Ma! The Meatloaf

How this diner inspired veal and mushroom meatloaf became a star when I entertain

I love meatloaf of all kinds, even ones made with ground turkey. One of my favorite lines from the movie "Wedding Crashers" is when Will Farrell yells to his mom - "Ma, the meatloaf". I don't know why, but it gets me every time. When my kids are visiting at least one of them says it once to me, even with no meatloaf in sight. 

This recipe is inspired from a recipe from a diner that has since closed. The Buckhead Diner in Atlanta, GA was famous and extremely popular. I heard Elton John would visit it on a regular basis. I was in Atlanta in the late 90's and visited the Buckhead Diner with some friends. 

Their food was outrageous. They took the basic “diner” food and elevated it. They had incredible 4 cheese grilled cheese sandwich, a blue cheese fondue on homemade potato chips that. Made you weep and the worlds best White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. This diner food had been kicked up about a dozen notches. They never had a cookbook, but I chatted to the chef when I visited and he shared some his secrets with me but didn’t give me proportions etc. I wrote them down, worked on them, refined them and have dragged them with me on every move.

This recipe for Veal Mushroom Meatloaf is a standard for me for large groups of people. It is great with mashed potatoes and green beans. They would serve it with mashed celery root and that is also a killer! I have made it numerous times and it feeds a lot of people. It is surprising to them because it doesn’t have the typical ketchup topping. Once they take a bite and taste the mushrooms, they are hooked. It became very popular at dinner parties, catered events and as a drop-off to a friend who needs a meal.