Decided to stick closer to home after a morning 6 Miler.  I didn’t feel like I’d be up to a couple miles with a belly full of breakfast this morning and I also had a craving for one of my favorite dishes at Bayou Kitchen (right next door to Abilene).  Turned out that Bayou had 30 minute wait, so we decided to try the new place on the block.

I love having good eats being a short walk from our house.  We can enjoy the walk there and back on beautiful days or not have to worry about driving after enjoying some adult libations.  Country living does have an appeal, but certainly city convenience has its advantages.

I’m still trying to figure out why this place is called Abilene.  The food and setting didn’t make me think of Texas at all.  It’s a unique name and maybe it has significance to the owners.  The menu had about a dozen tasty sounding brunch options for this Saturday morning.  Reminded me a bit of Union from last week, but not quite as upscale.

The breakfast sandwich sounded very appetizing, but I am a sucker for Biscuits and Sausage Gravy.  I remember my first sausage gray experience.  It was in Basic Training in Fort Benning, Georgia.  In the chow line gobs of this strange white slime with brown chunks was being slopped onto our trays.  I was horrified!  I didn’t actually dare to eat this staple of Army cooking for at least a month until one day I was so hungry from training that I would have eaten my boots.  Turned out that Sausage Gravy was amazing.  During my time in the South (Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas) I hit every Shoney’s, Denny’s, Waffle House, Huddle House and local road house and was sure to order their biscuits and gravy (along with Grits, which I prefer with butter and syrup).  Talk about a serious comfort food!  Our move back to the northeast mostly put an end to my Sausage Gravy days, but it seems to be making an appearance on some local menus in recent months.  So far there have been some unique recipes, but I still think you have to go south of the Mason-Dixon line for authentic biscuits and gravy.  Here was Abilene’s:

OK, that’s scary looking not the most appetizing image, but the gravy did have good flavor and consistency (not too salty or greasy) and the biscuit was good. One disappointment was that for $9.00, a couple of eggs would have been a nice addition.  I enjoyed my meal, but did not feel totally satisfied.  I did try a few bites of my son’s French toast and that was fantastic!

Also, I had a Bloody Mary to start the meal and it was great.  Last week’s smoky version at Union was a bit of a turn-off, but Abilene’s version had a nice bit of heat and a healthy dose of vodka.  There were also plentiful olives and pickled peppers that added to the flavor.

Abilene is a nice compliment to Bayou Kitchen next door.  Bayou is still a better choice, but I’m ready to give Abilene another shot as part of a Breakfast or Happy Hour Run.