refer to themselves as "Pushers of beer, wine and gourmet street food," and are also known to sell some pretty fancified hot dogs.
Everyone watches their funds these days, but I've been pinching pennies since the day I got my hands on a nickel.  I loaned my sister a dollar once and tried to charge her interest on it, and told me 2nd grade teacher that I "wanted to be a loan shark when  grew up," based on my mom's commentary about the aforementioned loan.  So, a $10 hot dog seemed a little steep to me - but I figured there had to be something to it if people keep paying the $10 for them.
 Pretty much street parking only, but my pilot TimDogg scored a sweet spot right in front of their door.  In warmer weather, it's a very open air eatery, and aesthetically every bit of on-trend.  Small and bustling, but the service is top-notch.  The host told me it would be about 20 minutes (which is still less than what I expected), but it was really less than 5.  Every employee is clean cut and sharp-dressed, which goes a long way with me.  Especially when every single one of them is as handsome as the day is long.  Our server was knowledgeable about the drink and food menu, and had plenty of recommendations to help me make up my mind between all of the offerings.  I opted for a seasonal pumpkin cocktail and the Trailer Park dog, and my bro-date and I would split the truffle fries. If you're dying to know what a Trailer Park dog is comprised of and are too lazy to look at the website, it's an all beef dog wrapped in bacon with American cheese, creamy claw and crushed BBQ Grippos on a brioche bun.  Are you salivating yet?  Because I AM.   

The cocktail was perfect and distinct, and funky in the same way that grass-fed beef is the very first time you taste it.  The dog was not only only the best actual frank I've ever tasted, but the best all-together hot dog and probably in my top ten stateside food experiences, period.  $10 seems negligible once you taste it, because I'd gladly pay $20 for one right now.

I'm really glad our server recommended the truffle fries over the duck fat fries, because I really don't see how anything could have been better than these little sticks of heaven.  I've find most fries not to be worth the calories contained, so I'm not a big fry eater.  I'd rather skip'em and go whole hog on an entree or dessert.  But these?  These I could eat everyday, and probably die at a very young age or coronary heart disease.  If clouds were made of fresh butter, then somehow made slightly crispy on the outside, that's what these truffle fries taste like.  They're the unicorn of the french fry world.
                                               
You all know I rarely give 5 out of 5 sporks - but Senate really won me over.  For the quality you're getting, the price is perfectly reasonable and the service was unparalleled.  I've tried to think about any way one could improve upon the food, but the only answer is "MORE OF THAT."

I totally love this guy.  He knows how bacon is supposed to be!  A new citizen of FvF, for sure.

Remember last year around Thanksgiving when I cooked three awesome dishes and told you I'd post the recipes? Yeah, me too. Sorry about that.  So, slightly in advance for this Thanksgiving, I'll finally be posting them - starting, naturally, with the appetizer.  I usually just do dessert or an appetizer for family dinner hosted at Ma and Pa FvF's house, but by Thanksgiving of last year, my swollen, pregnant ass was on partial bed rest and bored out of my mind. So, I insisted on making both.

1 pkg refrigerated breadstick dough
10 sliced precooked bacon*
1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese
1 tbsp herb of your choice (I used fresh rosemary)
1 egg, beaten + a table spoon or two of cold water

*Yes, the Oscar Meyer stuff that is shelf stable.  Trust me, this is one of the only things it's good for.  Real bacon just isn't pliable enough.  


Unroll the dough and separate it into sticks.  Coil the bacon and breadsticks together, pinching the breadsticks ends together as you go, to make one big, slightly loose spiral.  It's best to start on a cookie sheet or pizza stone, because this is impossible to move once you start.  Brush with the egg wash, then sprinkle your herbs and cheese over the top and bake about 25 minutes at 350.  After you've let it cool for 10-15 minutes, cut it pizza-style into thin, triangular slices.  This comes out a bit smaller than you'd expect, so I'd make two if you're serving more than 5-6 people.  Or any combination of one very pregnant woman and one or more people.

Say it ain't so!  Or if you're Mr. FvF, it's not so - just move along. Nothing to see here.

But yes, really!  Bourdain is bringing his one-man Guts & Glory show to The Schuster Center on November 18, 2012.  Attendees will get to spend the evening soaking up the culinary rabble-rouser's stories about his work and travels, including an open Q&A with the audience.


Tickets go on sale Saturday, August 11, 8‐11 a.m. at the Ticket Center Stage Box Office and 10 a.m. online at http://www.ticketcenterstage.com.    Tickets will be available for purchase by phone on Monday, August 13 at 10 a.m. at (937) 228‐3630 or toll‐free at (888) 228‐3630.
I'm really only telling you that last part out of obligation, because who orders tickets on the telephone?  You're probably the same people who have to listen for the "If you're using a rotary phone, please hold for an operator" instructions.  You phone orderers probably have no way of reading this, but in case someone is dictating it to you, the internet is great. Just never Google image search stuff like medical conditions or Street Fighter characters without safe search.

You could wait until Saturday to buy tickets, like a chump.  But you know what? I like the cut of your jib, so you can just go to this presale link and use the password DAYTON to buy tickets right fucking now.


For more information, visit www.AnthonyBourdainonTour.com

 Tank's is one of my very favorite Dayton haunts.  Always my first pick for burger joints, and someplace I always insist on taking folks new to or visiting the Gem City.  A permanent spot in my top ten.  In my twenties, I even chose a rental house based in its close proximity to Tank's.  However, they've been serving breakfast for a couple of years - even started serving it during all hours - and I had yet to try it.  I kept hearing everyone rave about it, but it was simply off our breakfast radar for one reason or another.  The morning of Memorial day, when most everyone we knew was hungover, we were up bright and early...and hungry.  Golden Nugget and Christopher's were both closed.  We started to head for last resorts like Starlite or Hasty Tasty, then put'er in reverse and headed down Wayne Avenue. 

A few weekends ago, before the great plague fell upon our house, Mr. FvF and I decided to take a trip out to Wasserstrom Restaurant Supply. I'd always wanted to go, and now had an excuse because I needed some pro gear for my Swedish Chef costume. Long story short, the trip was a bust - they didn't have what I needed and everything was ridiculously pricey. Clockwise from top to center:

We have BFD at least once a week here, and usually we're fine with bacon, eggs, and some fried taters (mmmhmmm). But, sometimes I like to switch it up and use a different breakfast meat, or find something fancier to do with the eggs. Making a quiche has always been my greatest culinary undoing. It always overcooks on the bottom, and is never fluffy and decadent like it should be. This may have something to do with my 30 year old stove - which thankfully, since I've made these baby quiches last week, is now with Appliance Jesus in Stove Heaven.

I found a basic quiche filling recipe from a Julia Child recipe and tweaked it with the fillings I wanted. Here's what you'll need:

2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 C half & half
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese
6 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled

Coat a mini or regular muffin pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, whisk your eggs, cream, salt and pepper (I like to add a pinch of cayenne, too). Divide the egg mixture evenly between the cups until they're about 1/2 to 2/3 full, then sprinkle each cup with bacon crumbles and Swiss cheese. Of course, you can use any kind of quiche-friendly meat and cheese you like, but this is Quiche Lorraine, fools. So, the bacon & Swiss are a must.

Bake about 25 minutes or until centers are completely set. You can tell by slipping a toothpick into the center - if it comes out clean, they're good to go.

Last week, the Mister had to go to the Dayton School of Advertising Art and talk to some folks about how he uses Adobe to create some of his fabulous comic art. Naturally, I took the opportunity to make something he'd never dream of eating, then watch some x-rated movies.

This was one of my favorite dishes to make as a single gal, and I realized I hadn't eaten it since he moved in. I should note that I wouldn't know shit about making fancy pasta dishes if it weren't for my friend Billiam. I would have never attempted to make my own sauces before seeing him make it look so effortless.

Here's what you'll need (serves 1-2):

long, thin pasta of your choice, cooked al dente (I used whole wheat linguine)
3 sliced of bacon, chopped and cooked
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped coarsely
1/4 - 1/2 C chopped yellow onion
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 tomato (I used roma), diced
1/2 C white wine (I used pinot grigiot)
1/2 C half & half or heavy cream
parmesan cheese (at least 1/3 C)
olive oil

Start some olive oil in a sautee pan over medium heat.* Once it's fast in the pan, add your onions and garlic, but careful not to scorch the garlic (you will never know a more awful smell or taste). Cook those down until the onions begin to get soft & translucent, then add your tomatoes and a tablespoon or two of the white wine. Reduce the heat and let the tomatoes start to release their juices and cook down, then add the bacon & spinach. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes.

Once everything is looking beautiful and smelling groovy, start to add the rest of the wine and let it warm up with the veggies, then add a bit of grated parm and a few pinches of salt. Once it's all the same temp, start slowly stirring in your cream and bring the heat up to just below medium. Add the cream slowly so that you know when you've got enough. This will always cook a bit differently, so sometimes you don't need the whole 1/2 cup. The sauce should start to thicken, and once it does, adjust the heat back to low. Let is simmer for just a few more minutes, then add some more grated cheese and your cooked pasta, and toss it all together. Also, do yourself a favor and get a nice brick of aged parmesan instead of using that powdered shit that comes in the green canister. The stuff keeps forever!


*If you cooked your bacon in the same pan, it's perfectly okay to leave some of the droppings there. Just makes it taste better!

We always have plenty of cheese on hand for snackin', so a lot of times, I'll put stuffed burgers on the menu for the week and have no clue what I'm going to do with them until the moment hits me. This past week, Kroger had some decent looking smoked gouda on sale - and few things go better with gouda (besides more gouda) than bacon (which of course, we also always have on hand).

Bacon & Smoked Gouda Burgers

1 lb ground chuck (80/20)
4 oz smoked gouda, cut into cubes
3-4 tbsp bread crumbs
4 slices of bacon, cooked crisp & coarsely chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Garlic Paprika Aioli
3 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 minced garlic clove
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika


Combine all of the ingredients with your hands until very well mixed and form into patties. My personal preferred method is to make them into giant meatballs and flatten them just slightly - that way they don't cook too quickly or overcook. If you spy any of the cheese cubes poking out, thumb them back in and cover it up with ground beef. This will keep the precious cheese from oozing out during cooking when it starts to melt.

Toss them onto a hot grill (or cast iron, if you're sans grill) for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until they've got just a little give left to them, much like a medium steak (should create the same resistance as touching your nose with your finger). Don't squish the burger with the spatula. Love your burger, and let it keep all of it's juices. Love it!

As loyal readers know, Mr. FvF hates onions, otherwise I'd stuff those in, too. So, I like to caramelize some for myself and top the burger with it.

In case you don't already know, the first Dayton Man B Que was held here at Chez Food vs Face last weekend. I'll have some upcoming links to the MBQ site with all of the amazing recipes soon. For now, though, you'll have to get by on the leftovers. The festivities left behind all sorts of food in it's wake, from already cooked food from the night before, to about 2 1/2 pounds of ground chuck and various cheeses. My sister's mister missed the event because they were to busy gettin' their metal on with Iron Maiden in Cleveland, so I decided to throw some of my own burgers together and invite them over.

Again, I take the things that normally go on top of burgers and stuff them inside - almost like a meatloaf, but one that tastes good. Here's what you'll need for this burger (yields 7 burgers, so divvy as needed for smaller amounts):

2 1/2 lbs ground chuck (80/20)
5 oz (or about 1/2 C) sharp cheddar, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 C bread crumbs
1/2 C BBQ sauce (recommended: Sweet Baby Ray's Original)
6-8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp & coarsely chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine all of the ingredients with your hands until very well mixed and form into patties. My personal preferred method is to make them into giant meatballs and flatten them just slightly - that way they don't cook too quickly or overcook. If you spy any of the cheese cubes poking out, thumb them back in and cover it up with ground beef. This will keep the precious cheese from oozing out during cooking when it starts to melt.

Toss them onto a 400 degree grill for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until they've got just a little give left to them, much like a medium steak (should create the same resistance as touching your nose with your finger). DO NOT squish the burgers with the spatula and let all of that fabulous juice out. You're grilling, so most of the actual fat will drip off. If you press them, you're ridding the burger of it's natural juices, i.e., flavor.

If you're feeling fancy (which we always are), top it with some onion rings or French fried onions, and enjoy the sound of your arteries clogging and life becoming exponentially more wonderful with each bite.

I promised I'd post a gravy tutorial to follow up John's biscuit recipe, and last night's BFMFD finally gave me the chance to fulfill my obligation.

In the kind of household I grew up in, gravy was considered a condiment fit to put on almost anything - biscuits, eggs, toast, chicken, ham, potatoes, etc. Hell, it was practically considered a beverage. Mine was a very blue collar home, meaning we weren't wiping our asses with hundred dollar bills, and gravy was often used to "round out a meal." That probably explains a lot about my figure, actually.

Now's the time that you'll toddle on over to ManBQue for fulfillment of your wildest gravy fantasies.

After enjoying many dinners of breakfast, my friend Billiam and I decided to rename the delightful dish BFD, for "breakfast for dinner." If you think about the title long enough, I'm sure you can figure out what it means, and how many tequila sunrises and mimosas we may have had in order to come up with such a long and foul acronym.

Mr. FvF requested that BFD make it onto our menu this week, and I was happy to oblige. Tonight, we dined on seasoned, fried red potatoes, gravy & biscuits, hickory smoked bacon and scrambled eggs.

I don't particularly care for meatloaf, but Paula Deen talked me into this, and I've never turned back. Neither have my arteries.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar, grated
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions

Combine the first nine ingredients and go to town mixing them all together (again, don't be a sissy - do this by hand). A word of advice - pre-grease your loaf pan before doing this, so you don't have to worry about washing your hands to pick up the cooking spray after you've been elbow deep in meat. Also, if you cook up your bacon the night before, this is ridiculously easy to make.

Form into a standard size loaf pan (if you don't have one, just use any oven-safe pan and shape your meat mixture into a loaf). Take the ketchup & mustard, mix them together, and slather it onto the meatloaf. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and add your French fried onions and bake for another 15 minutes or so, or until the internal temp reaches 160.


Yes, it's a little greasy. But you know what else it is? A whole lot of awesome.
I think Wilco should remix one of their songs just for Paula Deen and call it, "I Am Trying To Stop Your Heart."

I heard tell of this new burger from Wendy's last week, and had been trying to play it cool like I wasn't in a rush to try it. That is, until I saw the commercial last night. The idea of actual bleu cheese crumbles instead of dressing, along with sauteed onions, meant that I had to try this beast. So, I grabbed one at lunch today and fantasized about it all the way back to work. I ate lunch in my office just so I could have some private time with my food - plus, everyone looks at me funny when I take pictures of everything I eat.

Upon unwrapping it, I wasn't floored. They're using a bigger, bistro-style bun that hides some of the goodness. But, the burger itself hung off all sides of the bun, and that certainly wasn't bumming me out. Like grandma always said, size DOES matter.

I was concerned that all of the accouterments they allude to in the ad weren't actually on there. I'm also pretty neurotic that things on my sandwiches are evenly dispersed, so naturally - I took it apart for further inspection.

I didn't see nearly as many sauteed onions and I would have liked, but they were certainly present. There was also some sort of "steakhouse spread," more than enough cheese crumbles, lettuce, tomato, and some pretty decent-looking bacon.

The spread turned out to be a fancied-up mayo, almost like a peppercorn aioli, maybe even the slightest smidge of horseradish in there, too. It definitely did the burger more justice than regular ol' Hellman's would have. The bacon was on point - a good mixture of crunchy and chewy, and definitely not that flaccid bullshit they use for the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers.

If the burger patty was thicker and slightly higher quality, and it wasn't slapped together haphazardly by a high-school drop-out, this could easily be mistaken for a bistro burger at a sit-down joint. In fact, the ingredients are basically identical for the Pacchia burger from the restaurant of the same name (now closed) that I used to daydream about - just scaled down to a Wendy's budget. The verdict: the Bacon & Bleu beats the pants off of most fast food burgers.



5 out of 5 sporks!

• Last night we had Mexican night with all of our favorite folks. We filled up on Gin's fabulous chicken enchiladas, carnitas, tacos, spicy rice, homemade salsa, hot sauce & guacamole, 7-layer taco dip and margaritas. El yummo!
  

(And in case you're wondering, yes - that's the Sunmaid Raisins girl giving the finger)

• I missed the big Jungle Jim's trip yesterday because I had carnitas to make, but my sister was awesome enough to pick me up a pack of Walker's Smokey Bacon Crisps. They're pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to me, besides Mr. FvF. Since I love bacon so hard, it's always surprising that most of the bacon flavored products on the market make me want to wretch. Leave it to the Brits to get it right!
  

• My mom sent me home with a big stack of Southern Living magazines, so I'm sure I'll have some full-fat, artery-clogging recipes to share over the next week if I don't stroke out. Did someone burn toast?