Growing up in Texas, chef Gavin McMichael used to ask his mom to make meatloaf for his birthday each year. Now that he has his own restaurant, meatloaf is on the menu, along with quail stuffed with foie gras.
“I was a huge fan, so of course I had to have meatloaf on my dinner menu,” said McMichael, a partner in Blacksmith restaurant. “We are creating foodies as fast as we can.”
Mom made meatloaf to stretch the food budget. Dad ate it because it tasted good, especially with lots of ketchup. Now Baby Boomers are ordering it in restaurants. Meatloaf may not be tops on the healthy food list, though it can certainly be made that way with lean meats and lots of veggies. But this comfort food that became an American staple during the Depression is hanging on, growing up and branching out.
“It has graduated from diner food into restaurant food,” while remaining a home-cooking staple, said Andrew Smith, editor in chief of the “Oxford Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink,” from his home in Brooklyn. “It is real American food. It is something that is part of our early lives and part of our heritage.”
President Ronald Reagan was a famous fan, and writer Jean Shepherd included family battles over meatloaf in the movie “A Christmas Story.” Little brother Randy declares he hates meatloaf, and The Old Man threatens to use a screwdriver and plumber’s helper to get some down him.
