Refined Rarebit: Epilogue’s Biscuits & Gravy

I feel I have a pretty good handle on biscuits and gravy — the understated, deceptively simple dish known across most of the country (I say most because I suppose there are pockets of the US that aren’t down with the B and G, but who wants to go to such places?). Having grown up in the midwest, where it can be found on every small-town diner menu, I’m confident I know what makes a good plate of biscuits and gravy. However, none of that matters when it comes to Epilogue Kitchen’s take on this breakfast staple. My knowledge fails me as I read “vegetarian” and “rarebit” in the menu description. “Vegetarian” runs counter to my belief that sausage is essential, and rarebit is…well, I’m not sure. But I’m open-minded. I like new things. So when four square-shaped halves of biscuits, evenly covered with a light brown gravy, flecked with chives and topped with scrapple and a fried egg* arrive at my table, my first reaction is to follow the Jedi Master’s saying: unlearn what I have learned. I am rewarded with a first bite that obliterates everything I’ve been led to believe biscuits and gravy should be. The yolk runs from the pierced egg, coating the scrapple and mixing with the gravy being delivered to my mouth on a piece of a fluffy, flaky biscuit. It’s savory, tangy and rich. The crispness of the scrapple compliments the smooth gravy which compliments the perfectly baked biscuit. This is breakfast. This is transcendent. This is the best thing I have eaten all week.

Epilogue Kitchen & Cocktails
130 High St SE

*On the menu the egg and scrapple are optional, but I often subscribe to the theory of “going for the gusto”. Especially when brunch is concerned.

OF NOTE: Epilogue chef and owner Jonathan Jones is a semifinalist in the 2022 James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA). Winners will be announced at an award ceremony on June 13 in Chicago.

This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 13 (Spring 2022)

Author: Ben Mah

Ben Mah is a photographer who finds that most pizza doesn't have enough cheese, exclusively drives Toyota Camrys, and thinks the best thing about Salem is the abundance of things to do for a town of its size.