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Having skimmed over this thread, I haven’t seen a drippy cheeseburger, with plenty of cheese. That’s what I want please, side of mash, or a cup of my mom’s potato cheese Beer soup, pecan pie for dessert, with whipped cream, of course.
Another vote for mashed potatoes. I go to Popeye’s specifically because they have mashed potatoes.
I’ll add my favourite meal as a kid: mashed potatoes and hamburger hash, all mixed together. Essentially shepherd’s pie but disorganized. I named it « scrambled amœba ».
You’re cordially invited to a Midwest Supper Club (although a lot of neighborhood bars’ll do) for a traditional Friday Night Fish Fry.
Thick filets of lightly battered cod (fried or baked, or walleye or perch) and plenty of sides.
Some places have clam chowder included, my local bar does an upscale French Onion Soup as well, and your choice of cole slaw, salad and potato. We usually get Hash Browns with grilled onions, peppers and swiss cheese mixed in… but the ultimate Comfort Food option would be the huge, fluffy Baked Potato, already burst open and smothered in butter, sour cream, chives and chunks of bacon.
The Comfort Food Cafe must have a variety of home made pies. And soups made fresh daily.
They will be roasting their own turkeys for dinners with dressing, hot turkey sandwiches, fresh sliced turkey on a clubhouse sandwich and other dishes. Then when most of that is gone make the remaining scraps into turkey loaf, like meatloaf made of turkey.
Same with beef. Roast beef for dinner, sliced for french dip sandwiches, chunks for stoganoff and stew.
Pork chops, pork loin, pulled pork sanwiches, etc.
Mom an Pop cafes need to use every bit of the things that they buy. The saying used to be everything but the tail but now the tail is an expensive part. Ox tail soup, braised ox tail, that stuff goes on the top of the menu.
A steak salad, using fresh greens, hot flank steak and your choice of cheese (mine is chevre, others tend to prefer blue) and other toppings with a vinaigrette dressing.
Philly Cheesesteak: thinly shaved rib-eye steak + caramelized onions + Cheez Whiz + ketchup + your favorite hot sauce, on a fresh-baked Amoroso roll (not the Grocery store Amoroso brand, it must come directly from the Philadelphia Amoroso bakery…they are completely different animals). If you’re in Philly, just ask for a “cheese wit”, not “cheese wit out.” When you finish that, have another one for dessert.
In addition to pies, I think that Rice Krispy bars need to be on the dessert/to go menu board. There’s just something awesome about sinking your teeth into a Rice Krispy bar that is satisfying.
I don’t really have any dishes to add that haven’t already been mentioned, but the premise of the thread reminded me of an Iranian-American chef I heard on NPR, probably on The Splendid Table. He had a restaurant that served what would be considered Persian comfort food. His American customers generally liked the food, but there would be the occasional Persian customer who would be like “This isn’t the way my mother made it!” And that, he said, is why many chefs shy away from serving traditional “comfort foods” (whatever culture they may be from). No matter how good you make it some people will hate it because they expect it to be the way their mom made it.
Nutmeg custard
Maple custard
Coconut custard
Banana cream
Chocolate cream
Dutch apple
Apple and cheddar cheese
Blackberry
Blueberry
Strawberry shortcake
Peach or apricot with almond paste on the bottom
Apricot Cherry
Grasshopper
French Silk
Mixed berry
Apple Maple
Cheesecake (various flavors)
Crème Brule