One does not live on meatloaf alone.

Of course not, one must have dessert! After your meatloaf, you deserve a better dessert than generic supermarket cookies. If you're one of those folks that like to make desserts, or cajole others into making desserts, check out Bea Palmer's blog, Rainy Day Desserts. Yum-o!

DD's Diner, Ossining NY

DD's Diner is a new place in Ossining NY, an area that could use more casual restaurants. There's a new theater opening downtown, and folks are going to want eat after the play. This diner has a half-retro, half modern vibe, and the service is fantastic. "Nice, but how's the meatloaf?" I hear you ask. The meatloaf is good! Served perched atop mashed potatoes, this loaf hit all the marks for taste, texture, and serving size. While I prefer ketchup, the gravy was a good compliment, and the broccoli completed the meal. The non-meatloaf eaters in my party enjoyed their meals as well, but they can get their own blogs.

American Pie Company, Sherman CT

After hearing the raves from the dog park regulars, I finally made my way to Sherman CT, and this charming restaurant that shares a building with the post office in a beautiful New England setting.
Mr. Brito's Meatloaf, as it was called on the menu, was great, with smashed potatoes, and warm spiced apples on the side. Half of the business is taken up by a bakery, with an overwhelming choice of dessert treats.

Why aren't there more meatloafs (meatloaves?) here?

A fair question. It's mainly because I only post when there's a meal worth posting about. I've eaten quite a few servings of meatloaf since the last post, but I felt that none were worth posting about. So, restaurant owners, if you've seen me ordering meatloaf, but not posting it, you need to up your meatloaf game!

NY Firehouse Grille, Peeksill NY

It's been a while since I posted a meatloaf, but not for lack of trying!

The NY Firehouse Grille is located in, you guessed it, a converted firehouse.  Their Ladder Company Meatloaf is made with ground beef, pork, veal, bacon lardons (is that redundant?) and smoked brisket. They serve it on toast points with possibly the best onion gravy I have ever tasted. I ordered the mac and cheese instead of the mashed potatoes, and the cornbread was a nice surprise. This was a tasty meatloaf, despite not hanging together on the fork well, probably due to the combo of meats. I wish that they would add some veggies or slaw.

Just No.

This is perfect example of what not to do with meatloaf. It looks like a child's failed volcano for the science fair. Who thinks that any entree with pizza toppings would be best complimented by canned green beans? Yuck.

Kelly's Corner, Brewster NY

At the end of a long stressful day, with no desire to cook, we lit out in search of a simple, hearty meal. We tried Kelly's Corner, in Brewster NY, because it seemed that the parking lot was always full whenever we passed by. Imagine my delight to discover the Meatloaf "Extraordinaire" sandwich on the menu. With a name like "Extraordinaire", how could I pass it up?
 Covered in melted Monterey jack cheese, what really set this meatloaf apart was the toasted rye bread it sat upon. That rye bread really complimented the meatloaf. They include a tasty side of beef gravy for dipping.
 The restaurant claims that they have a "giant generator", so you can enjoy this fine meatloaf even when the power goes out, which is a not uncommon occurrence in this area. All said, delicious.

Boston Market

Does Boston Market do any food badly? I think not. This meatloaf is delicious, a can't miss meal. Many other folks agree, judging by the number of websites that recreate the recipe. I'm fairly certain that any side(s) you choose will complement this meatloaf perfectly. Don't forget to add the cornbread!

Bad Meatloaf Alert- Denny's Bacon Meatloaf

 

  I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised, considering that Denny's is not the most popular choice for dining; the joke goes, "Nobody goes to Denny's, they just end up there." But sometimes, there's nothing else open, and you just want what my wife calls "Least Objectionable Food." Besides, they do a decent job with burgers and breakfast.

  This is, without a doubt, the worst meatloaf I have ever eaten in a restaurant. So bad, that I feel the need to tell you that in a bold font. The pre-formed meat patties had obviously never been part of a loaf to begin with, the texture was awful, the menu claimed that bacon was part of the loaf, although there was no evidence of this by looking and tasting. The "hickory ketchup" was really just an overly sweet barbecue sauce. And now, that we as Americans can make decent mashed potatoes by merely dumping an envelope of Idahoan into a bowl of hot water, we should never have to eat the tasteless, textureless, blob that Denny's serves. The cole slaw, however, was not half bad.

  So there you have it. Our first bad review. If anyone has a contrary opinion about this, please I await your comments.

A Delicious Homemade Loaf

This slightly blurry, heart-shaped delight was made by my wife, using Alton Brown's recipe.
It was terrific, and I'm not just saying that because she's my wife.