Okay, okay! We get it, Lulu's has some damn fine Chicken Fried Steak. When my wife and I visited for the first time, we also found out that they don't skimp on the platters. In fact, we had come to the conclusion that you could easily share the CFS between two people, and nobody would go hungry.
So this weekend, with my kids in town for the holidays, we rounded everyone up, put on the ol' eatin' pants and headed down to Lulu's for a gut bustin' lunch. You already know all the details about Lulu's (or if you don't, you can read the reports here and here), but we did find out two new important facts that are worth mentioning.
First, the CFS we had ordered before, you know, the one big enough for two, is apparently called "The Deputy". Well, if you are slightly a bit more hungry, why not order up "The Sheriff" which is what my daughter and son-in-law did, thinking between the two of them they could make quick work of it.
This is "The Deputy". Notice it comes with the sides on the same plate.
And this friends, is "The Sheriff" complete with a second plate for the double sides! And no, in case you have to ask; they did not finish it. Not even close.
The second thing is something called The Railroad Burger. Last time we visited, I had a bacon cheeseburger that was outstanding. This is big and includes half an avocado! Good stuff.
Consider it a public service. Either go really hungry or be sure to have plenty of room in the 'fridge, because you will want to eat it all, sooner or later.
As we were contemplating dining possibilities during our visit to the International Accordion Festival on Saturday, we couldn't bring ourselves to go for any of the fried delicacies found in the many food booths set up in La Villita. I have my handsome figure to maintain, and tossing skewers of fried shrimp down my gullet isn't going to help. So we had to find something healthy to eat, and pronto!
Just then, my wife remembered a coupon she clipped for Lulu's Cafe downtown on Main Ave. Surely they would have something with vegetables.
The place is set up like an old diner with booths, tables and counter seating. As we walked in, a waitress yelled across the restaurant, welcoming us to Lulu's and said we could sit wherever we liked. We found a booth and were quickly delivered menus to look at and had our iced tea orders taken.
In spite of a wide selection, it was pretty apparent from all the signs and banners throughout the place, the only thing we would be needing was the Chicken Fried Steak. Oh, and some vegetables.
We ordered and looked around the place and as we waited (not too long at all) for our food, we watched plate after plate of goodness come out from the kitchen. With slogans like, "Don't Trust a Skinny Cook" on signs, you can just imagine the love going into these huge burger emerging from the kitchen. Had we realized they had onion rings, we probably would have gotten some, though I'm not sure we could have handled it.
I ordered my CFS with green beans and mashed potatoes. First off, look at the size of that mouth watering CFS. And this was the regular size, not even the big one. The green beans did not have any special seasoning to make them stand out, but they were extremely good. I kept thinking to myself that, if the CFS weren't involved, I could probably eat a plate of the green beans. My wife and I think they take a baked potato, then just mash it up. The mashed potatoes were yummy, and the cream gravy was a solid compliment. 
My wife ordered the same plate but had corn instead of green beans. It was sort of odd that we received our plates but had not been delivered the all important eating utensils to immediately dig in. I almost think it is a trick they play on the newbs.
When we were able to commence the feast, we both agreed that the breading and the selection for the meat were perfect. If you really had to, you could cut through this CFS with your fork, it was so tender. The breading had a good taste only made better with the gravy, and it was not too much. If you have ever had a CFS where the breading just overwhelms the meal, you understand how awesome it is to experience this nice light and flaky coating.
When it was all said and done, neither of us finished more than half of our CFS and had to go for the take-out boxes. We also grabbed a three pound cinnaman roll which was promptly split up between my us and my mother-in-law. Today's breakfast!
Everybody claims to have the best chicken fried steak in San Antonio. Lulu's down on Main backs it up with a huge portion of mouth watering goodness, a fair price and pretty good service. That gets my wife doing her happy dance and a bonified Tasty Treat, everytime.
Ever since our visit to the Tip Top Cafe last weekend, my wife has been regretting the fact that she had a cheeseburger instead of the signature Chicken Fried Steak. I could tell that she had a hankerin' for it when I noticed a huge pull-out from the newspaper with a life-sized photo of a chicken fried steak, complete with gravy staring up at me on my desk for several days.
This afternoon, she called me at work and asked how quickly I could get home because she could stand it no more; we would have to hit Grady's on Bandera Road pronto, PDQ and then some.
Just a word about Grady's as opposed to Rudy's. I find that people are either Grady's people or Rudy's people. I'm a Grady's person. I get the whole thing about Rudy's - you know, served on butcher paper, a little boat of cream corn, maybe a half pound of this, a half pound of that, half a chicken and some sauce. I get it. I just don't care for it as much as other people seem to.
Don't get me wrong - if someone is having a luncheon there, I'll go and enjoy it. But if there was a Grady's and a Rudy's right next door to each other, I'd be in Grady's.
Of course that might be rude if the luncheon was being held next door in Rudy's, but I think you get the point.
Oh. And I have also found that people who like Rudy's don't usually appreciate the brilliance of Bill Miller's. I'm not about to come out and say that Bill Miller's is the best BBQ ever made, because that would be a joke. But the fact that you can get good, consistent food in a fast-food format is awesome. People who like Grady's seem to appreciate that about Bill Miller's.
If you want some really good BBQ, I'm telling you, you have to head north up 281 beyond Mineral Wells (or there abouts - I haven't been able to find any reference to this place on the Internet to confirm the address or town) called Hashknife on the Chisholm. That, my friends, is some good eats.
So, my wife ordered up the chicken fried steak with corn and mashed potatoes. She was so excited she nearly did a jig! - I'm kidding, honey, really. Grady's gets you in the eatin' mood when you walk in. They give you your tea, point you in the direction of all the fixin's like onions and pickles and such, and just about the time you sit down, here it comes.
I ordered up the catfish along with some green beans coleslaw and an onion ring or two. I have to tell you, I love me some catfish and as a general rule, Clear Spring Catfish Cafe between New Braunfels and Seguin is wonderful although the one in San Antonio at Afton Oaks is not bad either. But if you can't make it there, the breading on the catfish at Grady's is done just right for me. Not too crisp so as to make me chip a tooth, but not too soft wear it falls off the fish before you can take a second bite.
I have to report, I wolfed down my green beans, took a bite of slaw, then couldn't hold back anymore and unleashed myself on the fish. My wife made several attempts at offering me a bite of her chicken fried steak, but seriously, I was in an embarrassing frenzy of consumption and had she stuck a fork full of the golden brown delight in my general direction, she may have lost a finger or two.
Grady's gets a solid 3.5 TT's on my Tasty Treat Scale, only lowered because my green beans contained foreign objects - corn I believe. That is UNSAT my friends. Never ruin good green beans with corn. But the catfish was a solid 5 TTs! Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm.
For those concerned, I promptly came home, swapped into my gym clothes and hit the treadmill for a suitable period of time. And I did not throw-up once!
This is "The Deputy". Notice it comes with the sides on the same plate.
And this friends, is "The Sheriff" complete with a second plate for the double sides! And no, in case you have to ask; they did not finish it. Not even close.
The second thing is something called The Railroad Burger. Last time we visited, I had a bacon cheeseburger that was outstanding. This is big and includes half an avocado! Good stuff.
Consider it a public service. Either go really hungry or be sure to have plenty of room in the 'fridge, because you will want to eat it all, sooner or later.
