In search of the perfect chicken fried steak...

Eggs. Toast. Bacon. Pancakes. Waffles.  These are all common menu selections for the meal known as "breakfast" or "brunch."  Yet, a fattening favorite specialty for brunch is the famous chicken fried steak.

Wikipedia defines chicken fried steak as "a breaded cutlet dish consisting of a piece of steak (tenderized cube steak) coated with seasoned flour and pan-fried.  It is associated with Southern cuisine.  Its name may be due to is similarity in preparation to fried chicken.  Chicken fried steak resembles the Austrian dish Wiener Schnitzel and the Italian-Latin American dish Milanesa, which is a tenderized veal or pro cutlet, coated with flour, eggs, and bread crumbs, and then fried.  It is also similar to the recipe for Scottish collops."  Most people just consider it yummy.

Although not a dish I choose to consume for my weekend morning meal, it is a favorite of someone very special in my life - we'll call him Tex as he grew up in a small town in Texas and his family has southern roots.  This is appropriate as most people believe that a variation of chicken fried steak was first brought to America in the 19th century by Germans and Austrians migrating to Texas.

Tex loves chicken fried steak - gravy on the side - and is always in search of a deliciously prepared breaded slab of meat to consume on weekend mornings.  As we conversed with a friend over his love of chicken fried steak, I was sparked with the idea of writing a blog on the various restaurants we patronized in Seattle in search of his favorite dish.

We hope to have weekly updates of our adventures - rating the various establishments we descend upon in our quest.  We've been to several places so far - The Hudson, Blue Star, Indoline Joe's, Hunger, Chelan Cafe and Blue Water Bistro - yet we decided we need to return to them to gain a fresh perspective rather than trying to remember the taste and texture from weeks or months ago.  Although, we will give you some initial hints on our experiences - The Hunger in Fremont had a deliciously prepared chicken fried steak and the gravy at the Hudson almost had more delicious meat in it than the actual meal.

So if you're looking for that high-calorie, gravy smothered deliciousness on a Saturday or Sunday morning in Seattle, we may have a few tips for you as we go along...