Chicken Fried Comments, November 3rd, 2009

Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs

On a pleasant Tuesday last week, my sweet wife Dee and I decided to make our second trip to a restaurant in Manhattan, KS. THE CHEF.

We had debated about ever going there the first time since it now occupied a location that had become a favorite of ours when we lived there. Cuppa Joe. But we overcame our disillusionment over the closing of one of our favorites and decided to give THE CHEF a try. I'm glad that we did.

Now it is no secret to many that know me that Chicken Fried Steak is by far one of my favorite meals, and I order a Chicken Fry at least 6 out of 10 times when we dine out. The only Chicken Fry available on the menu was a breakfast (ordering Breakfast when we dine out holds the number 2 spot). Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs, at $10.95, a little pricey.....but hey that's only a little more than the price of two Latte's at Starbucks and you don't even raise an eyebrow at that!

The entree included choice of potatoes - homefries or hashbrowns, two eggs cooked to your spec's, and wheat or white toast. I chose homefries, eggs fried hard and wheat toast. I also ordered a cup of their very good coffee, with cream and sugar. Coffee with a good breakfast, how can you go wrong with that?

Since this was the second time I had ordered a Chicken Fry, my taste buds were tingling with anticipation at the memory of the somewhat spicy but savory gravy, and the almost perfect crust.

The meal arrived on a nice sized red platter. The steak smothered in a rich brown gravy and an ample supply of homefries. This is a nice sized piece of meat, a little thicker than most, and almost a meal in itself. As with the first time, the steak had great flavor, and the gravy was a little spicy, possibly too much paprika, and the homefries were just a little over cooked. As I went to work on the steak (the homefries can wait), I began to notice that the crust on the bottom of the steak was dry and powdery as if they were running short of egg and milk batter and went ahead and dipped it in the breadcrumb mixture. The steak was a little tougher than I like for a chickent fry (some tenderizing with a meat hammer would have helped here) but it was still a good steak. The rest of the meal was good enough, and the heated strawberry jam for the toast was scrumptious. And the coffee, excellent.

On a scale of 1- 10 with 10 being the best, I would give this one a 7. It was a great meal, but it could have been better. I would recommend THE CHEF to anyone looking for a good breakfast or filling lunch, it is worth the stop.


THE CHEF is a Breakfast Cafe located at 111 S. 4th St. in Manhattan, KS. It has a pleasant atmosphere, ample seating, and the service is above average.


Check out their website at http://www.thechefcafe.com


They are open Monday - Friday from 6am till 3pm and Saturday - Sunday from 7:30am - 3pm, covering the breakfast and lunch hours.