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Sometimes simple classics done right don't need much explanation, so this'll be a short story. EXCELLENT SHRIMP SALAD is just like it sounds. The wet, mayonnaise-laden, bland stuff in that big bowl in the deli case has its place I suppose (nostalgia, maybe?) But the concept of shrimp salad is an excellent one, even if there are many less than excellent versions out there. Poached shrimp (not the itty bitty ones) with celery and chives, dressed with very nice homemade garlic mayonnaise and a touch of tomato, and old bay of course... and that's it. Just straightforward stuff done with care and love. I'll be serving this on simple toasts to keep things light, as we've got quite the meal ahead of us with the other menu items this week. Beauty through simplicity and attention to the few details that matter, which I'm always a fan of.

We all love BLTs, right? I certainly do, and I've got to say that while the "B" (bacon) seems to be everyone's favorite, I feel that the "T" (tomato) is the real star, especially with late summer tomatoes from the market. Something great happens when a juicy tomato mixes with mayo and crunchy lettuce along with buttery toasted bread, and the bacon then accentuates what's already great. As it turns out, we can make a salad that does all of these things too, and that salad is this week's CHOPPED BLT SALAD. Sliced market tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, crunchy garlic butter croutons, and a creamy dressing made with the liquid from the cut tomatoes as a base, with bacon on the side to add in at the end. There isn't much else to it, and there really doesn't have to be.

Alright, here me out on our main attraction this week. If you don't want to read my rant, here's the takeaway: this meatloaf definitely doesn't suck, is a far cry from the terrible version you had as a kid, and is something I'd happily serve in a nice restaurant. Meatloaf isn't something I thought I would ever do for one of my weekly meals, not because it isn't good, but because too many people have PTSD remembering the bad versions, probably with a school cafeteria as the backdrop. But then I got to thinking. See, meatloaf sucks when we approach it all wrong... looking at meatloaf as something that's cheap and easy takes away so much potential. But if we rebuild this dish from the ground up, with an aim to impress, we can make something that's, well, straight up better. I worked on this for a while, approaching the dish from a French perspective first, which is why we're calling it MILDLY FRENCH MEATLOAF. Looking at things more like a country pate is a great start, so that means fine-chopped mirepoix and some porcini mushrooms along with our required beef and pork. Breadcrumbs are a classic binder, but I decided to steal some intel from my slightly famous Grandma Meatballs that grace my Italian-American menus occasionally, so we'll use a buttermilk panade instead, for better flavor and texture. While we're bringing in that influence, let's do legit parmesan as well. This is baked until cooked through, but NOT glazed with that ketchup stuff... we're fixing this dish here, remember? Instead, you'll heat your very nice meatloaf in the oven until warm, and then serve it with tomato demi-glace as a sauce. It still lives up to the part, but it's a lot nicer. Oh and crispy shallots on top of that, because why not. I'll be serving this with some classic whipped potatoes, using olive oil instead of butter and cream to keep things from getting too heavy. This version of meatloaf is proof that when you treat a humble dish with some real respect, it can be every bit as impressive as anything with a fancier name.

There's one single American dish that I desperately want to love, but I just can't. The offending dish is succotash, and the problem is that it has to be made with lima beans (the only food that I really don't care for. Does anyone actually love lima beans?) Imagine my relief as my guilt over hating an American classic was lifted when I discovered maque choux. For the uninitiated, maque choux is darn similar to succotash but straight-up better, and not just because there are no lima beans. As this dish hails from Louisiana, it's not wimpy when it comes to flavor. The classic version of maque choux is made with bacon fat and cream, but seeing as it's generally a side dish for other rich dishes, we can improve on the classic. MODERN MAQUE CHOUX takes all the flavors that make the original great, and lightens things up by using a zippy garlic vinaigrette instead of the heavy fat and cream. Grilled then shucked corn tossed with flash-fried red peppers, scallions, pickled red onions, and the bright vinaigrette makes this maque choux something that pairs quite nicely with our richer menu items while staying true to the soul of the dish.

If you can find a proper American diner anywhere that's still in business, it's very likely that they'll have some slices of peanut butter pie spinning around in that fancy dessert case. Some might think that peanut butter pie is the perfect dessert as-is, but I think we can make this standard dessert even greater with one extra ingredient: salted pretzels. With that simple addition, I'm upgrading the classic to IMPROVED PEANUT BUTTER PIE. Homemade chocolate cookie crust for that chocolate goodness, fluffy peanut butter filling because that's what it is, and chopped salted pretzels on top because it's better that way. This is an old-school American classic, made greater through pretzels.