Have you Hurd... You can call it chocolate gravy if you eat it for breakfast...

For the next several posts, there will be no rhyme or reason to the order I create and publish them.  I am just going to scroll back through the travelogue photos on my phone and pick a stop and dash off a few choice words for my dedicated readership.  Think of it as a foodie's version of the movie Pulp Fiction and in this version nobody gets hurt.  Not seriously hurt, anyway.  -sinister smile-

I am sure for most people, one of the ways your parents and other family members loved and cared for you was by setting limits on the various aspects of your life.  When you get up in the morning or go to bed at night.  What kinds of TV and movies you are allowed to watch.  Places you were encouraged to visit (church, school, park, local swimming pool) and places that you were discouraged from visiting (pool halls, bars, other more adult venues).  Naturally, this setting of limits also extended to dietary habits.  I know these limits were ever-present at meal time throughout my formative years.  I was discouraged from drinking too much milk or consuming too many other dairy products (risk of developing kidney stones).  I was not allowed to eat more than 2 eggs for breakfast (risk of high cholesterol) and usually didn't get eggs more than twice a week.  My Mom didn't really have to steer me away from candy, other sweets, or soda pop (will rot your teeth).  I had a dislike of these until my later teenage years and they are still far from a favorite thing to eat.  It also was sort of an unwritten rule that you generally only had one starch at mealtime, with the exception of weekday breakfast when we would have cereal and toast.

Why the lengthy diatribe about all the dietary controls in my early years that I have so clearly shattered now that I am an adult?  Three... Simple... Words... Gabetta's... Chocolate... Gravy...  I am pretty sure if I had encountered it at the age of 12, it would NOT have been permitted for breakfast.  Especially if I wanted to smother a plate full of hash browns, eggs, bacon, tomatoes, olives, peppers, onions, and cheese in it.  In fact, when I ordered it... The waitress could have been channeling my Mom when she questioned my sanity in front of everyone.  As she left the table, she was uncertain if the chef would even make it in the manner I requested.  You see, Gabetta's normally serves their chocolate gravy over biscuits.  Sort of like dessert for breakfast.  I was trying to skip the biscuits and still get a taste of that chocolaty goodness.  So I asked if they could smother my Junk Plate (it IS on the menu that way) with the chocolate gravy instead.  Thankfully, the chef was willing to push the limits of his otherwise delicate sensibilities.

Yes, that is really chocolate gravy.  I will know
if my doc is reading this.  She is sure to ask me
about it next time I see her.  I ate sensibly for the
rest of the trip.  I swear.  

Have mercy!  When they say they smother it, they really do smother it.  I enjoyed every sinfully chocolate bite.  I could taste all the other flavors too, just as I had hoped.  My only regret is that I didn't ask them to split the gravy, 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 sausage so I could sample both of the breakfast gravies at the same time.  Perhaps it was best that I didn't.  One more variation might have sent the chef out on strike.  One other lesson from my experience is that perhaps a healthy drizzle is sufficient rather than the full on smothering.  The last two or three bites felt like almost too much.  Of course, these last two or three bites were taken as I swept up the last of the chocolate gravy from my plate with a half slice of buttered rye toast.  It was soooo rich.  Reminded me a lot of my grandma's homemade chocolate sauce.  She serves it on ice cream.  Guess I need to tell her it is good for breakfast too.  I am not really sure what differentiates a gravy from a sauce.  Is it whatever the chef says it is?  I am going to go with that for now.  Don't want to do anything to spoil the fun at Gabetta's.  If I did, the chef might send me back to my childhood and tell me 'no chocolate for you and only two eggs in your omelette.'  That would be a tragedy of monumental proportion.  I intend to go back next time I am in Kokomo, IN.

We have family in and around Kokomo and visit frequently to spend time with them.  If you don't have family there, let Gabetta's be your reason to plan a trip soon.  Gabetta's and Kokomo are a lot alike.  The food is great, the atmosphere is as inviting as anywhere in the Midwest, and the folks are friendly and willing to let you push the limits.  -self-satisfied grin-  While you are there... Hit the Half Moon Restaurant and Brewery for a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and a house brew (look for Brian and ask him about his homemade hot sauce)...  Stop by the Hacienda Mexican Restaurant for a wet burrito and a frozen liter of margaritas... Shop around a little and grab some Triple XXX Root Beer to bring back with you...  It's a trip worth taking.  Maybe you will find a spot or three I haven't mentioned.  I look forward to you telling me about them.  -big smile-

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike

Gabetta's, 503 North Buckeye, Kokomo, IN
https://www.facebook.com/Gabettas-743047265762862/