A Steakhouse Dinner, Cafe Drake HRV Style

Tofu steaks, or really, slabs of sliced tofu, are transformed into chewy, toothsome richness via a good long soak in a robust marinade and then oven roasting. For the meatiest texture possible, bake on a lightly oiled cookie sheet at 385 degrees F. for at least 45 minutes. Flip once during cooking and, if you can be bothered, basting with marinade super-charges the flavor. Grilling will give you the nifty cross-hatch markings but a softer final product. A go-to marinade can be as simple as a bit of oil, a good amount of red wine vinegar, some salt and pepper and crushed garlic.

While we're rethinking and re-imagining this whole steak house concept, why not swap pan-braised chard for the ubiquitous creamed spinach side? Just rinse and roughly chop a bunch of Swiss chard and pan-fry for a minute or two, along with some thinly sliced onion, before adding a small amount of vegetable stock. Cover skillet and cook on low for a few minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Season aggressively with salt, and timidly with grated nutmeg, before serving hot.

Cafe Drake HRV Interprets the Classic Steakhouse Dinner: Baked Tofu "Steaks", Baked Potato with Yogurt-Buttermilk Dressing and Braised Yellow Chard.

Can't forget the Tomato and Onion Salad, generally one of only a couple of vegetable items on old-school steak house/meat temple menus.