The Biscuits And Gravy Torch Has Been Passed
To be sure, I am a Biscuits and Gravy™ man. Weekends are my time to explore the various biscuits and gravies of Los Angeles. I found a reliable duet at Millie’s in Silverlake some years ago and the torch was officially lit. Each weekend I would attempt to best the Millie’s combo; each weekend I would fail to do so. Seasons changed. My hair grew longer. The torch burned brighter and try though I might, I was unable to top that concoction flawlessly executed time and again: one made-from-scratch drop biscuit shoved in the bottom of a bowl, drowned in hot-but-not-too-hot herb gravy with nary a hint of sausage. Nary a hint! The fact of the matter is that you don’t need sausage in the equation at Millie’s. This is a good thing, because you’re not going to get sausage unless you fuck with perfection and reverse engineer a sausage-loaded egg plate while nobody’s looking.
But the torch has now been passed.
Twice this summer I’ve experienced the magic and wonder of the sausage gravy at Auntie Em’s in Eagle Rock: once on their homemade biscuit, once on their toast (the latter was affectionately if not bashfully dubbed “shit on a shingle” by one member of the staff). Let it be known that I am hereby handing the Biscuits And Gravy Torch of Los Angeles to Auntie Em’s with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities thereunto appertaining. Indeed, Auntie Em has the heartiest gravy in the city of Los Angeles at press time. Consider it not a side so much as a meal unto itself, offering both the warmth of the sun and the heft of a cinderblock right in your belly. If you’ve tried the aforementioned and know of a better B&G combo out there: I question your logic, but the comments are open and I am all ears.
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i didn’t think it was possible to find decent biscuits and gravy in california, but you’ve given me hope.
that auntie em’s gravy looks a little scary though, i think i’ll try millie’s first.
Ben, good gravy looks a little scary by definition. If it’s not scary, it sucks.
BTW, the most obese person I know has his wife make him biscuits and gravy for breakfast almost every day. Moderation in all things, y’all.
Biscuits and gravy every morning? She must love his fat ass, or want him dead.
How about Pann’s? On the corner of La Cienega and La Tijera, it’s a LA institution. I think the wings and waffles are superior to Roscoe’s! I try to stop by everytime I’m at LAX.
I tried Pann’s – love the diner but not the gravy. What else you got?
Oh man, I’m a huge biscuits and gravy fan and a huge Auntie Em’s fan. I don’t know if I can handle boatload of awesometude born of pairing the two. Thanks for the pointer.
Also, FWIW, “Shit on a Shingle” is old, old, old Army slang for chipped beef on toast that gained popularity in WWII. If you’ve never had chipped beef, it’s a whole different creature.
Thanks 5k. I’d heard that before although it’s been a while. & I do enjoy a good chipped beef on occasion, but I can’t eat that shit every weekend on top of the B&G. I hereby nominate Pete to find the best chipped beef in Los Angeles post haste. Step up Pete – it’s for the greater good
Oh man, I remember SOS from Boy Scout camp, and it wasn’t pleasant. There’s no way I’m going on a chipped beef hunt. No fucking way.
In regards to #3, here’s this for irony: that guy’s wife really does love his enormous fat ass, and my dad–who eats Wheat Chex for breakfast, has an LDL level of 160, and 130/75 blood pressure–just had a fucking heart attack. As a matter of fact, I’ll probably be on a flight to ORD or MKE sometime within the next 18 hours.
If you’ve never heard of SOS then I’m not sure you have the credentials to dole out accolades for biscuits and gravy. Just sayin’…