SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Meatloaf, once on nearly every restaurant menu, fell out of favor for years on the foodie circuit while remaining on many family dinner tables. Now, the humble meatloaf has seen a resurgence in foodservice establishments, the Sacramento Bee reports.

Today’s meatloaf might look like your grandmother’s recipe, but chefs are adding their own flavor twists. “A lot of items that go through the ‘chef mill’ get reworked and are unrecognizable when they come out. But meatloaf is still meatloaf, and it retains its integrity even if it’s been fancied up. That’s one reason it is still beloved,” said Jack Bishop, editorial director of “America’s Test Kitchen.”

For example, chefs have added dried cherries, blue cheese, chicken livers, juniper berries, fresh rosemary, garlic, celery, radishes, turnips, chard, kale, bacon, pine nuts, and nutmeg to meatloaf. The Culinary Institute of America and the American River College have meatloaf on the curriculum. “I do a third each of ground beef, veal and pork, and (sometimes) lay bacon or pancetta on top for fat,” said Kelly Mills, a chef-instructor with the institute. “Instead of using (liquid-soaked) breadcrumbs (for moisture), try a couple handfuls of couscous, which give it a great texture. When the meatloaf is sliced, you get beautiful little pearls that have blossomed inside.”

Meatloaf “makes people happy and has their memories attached to it,” said Matt Woolston of Matteo’s and Crocker Café by Supper Club. “It has that nostalgia, but it’s a dressed-up version of the classic,” added Michael Fagnoni, co-owner of Hawks.