HUMBOLDT Theres a technique to making the perfect light, fluffy big biscuit. Brandy Adkins shares it without much prompting.
Knead the dough with just your fingertips, she advises. You never push down. You never press them with a rolling pin. Then put them side by side, where theyre all stuffed in there. They have nowhere to go but up.
Brandy makes everything from scratch at her new restaurant, Floyds Place, 812 Bridge St., Humboldt. You can slather those scratch biscuits with scratch sausage gravy. Maybe even throw a few grits and sausage and a fried egg on top if you want to get creative.
Like it a little sweet? Try the scratch buttermilk waffles, topped with delicately breaded chicken. Still not bold enough for you?
I love plantains. Ill make plantain foster waffles, instead of banana foster. Chop it up, throw it in the fryer real quick so that sugar caramelizes on the outside, then pour them over waffles with caramel, she pauses to savor the image. Thats something right.
And thats just what youll find on the brunch menu. Lunch arrives full of juicy burgers, dripping with melted cheese and surprises like jalapeno poppers, onion crisps or guacamole. Dinner delights with classics like homestyle roast, smothered pork tenderloin or chicken fried steak with sides of candied carrots, honey glazed greens, garlic cheddar mash and more.
Floyds Place opened a little more than a week ago and celebrated its grand opening Friday. In 2014, Adkins opened Flos Burger Diner in Catoosa, Okla., with a second location in Tulsa that opened in April.
The two restaurants are named after her father, Floyd, and her paternal grandmother, Flo.
Adkins describes herself as just insane about food. She loves to cook and create.
Even with my burgers back home, I create some of the craziest, stupidest things Ive seen, she said.
But when its not all about food, its all about family.
ADKINS was raised by her father and grandmother, whom she calls my mama, in El Dorado, Ark.
While Flo served up a few specialty dishes, like chili, no-bake cookies, a broccoli and cheese casserole or grits, the primary cook of the family was Floyd.
Brandy remembers growing up in the kitchen alongside her father while he created some sort of culinary treat.
Growing up, our palates were so different than other kids. Food was an experience, Adkins said.
