Dan's Biscuit Gravy

This is an amazingly easy country breakfast dish you can enjoy, provided you can get started with a creamy roux and build from there.  Patience is a virtue; the longer you cook it once the sausage has been added to the gravy, the more the flavors will meld.  

This is best served with homemade biscuits.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

---

• 1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage (or 1 tube roll sausage such as Bob Evans or Tennessee Pride)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 2+ cups whole milk
• salt
• pepper

 Directions

---

• Put butter in a large saucepan and heat over medium high heat, making sure the butter doesn't burn.
• Heat 2 cups of milk in the microwave or on the stove in a separate pot to warm it up...but not to boiling.
• When the butter has melted, add the flour - one tablespoon at a time - whisking the flour into the butter to form a roux.
• Cook the roux for a couple minutes, until it is bubbling and golden brown; then gradually add milk into the saucepan, whisking all the time to prevent the bottom from scorching.
• When the roux starts to thicken, reduce the heat to low and add salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, heat a heavy skillet to medium high heat and and the sausage by breaking pieces off with your hands.  
• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, break up the sausage as it cooks so the pieces are no larger that a marble.
• When the sausage is cooked through and at least half is well-browned, transfer the sausage into the saucepan with the gravy
• Continue to cook the sausage gravy, stirring constantly, until the gravy is a nice, golden brown.
• Note: if the gravy starts to get too thick, add more milk a little at a time.

Monty's Steakhouse, or Where's My Dinner?

Cathy's View

Something is missing from this scene

After moving back to West Springfield from a couple of years out of state, we were excited to learn that Monty's had opened with the intent of bringing some upscale meals and service to the area. We typically have Thursday restaurant night at our favorite spot in Alexandria, but we were tired and had had a decent lunch at Monty's earlier (see Dan's view) so thought we would give it a try for dinner because it was close. We got there at a little after 6 and there were only a few tables busy. And we waited. Around us, others got water, bread, and drinks. We waited. Tired and hungry. About 20 minutes in, our waiter arrived, without water or bread, and gave us the specials. We ordered drinks and main course. And waited. 

After a long time, adult beverages arrived, but no bread as at other tables. We asked for some. And waited. My wine was good, but Dan's beer was tepid. He joked that we would probably get our entrees at the same time as the bread. He was right! (Nice zucchini bread, btw.) Dan's ahi tuna steak was

Nice zucchini bread

awesome. My petit filets were over done. Thankfully, the waiter asked if it was ok, when I expressed doubt, he sent it back. While Dan ate, I waited. After a short time, my new plate came out. It was a little UNDER done, but better. The meals all around were tasty and creative. 

After that, service was better, in fact, good! Then the owner went table to table asking how things had been. She was good to ask specific questions, otherwise we might have demurred. Then she whisked up my check and said they wanted meals to be right and took off my steaks. NICE. I think they intend to be a really nice, family place. Because of the owner's devotion, we will be back. But maybe not when we are tired. 

Perhaps growing pains are to be understood.

Dan's View

An upscale steakhouse in an area seemingly devoid of cuisine that's of higher quality than Popeye's or Chipotle, Monty's is a welcome addition, or at least it hopefully will be.  We have been to Monty's twice; once for lunch, once for dinner, and both experiences had their share of good and not so good moments.  Cathy has shared our more recent dinner there so I'll focus on lunch, which was a couple weeks ago.

We were somewhat spoiled by downtown Ann Arbor, where along Main St. there's an abundance of outdoor dining to select from.  So it was nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy the weather.  There are over a dozen tables to choose from.  Our waiter was dressed all in white.  Too bad his fine uniform had food stains here and there. But let that pass.

What to order? The menu has a variety of fare, starting with appetizers -- French onion soup, crab & corn bisque, and calamari as standards; shrimpcargot and aurbergine paté as somewhat unique.  Being a steakhouse, the menu contains a number of different cuts of meat, which can come dressed with one of a number of sauces.  Kudos for a beer and wine list with lots to choose from, although they don't have any draft beer.  Bummer for me.

We split an onion soup.  Very good, and more than enough but perhaps a bit too much cheese.  

Cathy ordered the croque monsieur, a French take on a grilled cheese sandwich (I make it sound so gauche); ham, gruyere cheese and a béchamel sauce. I had a bite, very tasty. They tout their burgers, so I tried the blue cheese variety, that came with a hefty portion fries, and a pickle to boot.  I ordered it medium rare, and it was served to me more on the medium well side -- surprising for a steakhouse.  Oh well.  Needless to say, it was less juicy than I prefer.  Perhaps because of the overdone-ness of my burger, there was an overly charbroiled aftertaste to it.

No complaints on portion sizes, which if anything are a bit too much.  All in all, Monty's Steakhouse could be a great restaurant if they are more consistent on meat that is medium rare being truly medium rare, and not keep their customers waiting to be served.

Having said that, their selections and ambience together with their acknowledging our bad experience at dinner warrant another meal there.  We'll try back in a couple months.

Monty's Steakhouse

8426 Old Keene Mill Rd Sprinfield, VA 22152 (703) 942-8676 www.montyssteakhouse.com (their website needs to get rid of the 'coming soon' on some of the pages)

Shucking Oysters -- The right tool matters

Dan's View

Years ago I was starting a new job as a software developer, I remember Tim Martin, the head of software implementations telling me something that has stuck with me ever since: "you can't build a house without a toolbox". The context he was referring to translates roughly into "before you do a software implementation, make sure you have the procedures, utility programs, etc., to install the computer system quickly and efficiently.  The same thing applies in the world of shucking oysters: you can't shuck an oyster unless you have the right tool.  Of course, the right tool may turn out to be a hammer, if you're shucking oysters at the Chincoteague Oyster Festival, where speed is of  the essence since the shuckers are contending with a few thousand hungry people who want to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat venue.  However, when serving oysters to friends and family, presentation is almost as important as taste...so a hammer (or screwdriver for that matter) might not be the best choice.

Now I reached a point where I wanted to bring the oyster experience into our own home, but I didn't know the first thing about preparing them for consumption.  So one Saturday morning, I did a little Googling and found a few videos on YouTube that gave practical demonstrations.  Looked easy enough.  The next step was to find an oyster knife.  Oysters are shut tightly when they're healthy and alive (which is exactly the way you want them to be!), and the place to pry them open is where they are hinged.  It takes a bit of work to get the blade in the correct position and use a firm vibrating, or twisting motion as the hinge becomes freed...until there is ultimately a popping sound.  Because of that, it is important that the blade be thin, but also have some surface shape that suggests a fulcrum.  I was very anxious to get started, so I went to the nearest kitchen specialty store that had a variety of knives -- Bed Bath and Beyond.  The sales associate directed me to where their oyster knife was located.  It was an Oxo Good Grips Oyster Knife and it was a bargain at $8.99; it even had a curved tip, which satisfies the fulcrum requirement to aid in prying open the two valves.

Oxo -- A  so-so shucking tool

The final step in this quest was to secure some oysters.  Whole foods is a good source -- especially on the east coast -- and while their selection is not overwhelming, they usually stock a good, middle of the road Blue Point oyster.  I bought a dozen and went home.  My first attempts yielded edible results, but not very pretty -- the bottom shell would frequently break, spilling some of the precious liquor that is usually enjoyed as part of the oyster-slurping experience.  Many of the top shells broke as well, although these are discarded.  My technique improved with time, that is, the percentage of broken shells in the shucking process decreased, but not to an acceptable level, in my estimation.  Oh well.

Then Cathy and I got married, and we received some gift certificates from friends -- one of which was for Williams-Sonoma.  After we moved to Ann Arbor, we were shopping one day with gift certificate in hand for a sushi knife, which proved to be a bit more expensive and daunting (about 10 inches long and VERY sharp), so we decided against it.  I must have had seafood on the brain, because I immediately thought of checking out their oyster knives as an alternative (and less expensive) purchase.  What I found was a Lamson & Goodnow High Carbon Oyster Knife.  It was a tad more costly, at $14.99, but still reasonably priced.

Lamson & Goodnow - A great tool

As in my previous experience I acquired another batch of willing victims, this time a dozen Pleasant Bays from Monahan's.  The results this time were amazing: not one oyster shell broken!  Why the difference?  For one thing, the blade on the Lamson & Goodnow knife was much thinner than the Oxo blade.  Also, it does not bend, so all the energy of twisting and maneuvering goes directly into the task at hand -- namely, said oyster.  There's something about the wooden handle that makes it feel more comfortable in my hand.  I still have then Oxo blade as a backup, but the Lamson & Goodnow is my tool of choice.  Tim Martin would be proud.

Lavender Cottage - A Great Place to Relax

We had been living a fast-paced existence these past 9 months or so, and both desired an appropriate respite where we could recharge our biological batteries and enjoy each other's company -- with relatively few distractions.  Essentially, we were looking for a nice, relaxing place with beach access that was nice enough for our 50' something tastes. 


At our last weekend B&B adventure at South Cliff Inn, we talked with some fellow guests who raved about the Leelenau area of Northwestern Michigan.  We made a mental note of this so when the time came to consider a place to spend a few days, the information was readily available.  Cathy and I did some research on the web based on a few parameters: 1) we wanted privacy; 2) we would be cooking most of our meals, but still wanted access to some nice restaurants; 3) we would be taking the dogs with us this time; 4) we wanted to be near a lake.  Fortunately, we came upon a web site called Visit Up North, that provided us with several options in the Leelenau area of Michigan that matched this criteria.  Lavender Cottage on Davis Lake looked like the 'just right' place.  

Lavender Cottage blew us away. If you want a romantic, private, NICE place, go here. The decor is stunning and the cottage very well equipped. I don't think it would really be called a cottage, rather an extremely nice apartment. Between the fully-equipped and large kitchen to the incredibly comfortable bed and bedding, to the comfortable screened-in front porch, we felt immediately at home. One could live here. (And we're very picky!) 


A HUGE plus is the dog kennel for guest use -- and it's all yours, your dog(s) have their own space. John, the owner, was incredibly helpful and struck the perfect balance of friendly and helpful and allowing plenty of privacy. Did I mention the wonderful washer and dryer, wonderful TVs (that we don't watch, but for those who do) and wonderful stereo? We are major cooks and we worried a bit that (being a beach cottage and all) it wouldn't be well equipped. Would it have a coffee maker? (Yes) We drink smoothies most mornings and figured we would just skip them this week because we didn't imagine it would have a blender. (Make that a blender, Ninja, Cuisinart, a full set of spices, plenty of dishes and cutlery, excellent knives, beautiful linens, etc. etc. etc.) We left some s'more ingredients for the next guests. (Yes, wrapped!) If you stay here, and you should, please treat it as well as your own home because we plan on going here a lot and hope it stays as nice as it is now! 


The only things that would have made the experience even better -- and these are small niceties, not necessities -- would be blackout shades in the bedroom and possibly a speaker dock for smart phone to play music we bring or a cable adapter to the television to play movies we bring. But those ideas are probably just the kind of thing WE really like, being tech geeks. They are not necessary. 

Fire pit on the beach

Beautiful Davis Lake

On the beach, there's a fire pit (reference the s'mores above), two kayaks and a paddle boat for exploring the beautiful lake. Take in the starry nights and lovely small beach. Don't miss the incredible birds at the feeders while you sip a glass of wine on the front porch. Grill to your heart's content with meats from the specialty store a mile or so away. Thanks for a great vacation! 

One of many bird feeders close to the cottage

Kayaking on Davis Lake

Comments about the manager are about UpNorth website. It was very slow to respond in numerous ways. The actual owners were fabulous. 

Oysters - A Personal Introduction

Dan's View

I don't recall the first time that I was introduced to the oyster.  Most likely it was sometime during my late teens when all sorts of passions were being awakened in me.  What I do remember is that when the meat of that first bivalve mollusk met my tongue, and it began interpreting the tastes it was sensing...well, it was love at first slurp.  My early experiences sampling oysters were rather limited and infrequent, since I was from midwest stock; born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago.  It also was generally not the standard fare for a young guy in the 1980's (pizza was the dominant attraction in those days).

A half dozen Pleasant Bay oysters

It was only after moving to Northern Virginia that I became an oyster connoisseur-in-training. The favorite watering hole for Cathy and me was Hank's Oyster Bar, located in historic Old Town Alexandria.  The primary attraction to Hank's -- besides the excellent seafood fare -- was their oyster happy hour, during which you can order three varieties of oysters at a buck apiece (the normal price is $2 per oyster).  There are large blackboards in the front and back of the restaurant, which have the night's six oyster selections scribbled on them.  Generally there are 3 from the east coast and 3 from the west coast (more on this east coast/west coast distinction later).  And 3 of the 6 options are happy hour oysters (indicated with an asterisk). When the server describes the different oysters to patrons, it is much akin to describing the characteristics of wines.  But instead of body, complexity, and fruitiness they are described in terms of brininess, creaminess, and mineral qualities.  Interestingly though both have a 'finish' attribute.

I loved living in the DC area.  I am a history buff -- especially American Revolution and Civil War history --  and enjoyed the many museums, memorials, and battlefields that were readily available to us. It should be no surprise then that I was more than a little apprehensive at the thought of relocating to Ann Arbor.  On top of that, we would be relocating to the Midwest where alas, we would be far from either coast and therefore likely to be living in an oyster-free zone -- or best case, much less opportunity and selection available.  Happily I was proven wrong.  Ann Arbor happens to be a cultural and culinary gem, and the availability and variety of oysters is plentiful -- both at area restaurants and local (and most excellent) fish markets.  I miss Hank's, but we can always go back to visit.  Oysters are a passion of mine, so I will have more to say on this subject later.

The end...of the beginning. 

Pegasus -- Greek food on the fly

Cathy and I had a very busy weekend in the Chicago area, but it was time to head back to Ann Arbor.  Only one problem: we hadn't eaten since 9:00am and it was after 1:30pm.  We were in the northern suburbs and flirted with the idea of stopping at one of a couple sushi restaurants we had patronized in the past.  Sushi Kushi is in Lake Forest, and Fujiyama is in Northbrook.  Both are on our way south, but neither one was open at that hour as it turned out.  With it getting later and later, and almost 5 hours of driving ahead of us, I started driving on I94 towards Chicago, while -- Cathy iPhone in hand -- started searching for restaurants along the way that were close to the highway.  She suggested somewhere in Greektown.  It sounded good to me, so when we got down to the Chicago Loop, I pulled off at Adams St., parked around Monroe and Green  ($3.50 for two hours on the street), and we walked down Halsted to find a place to eat.  We chose Pegasus.  By the time we got there, it was around 2:30pm so the place was pretty empty.

Spanakopita

Dan's View
After being seated, we were brought a loaf of wheat bread (olive oil was on the table), the slices way too thick; bread too dense.  I was feeling achy, and tired (mostly from not eating) and didn't take time to peruse the menu, so I missed reading about their meat and seafood dishes.  Instead, I got the Spanakopita -- classified under Greek Specialties on the menu.  It was good, with thin and crisp layers of filo dough, and fresh spinach and feta cheese interior.  There was also a visible presence of egg which I never noticed before when ordering 'spinach pie'.

Avgolemono

I also ordered the Avgolemono, a lemon chicken and rice soup with a rich and creamy broth that turned out to be a very good choice to ward away my achiness.  It came with a slice of lemon, which if used would have been overkill.  Had I known my entree came with rice, I probably would have ordered something else as a main dish.

Our server was friendly, interested in where we were headed on our trip.  No alcohol for me, as I was driving. I wouldn't mind returning again, if for no other reason than to take my time reading the menu offerings and trying something a little more 'exotic'.

Cathy's view
Starved and desperate, we went to the first near the highway and first near parking. It was FINE. We had minimal time and at least I had low expectations. I love the Athenian Room for lunch Greek Food, but it was out of the way. I had gyros for things expeditious and they were fine, but not good.

Wings, Beer and Conversation

I drove to Chicago last Thursday night for a day of meetings on Friday at my office and to go to a couple of parties on Saturday with Cathy (she took the train in Saturday morning -- not a pleasant experience for her that she may describe in a future post).  While in town, I contacted my friend Jeff, who I've known for over 20 years.  Jeff and I have worked at three different companies together and have shared some tough times with each other.  In the distant past, we use to meet for drinks and appetizers at a local microbrewery, but that ended up closing a few years back.  We found a new place for libations that seemed to be equidistant to his office and mine -- Hooters.  We have continued to meet there a couple times a year, despite a near-death experience I had there once.  While Jeff was 'freshening up', a ceiling fan above our table came crashing down, clipping our table, and missing my head by inches -- seriously.

Hooters.  What can I say? They are known for their wings, but they are also known for their breasts, legs, and thighs -- but those are not on the menu.  I don't know exactly how to classify this restaurant.  Not quite a bar and grill, not really a sports bar, and not very family-oriented.  And yet, Hooters is trying to be all three.  The demographics on this particular night were mostly male 30-somethings, some young couples, a few 40-something groups of women, and two or three families with young children (I found this a little bizarre).

In general I have not been impressed with the servers there -- it seems policy to grow your hair long, dye and straighten it, and wear a ton of unnecessary make-up.  That is in addition to wearing the required 'uniform'.  When being waited on, my experience has been that the women feign friendliness, but in actuality are standoffish and a bit resentful.  This time, however, our server was very pleasant and accommodating.

As for the food and drink, I've only had their beer and wings so I'll focus on those.  You can order the wings in 5, 10, 20, and 50 piece batches -- bone in or boneless.  And you can order the wings hot, 3-mile island, or 9-1-1 each in increasing hotness.  I've tried all three.  Hot is not hot at all, in my opinion; only slightly spicy.  There doesn't seem to be much difference between the hotter and hottest versions.  They are good, but not great, containing too much breading and not enough variation in flavor of the Tabasco-based hot sauce.  What really irks me is that sides of celery, ranch, and blue cheese dressing are happily served to you at an additional charge.  The draft beers appear to be restricted to boring choices such as Miller Lite.  I prefer full bodied beers with complex flavors, so I was sadly disappointed.

With such a mediocre review, why do I go there?  Well, let's just say I am more interested in catching up with a dear friend.