Stroganoff, eggplant and nostalgia

Beef Stroganoff at High Life Lounge

Marcel Proust translated the memory of a grandmother’s madeleine cookies into the 3,000-page novel “Remembrance of Things Past.” Ever since, taste and smell have been the senses of nostalgia. The holidays bring out the tastes and aromas of les temps perdus more than any other time of the year.

This year, I have been wondering whatever happened to beef Stroganoff? Sure, it’s still around, and I found six excellent versions in town. But in the 1950s and 1960s, it was the gold standard of recipes using cow meat. It was almost always made with the best cuts of beef —  tenderloin, strip and ribeye. Then a lovely lady did a terrible thing, even if she wasn’t even real.

In 1970, Betty Crocker introduced an entire new line of food to the American public —  dehydrated and dried instant dinners. Beef Stroganoff was one of Hamburger Helper’s best sellers and still is, but it cheapened the dish horribly. It was made with ground beef, imitation sour cream, dehydrated mushrooms, etc. It cost next to nothing. Suddenly, no one considered the classic recipe worth the price a good restaurant charged for it. The late restaurateur Ralph Compiano used to say the steak de Burgo replaced beef Stroganoff because people were willing to pay more for it. 

Still, one can find at least six versions of the old-style, high-end dish. Like de Burgo, the six different recipes have little in common with one another, but all were superb. Probably the closest thing to what I remember from my childhood are those of Hessen Haus and the High Life Lounge. Both of those places make a conscious effort to transport customers to another time and place. Both used pot roast chunks, real creams, and real mushrooms. Both were bargain priced, around $13. Only the noodles differed. 

A new room design at Surety Hotel

The version at Alba was the most different. It was made with slices of NY strip and included local mushrooms, shallots and a mustard sauce with a heavy homemade noodle. It was sold in different sizes, beginning at $23. Similarly, Simon’s used a combo of strip and loin and not much sour cream. It is not always on their menu, though. When last it was, it was $19. 

Irina’s sells it at both locations. Remember it is a Russian dish, and Irina’s is a Russian restaurant. But they removed chicken Kiev from their menus for lack of interest. This Stroganoff is made with sirloin tips and cost about $28.

Also ringing a bell with nostalgia food lovers, the new Gusto Pizza Bar has revived the eggplant sandwich. They call it Frank’s Special, and they made it famous at Metro Market, Frank’s, Café di Scala and Gusto. They use provolone instead of mozzarella with basil pesto, tomato and red onions and ciabatta. They also make three different styles of pizza, including a New York style. I tried one of those that included red sauce, soft mozzarella, house meatballs, Graziano’s hot sausage, giardinera, cherry peppers, yellow onion and an herbed ricotta. It cost an amazing $7.50 because it was Happy Hour. 

Also on the subject of nostalgic dining, both Mulberry Street Tavern and Proudfoot & Bird opened their lavish dining spaces for Thanksgiving. These are throwback hotels in newly remodeled buildings. Neither could confirm they will open for Christmas, but the Surety Hotel on Mulberry has remodeled four rooms with sensational style by four local designers. That is what made The Savoy in London the world’s top hotel, back in the glorious, nostalgic days of Gilbert & Sullivan. ♦

Jim Duncan is a food writer who has been covering the central Iowa scene for more than five decades.