Tyler Florence’s Wayfare Tavern

Happy Valentine’s Day! As you all start your day and week, some of you reflect on a Valentine’s Day celebration enjoyed this past weekend and some of you look forward to an evening celebration yet this week. Regardless, the majority of you are probably planning to recognize Valentine’s Day with a dinner out. I can’t blame you…sometimes it is just nice to be served! With that in mind, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite experiences dining out. As I mentioned in a post months back, my trip to San Francisco last fall included a great lunch at Tyler Florence’s Wayfare Tavern. I was so excited to finally dine in one of Tyler’s restaurants and it did not disappoint! 🙂

I wasn’t lucky enough to run into Tyler while I was there (he was still in NYC for the Food & Wine Festival) but I did take the time to indulge in a few of Wayfare’s favorites.

Between a friend and myself, we ordered up Organic Fried Chicken, a Wedge Salad, Baked Mac n Cheese, Sausage n Potatoes, and Roasted Bone Marrow! I know…it was a lot of food…and plenty was left on the table…but we just wanted to try a little bit of as much as we could!

I have to say, the highlight of the meal was the Roasted Bone Marrow. Having read up on the restaurant before visiting, I knew that the Bone Marrow was one of Tyler’s signature dishes and a favorite at Wayfare. I’m not going to kid you, I was a little nervous…after all, what sounds more disgusting than eating bone marrow?! (Don’t answer that.) All I can say now is…I am so glad I tried it! Delicious! When the waiter brought it to our table, I told him how nervous I was and he said, “You will love it. People around here say it tastes like God’s Butter.” With a description like that…I knew I was in for a treat! YUM!

And last but not least, served with every meal are Tyler’s popular POPOVERS! Oh my gosh…they are so good! And good news is…you can make them at home. After returning from SF, I added Tyler’s Newest Cookbook (Family Meal) to my Christmas list and lucky for me, Santa delivered! Santa actually delivered 2…and rather than returning one, I shared the extra copy with one of my best friends, travel buddy, and Tyler Florence Fan, Mandy!

TYLER FLORENCE POPOVERS

At Wayfare Tavern, popovers are king. They’re crisp on the outside and soft and easy to pull apart on the inside. The buttery, golden rolls have even inspired four cooks on staff to get inked with popovers. Now that’s love.

Makes 12

6 large eggs, at room temperature

3 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

4 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, and melted butter. Blend on high until smooth, about 10 seconds. In a large bowl, sift together the bread flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry mixture to the wet and blend, scraping down the sides as necessary, until just combined, 10 to 15 seconds. Place the top on the blender and let the batter sit, at room temperature, for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place an oven rack in the middle position and place an empty popover pan (or improvise with a muffin tin) on the rack. Once the pan is hot, remove it and coat evenly with nonstick spray. Working quickly, fill the molds almost to the top with batter. Immediately place back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until the popovers are a deep golden brown color. It is very important to not open the door as the popovers bake, as it could cause them to collapse. Once they are golden brown, remove from the baking pan and let cool on a wire rack. With a skewer, carefully pierce the sides of the popovers to allow the steam to escape. This will keep the popovers crispier for longer.

Used with permission from Tyler Florence Family Meal: Bringing People Together Never Tasted Better (Rodale Books).