Things That Make You Go WTF??

Sigh

I loathe writing negative reviews.

But here I find myself doing just that.

And about one of my favorite places to eat in Lexington.

A great place for breakfast, lunch, dinner and later bar fare. A great sports atmosphere. A place that families close by call their own. If I lived within walking distance I'd be there a lot every week.

Winchell's on Southland Drive is one of my favorite places to go relax and enjoy a meal. I've brought more friends from out of town to this restaurant than any other over the past few years. It's consistently good no matter what you order despite the varied menu and daily specials. That's saying a lot.

So that made this morning's experience all the more disappointing.

My Husband Brad planned out our whole weekend--one of the first in quite a while where we would just be able to be together. He made Winchell's a must do for Sunday breakfast.

It was busy as usual but not overly so and we were seated right away. Brad ordered a special--corned beef hash over toast with country gravy and scrambled eggs--plus a side of bacon. It's not breakfast without bacon, y'all. I ordered the 2 Egg Special--over easy with bacon and rye toast with a side of jalapeno cheese grits. *slurp*

We were starving and upon the arrival of our plates dug right in. It wasn't half a second before I saw Brad become distressed as he chewed and began reaching into his mouth. He'd picked up a piece of bacon first--who wouldn't?--and I had no idea why he was spitting it out.

Turns out there was a really long hair on it. Really long and curly. He got it in his mouth as he chewed that first piece of bacon. It was gross as he held the hair on his fingers until the server--who seemed to have to serve every single person on the other side of the restaurant before he got back to us--finally came to the table.

When the server arrived he was very casual to us but so had that 'deer in headlights' look about him. He did not say he was sorry. That's a problem. I don't care if you are the lowest restaurant on the food chain if there is significant issue with the food you should educate your staff to always say you are sorry if there is a problem. He asked if Brad wanted another of the same dish which he didn't because he was really hungry so he ordered pancakes which would take less time.

So I was left with my full dish of eggs over easy and toast and grits that would go cold unless I ate them and my Husband sitting and watching me eat.

This was interrupted by the manager on duty who did apologize but said to my Husband, who shaves his head, that he didn't understand how the hair had gotten on the bacon because it was a long hair and all of his kitchen help had short hair and had hats/nets on. And then he looked at me with my long, blonde hair. He said he was taking Brad's meal off the bill. Then he skittered away.

Turns out he meant only the dish we sent back because of the hair. We paid full price for Brad's substitute order. And our server--well he acted like we had the plague.

And in thinking about it we got angrier---the manager seemingly forgot that pretty much every single female waitress in the place had long hair. That does not count the many patrons whose tables were bussed with dishes passing through the same doorway through which all the food came out. But then again logic seems a hard won commodity these days.

We were really disturbed by this. We've been regular customers and referred friends there and have brought out of town guests to a true local Kentucky restaurant.

I am shocked that any restaurant--even one as popular as Winchell's--would treat their customers this way.

I hope it is an anomaly.

Short Stack o' Heaven

 This was our breakfast spread the day after the Ultimate Toga Party. to the bottom left of the pic you can see the most talked about component --my homemade pancakes.

I hadn't even attempted pancakes in years until one day this spring when we decided we'd have pancakes on a Sunday.  I had a couple of days lead time and that turned out to be a good thing.  I used our friend the 'Google machine' and did some research that it seems has made all the difference from my prior mostly mediocre tries at making them.

Everyone wants the recipe. Funny thing is it is right there on the box of Bisquick.....

For 14 pancakes using slightly less than 1/4 cup of batter per pancake-------

2 cups Original Bisquick mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

plus ingredients for 'Supreme' --- adding  2 TB sugar, 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla

 That was the starting point but I modified it based on what I found in my research....

2 cups original Bisquick--spoon into dry measuring cup and level off

1 cup + full fat buttermilk

2 eggs--I used fresh free range eggs from the Lexington Farmer's Market

2 Tb sugar

2 heaping tsps baking powder--it is important to make them 'heaping'

1 tsp vanilla

How you put it together is the next important tip.

Add Bisquick to a large mixing bowl then add sugar and baking powder and blend well (I use a whisk).  Form a 'well' by pushing the dry mix up the sides.

Break the eggs and beat slightly,add vanilla and add one cup of the buttermilk  and blend well.  

Pour the wet ingredients into the 'well' of the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.  Do not worry about small lumps.

Set your bowl of batter on the counter for about 30 minutes giving the leavening ingredients a chance to work.  You will see it rise up in the bowl.

It is important to have your pan at the right temperature --about 350 degrees seems to work best.  Heat your pan and when drops of water 'skitter' across before evaporating that's about right.   I did my first few batches in my trusty chef's pan but found that was difficult to keep at the right temp on my cooktop.  

I'd had my eye on an indoor griller for a while and my desire to get the pancakes just right spurred me to buy one--the Cuisinart Griddler.  I love it!

It opens up flat so you can use both sides as a griddle and it's plenty big enough for enough pancakes at once that you can easily keep an eye on.

Even though the surface is non stick I swipe a little vegetable oil across to get the right texture on the surface of the pancakes.

When your griddle is hot check your batter--it should have risen up.  Scoop  out portions---you might want to add just a little buttermilk if it is too thick.

Drop a little less that a quarter cup of batter onto the griddle and cook until bubbles start to rise and the edges look 'dry' then flip and cook until golden on the other side.

Serve hot with butter and your favorite syrup and or jam.

These pancakes keep very well---although we normally don't have leftovers*smile*

Smoky Strip Steak with Tomato Salad

I planted herbs and peppers and some tomatoes in a little raised bed and a large pot.

This is what six tomato plants looks like when you use Miracle Gro Garden Soil.

I braved the jungle of tomato vines and made my harvest for the day---the larger tomatoes are Better Boy, there are a couple of Marglobes and the rest are Red Currant tomatoes.

I found these in Sam's Club of all places.  They are long red peppers and  these came from Canada. As much as I pride myself on local ingredients my curiosity got the better of me.  They are delicious!  I'll get a proper pic of them next time and find some local at the Farmer's Market.

We in Lexington are blessed to be the home of Oliva Bella --a brilliant enterprise providing us with a direct connection to exquisite olive oils harvested by hand from families whose lives are defined by it.  The link to the Bellablog is here.

From the Oliva Bella website......

"In Umbria , the olive and its oil are considered sacro , or "sacred". Umbria is considered one of the most important olive oil regions, where local laws ensure products and methods are authentic and traditional.  Producing only in small batches, each harvest is finished by 4pm and the olives are at the press by 5pm , assuring minimum oxidation. This oil is certified organic in Italy by the I.M.C. organization.

characteristics: Smooth, mild and buttery on the front of the palate, with a bite of black pepper at the back of the throat, on the finish. The Umbro oil is the most balanced of the three oils, giving it the greatest versatility with food pairings."

This oil is just perfect with fresh vegetables so I splurged and used it to dress the salad.

For the salad----

Please note that all measurements are approximate. This will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Two cups chunked tomatoes (for the small tomatoes I just split them)

1 1/2 c. cucumber, chopped

1 1/2 c. Vidalia onion, chopped

1 c. red pepper, chopped

2 TB fresh basil leaves, sliced

2 TB very good olive oil

1 1/2 TB white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sea salt

Mix all ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste.

We were craving steak so I grabbed a couple of strip steaks and gave them a simple rub.  Blue Moon Garlic Farm is one of my favorite local food producers.  The garlic is amazing but their products have also become staples in my pantry and cooking.  The smoked garlic powder is perfect for grilling meats and is so pungent I keep it in a Ball jar in my spice cabinet.  This is the first time I tried the  Bourbon Smoked Paprika and I was very pleased with it.  They've done a great job enhancing the flavor of the paprika with just the right amount of Bourbon and smokiness to make this an extremely versatile spice.

I used a generous bit of each of the smoked garlic powder, Bourbon smoked paprika and corriander and rubbed the steaks and let them sit on the counter for about an hour before grilling them over high heat.

This made for a perfect simple supper.  The steaks were some of the best we've had in a while and the fresh flavors in the salad complimented the smoky meat so well. 

We are having a very busy summer so an easy supper like this is a good way to end the weekend and get ready for the week to come.