Posted by Michael Nagrant, December 18, 2008 at 1:30 PM
For the last few years, folks have debated whether Chicago has matched or eclipsed great North American food towns like New York, San Francisco, or Montreal. While the debate rages on, one factor against our pre-eminence as a serious food town was our lack of fringe specialty food shops.
Everyone knows the real top food cities reach a point of saturation where all the mainstream good restaurant ideas are taken and have been replicated a hundred fold and tweaked with zany minor iterations. Thus, the only way to be successful is to pursue culinary improbability, that brand of foodie entrepreneurship that spawns BLT cupcakes, deep fried mayonnaise, Kobe beef and foie gras-topped hamburgers, and Krispy Kreme milkshakes.
While it’s true Chicago has staked its claim to more than a few post-modern/molecular gastronomy emporiums, we’ve generally continued to cast our lot with an unending line of taquerias, hot dog stands, pizza shacks, and sushi joints. But, last week we finally entered the big time with Lakeview’s Meatloaf Bakery. While it sounds like the drug fueled dream of a character in some big ticket Hollywood movie, it’s the real deal here in Chicago—a storefront emporium that sells no less than eight types of gourmet meatloaf in appetizer form (aka "loafies"), full loaves, and, yes, the meat cupcake, aka "meatloaf baked in cupcake forms and piped with mashed potato frosting."
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Hot on the heels of our own Meatloaf Appreciation Day, the New York Times claims to have solved the meatloaf conundrum.
Posted by Robyn Lee, October 18, 2007 at 6:15 PM
To make a meatloaf cupcake, top a bite-sized lump of meatloaf with mashed potato frosting and corn niblet jimmies.
Aw! Meatloaf has never looked so cute.
Posted by Jenn Smith, October 18, 2007 at 12:00 PM
Meatloaves from Off the Broiler, The Meatwave, Confabulation in the Kitchen, Last Night's Dinner, Erin Covert, and Nami-Nami.
We had so many happy participants in our National Meatloaf Appreciation Day food event that we're sharing submissions in three groups—so much easier for you to digest!
15 more great meatloaf links, after the jump.
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, October 12, 2007 at 5:00 PM
Can you picture then-congressman Richard M. Nixon stuffing his face with meatloaf? Well, he did, and historic Martin's Tavern in Georgetown— where the stuffing used to happen— isn't keeping it a secret. With Meatloaf Appreciation Day just five days away, Martin's is serving the pâté wannabe at this week's Taste of Georgetown, a street fair-cum–gorge fest where nearby restaurants show off mini entrée portions.
During the 1940s and '50s, Nixon used to sit at booth No. 2 at Martin's Tavern, a quintessentially Washington power-hitters spot. His usual order? The M-loaf. And this weekend, Martin's will be serving $5 sample portions from—get this—an authentic Watergate Hotel chafing dish!
Last month, the Watergate complex was hosting a blow-out liquidation sale inspired by its upcoming "dramatic renovation." Fitness equipment, marble sinks, and even bedding went from anywhere between $1 to $7,000. A bunch of china, including the ornate silver chafing dish, was snatched by fourth-generation owner Billy Martin, Jr. A little Nixon resignation joke? Oh, Washington. Even when you're talking meatloaf, it involves a president/presidential scandal.
Martin's Tavern
Address: 1264 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202-333-7370
URL: martins-tavern.com
About the author: Erin Zimmer, Serious Eats's Washington, D.C., correspondent, is a just-graduated Georgetown gal following her nose about town as Washingtonian magazine's Dining intern and Best Bites blogger. She got her start as the Hoya campus paper's food columnist, and since entering "real person-hood" has ached for her dining hall's omelet station.
Posted by Alaina Browne, September 20, 2007 at 6:00 PM
Meatloaf: You can make it from a classic pork-veal-beef mixture or with lean ground turkey. You can flavor-boost it with a packaged soup mix or deck it out with fresh herbs, dried fruits, and exotic meats. Meatloaf lends itself to improvisation while being comforting, and unites tradition and innovation. Maybe your recipe is your grandmother's or maybe you make it up as you go along. It ain't always pretty, but it's just the thing for satisfying your soul, true sweater-weather food, and a home-cooked standard.
We're declaring Thursday, October 18 "National Meatloaf Appreciation Day" and are creating a food event to capture the festivities. What does this mean for you?
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