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.
You just might recall not too long ago that my wife and I gobbled up some chicken fried steak from a diner in downtown San Antonio called Lulu's. During that enjoyable visit, we observed more than one patron consuming the burgers and huge orders of onion rings, so when it got to be vittles time, my wife suggested we go back to Lulu's and see if they taste as good as they look. I'll cut to the chase now and gladly report, they do.
I don't know what it is, but the place just makes me giggle when I walk in there. The waitstaff yells across the room to welcome you and directs you to find a seat anywhere. I am reminded of Dick's Last Resort, where the wait staff is rude on purpose; Lulu's folks aren't mean, but it seems like they treat you like a regular, even if you aren't. I mean this in a good way of course. At Dick's, you know (or you are supposed to know) it is all part of the shtick. At Lulu's, they just seem to be a crew who gets along really well, and by visiting, you aren't taking away from their good time, so the back and forth between the waiters and the cooks continues on whether you can hear them playfully kid one another or not.
I knew from the word go that I wanted the bacon cheeseburger with some onion rings. First, the onion rings. We really like this style of breading. It is not too crunchy and in fact, it is a little flaky. My wife thinks they just dipped the rings into the same mix they use for the CFS and let it go. You will want to add salt. If you have ever had the rings at Clear Springs, you'll recognize the texture. Surely not the best I've had, but far better than any of the frozen packaged ones you get at many local places.
The bacon Cheeseburger was simply delicious. You can tell it is a handmade patty just from the uneven shape. And it tasted great as did the bacon and the fresh lettuce, tomato and fixin's. For myself, I would have grilled the bun a tad bit longer, but you could tell it was at least thrown on the grill for good measure.
My wife went with the cheeseburger and steak fries. You can tell from the picture that they toss on a little Season-all or similar thing on the fries. Cooked just right, not too hard or undercooked, you get the feeling that the guys on the grill know the drill. She was a bite into the cheeseburger when the happy dance commenced and we knew that the visit was a good choice.
As a matter of ranking, I still have not found a place that is as good as my favorite. But if you need yourself a really, really good burger, excellent fries, and some very worthwhile onion rings, Lulu's never closes, and that makes for a Tasty Treat.
And don't forget tomorrow's breakfast while you're there.
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.
