Saturday, May 16, 2009

Biscuits on the brain!


My penchant for biscuits seems to have been turned up a notch or two this week.

On Wednesday, I had breakfast with a friend at Arkie's, a good ol' Austin institution. Known for their breakfast and lunch specials (like turkey & dressing every Thursday), Arkie's has been about at the end of Cesar Chavez (once the middle of nowhere) since 1948. Chatting with our waitress, she's "only" been there 14 years. The head cook, for 46, one of the other cooks, only for 18. The waitress was saying when the head cook goes (he's 70-something now), that's it. He's got all the recipes up in his head. Never takes a day off. That's some dedication.

Their biscuits and gravy were tasty, though maybe not quite as good as those at the Frisco. You can tell they're using shortening, but they were big and fluffy. I also had a side of hash browns. This is how I like 'em -- really browned & crisp. Would love to go back for one of their lunches, like chicken & dumplings. Comfort food at it's finest!

And with biscuits in mind, I made a batch of flaky biscuits this morning to take to work so they won't forget me next week when I am on vacation!