The measuring stick wherever breakfast is served, for me, is and will always be the chicken-fried steak. I can’t remember when I ate my first, but it was love at first bite. A large cubed beefsteak, breaded and fried, covered in sausage gravy, combined with two eggs, over medium, some fried potatoes or hashbrowns and sourdough toast is the breakfast of real lions.
It’s a lot of food, and therefore should not be entered into lightly. Eating such a breakfast may negate any need to eat anything else for the rest of the day, or at least until dinner.
It should be considered throughout all of Restaurant-dom to be a cardinal sin should one not properly prepare a chicken-fried steak breakfast. Believe me, I have seen reputable places foul this up. Names will not be named, but I do remember them and eschew the heretics to this day.
Conversely, I also remember the best chicken-fried steaks I have ever eaten. The secret is to have quality meat and batter. The sausage gravy also cannot be too greasy nor too salty, too thin nor too thick. Idaho potatoes make the best hashbrowns and country potatoes, according to my palate. If you ever want to try some to compare them against locally vended produce, let me know: My father-in-law is a potato farmer. Eggs over medium means that the white is set and the yellow is runny. That’s the way I like them, anyways.
For brevity’s sake, I will keep it to a top three. No. 3 was at the Lone Elk Market in Spray. At that time, Larry and Robin Champagne owned and operated the establishment. For the reasonable price of $7.95, one could have the “Hunter’s Special” served exactly as I described above. Ah, the good old days; $7.95 probably wouldn’t buy you a swift kick in the keister anywhere today.
No. 2 is Dixie’s Diner in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Classic setting for a classic meal! Too bad it’s in a different time zone.
And No. 1 is our own Dayville Cafe. Without a doubt, the chicken-fried steak breakfast served at the Dayville Cafe is the best I have ever had, anywhere. Believe me, I have eaten them in many different places.
The No. 1 spot is no easy place to achieve, nor maintain. I will give runner-up status to Mel’s Country Cafe in Tomball, Texas. The steak and gravy come on one plate; the potatoes, eggs and toast come on a second plate.
Someday. Doc Bailey is going to tell me that I’ve got to stop eating these kinds of meals. Cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks, yada yada yah. But until he does (whereupon I will have to switch to an all-venison diet), I will continue to order, eat, critique and repeat my debauchery, which is the greatest breakfast meal ever devised. Don’t like it? That’s OK, it leaves more for me!
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.