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.
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.
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.
