Photo courtesy Red Oak Biscuits
Biscuits and gravy, from Red Oak Biscuits
The Pillsbury Dough Boy should be running for his life right about now.
It’s not just because the biscuits at Red Oak Biscuits are incredibly good. Owner Derek Schulze is also growing some of his own greens and uses food from his family’s farm outside of Warrenton, Missouri. It’s the opposite of corporate eating. Since opening a year ago, the restaurant’s name, in fact, has changed slightly and so has its menu because of customers thrilling to his buttermilk biscuits, a recipe he developed himself.
Photo courtesy Red Oak Biscuits
It’s very casual with rural-esque décor. Customers order at the counter from the all-day menu. Biscuits come in two sizes, mini and giant, with diameters about 2 and 4 inches, respectively. The smaller ones in particular are remarkably tender, but the larger ones stand up well to the fine art of sandwiching.
An OG, the classic egg-cheese matchup showed cheddar and, our eater’s choice, a vegetarian sausage patty that was surprisingly good in this context. Pulled local pork (pictured at right) appears with a scrambled egg, bacon and smoked gouda on a biscuit, moist and full of piggy flavor. Potatoes, a separate side, were pan fried cubes, a touch of onion, not glamorous but proper.
The Cubano (pictured above) takes the prize for tastiest non-biscuit dish. Served on an angle-cut baguette, it pairs that wonderfully moist pork with ham, house-made pickles, and provolone. It’s downright seductive.
Have a sweet tooth? Don’t miss the biscuit with tart raspberries and chocolate gravy (pictured above), one of the apogees of Ozark cooking, an outstanding piece of work overall. It’s as warm and remarkably pleasant as the service is. Coffee? Even the stuff from the serve-yourself vacuum jugs is good.
All in all, a very worthwhile experience. Biscuit love, indeed.
Photo courtesy Red Oak Biscuits
