Local Restaurant Inspired Meal Week - Cap City Diner

For our final Local Restaurant Inspired Meal we will be visiting Cap City Diner in Grandview.  Cap City Diner is one of the many restaurants in the Cameron Mitchell Family of restaurants.  The menu features classic comfort food with an upscale twist.

1299 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212

We have eaten here a few times and it never disappoints.  Prince Charming and I introduces our parents here for the first time.  I decided to try to replicate their famous Meatloaf.  It is a piece of Texas toast, topped with meatloaf, topped with buttermilk-chive mashed potatoes, topped with chili onion straws served with broccoli and a BBQ gravy.  We'll see how it goes.

Cap City Diner's Meatloaf

Here is my recipe.

GRANDMA'S (aka THE QUEEN MUM) MEATLOAF

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 lbs lean ground beef

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp Worcestershire

2 tsp minced garlic

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs (plain or seasoned)

1-1 oz envelope dry onion soup mix

8oz wild mushrooms, finely chopped (Optional)

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine ground beef, eggs, ketchup, Worcestershire, garlic, milk, bread crumbs, onion soup mix and mushrooms.  Mix thoroughly but do not over work.  Shape into a rectangle or an oval and place into meatloaf pan.

2.  Place on upper oven rack.  Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until instant-read thermometer inserted into enter registers 160°F.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Cut into slices.

BUTTERMILK CHIVE MASHED POTATOES

Recipe courtesy of Food Network

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs red potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks

2 Tbsp butter

1 small shallot, chopped

3/4 cup buttermilk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp chopped chives

DIRECTIONS

1.  Cover the cubed potatoes with cold salted water in a large saucepan and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

2.  While potatoes are cooking, add the butter to a small saucepan and saute the shallot until translucent. Add the buttermilk and warm. Season with salt and pepper.

3.  Once tender, drain potatoes, return to pot, and coarsely mash with a potato masher. Stir in the warmed buttermilk mixture, season with salt and pepper and garnish with chives.

ONION STRAWS

Recipe courtesy of Food Network

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 large onions

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 scant Tbsp salt

Plenty of black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper

Canola oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS

1.  Begin by peeling the onions and slicing very thinly, use a mandoline slicer if you can. Separate the onion slices and place them in a shallow baking dish and pour the buttermilk over the top. Press the onions down so they're submerged as much as possible and let them soak on the counter for at least an hour. If necessary, stir them around a bit halfway through the soaking process. 

2.  In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne, and set aside. 

3.  Pour 1 to 2 quarts canola oil in a pot or Dutch oven. Heat to 375 degrees F, or until a pinch of flour sizzles when sprinkled over the pot. 

4.  Using tongs, remove a handful of onions from the buttermilk and immediately dunk into the flour mixture. Coat the onions in the flour mixture, and then tap them on the inside of the bowl to shake off the excess. 

5.  Plunge the onions in the hot oil. With a spoon, fiddle with them a bit just to break them up, and watch them! They'll be ready to remove from the oil in no time flat. 

 

6.  When they're golden brown (this should take just a minute or two), remove them from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate. 

7.  Repeat with the remaining onion slices and serve immediately. 

BBQ GRAVY

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Melt the butter then stir in the flour and cook until light brown, about 1 minute.

2.  Whisk in the chicken stock and barbecue sauce, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Continue whisking and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.

STEAMED BROCCOLI

Recipe courtesy of Simple Recipes

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS

1 large bunch of broccoli

Salt and pepper

Butter

DIRECTIONS

1.  Prep the broccoli crowns and stems: Cut the crowns away from the large stems of the broccoli. Break the crown up into bite-sized florets. Rinse the broccoli florets thoroughly.

Peel and discard the thick outer skin of the stems. Slice the stems or cut them into quarters lengthwise.

2.  Bring steamer water to a boil: Place 3/4 to 1 inch of water in a saucepan with a steamer and bring to a boil. (Note that is you don't have a steamer, you can simply put the broccoli directly into an inch of boiling water.)

3.  Add broccoli, steam 5 to 6 min: Add the broccoli to the steamer and cover; reduce heat to medium and let cook for 5-6 minutes. The broccoli is done when you can pierce it with a fork. As soon as it is pierce-able, remove from heat, place in serving dish.

4.  Season with salt, pepper and a couple pats of butter.

STEPS TO MAKING THE MEATLOAF:

1.  Make Meatloaf first.

2.  Next start your potatoes cooking and make your onion straws.

3.  Start making your gravy.

4.  Steam your broccoli.

5.  Cook your Texas toast.

ASSEMBLE THE DISH:

1.  Place Texas toast on plate, put slice of meatloaf on toast, pour some gravy over meatloaf.

2.  Place about 1 cup of mashed potatoes on top of the meatloaf, top with a handful of onion straws.

3.  Place some steamed broccoli around the meatloaf.

4.  Serve immediately.

This was really yummy and filling but oh my gosh was it a lot of work.  I think I used every pan, pot and cooking tool I had.  I ended up with 3/4 of a meatloaf and a lot of mashed potatoes and gravy.  I wrapped everything up and put it in the freezer for another night.