This post is titled:

Lumpy's Revisited

On the other hand, Lumpy's serves a respectable Steak Salad. Those of you not familiar with the Pittsburgh Steak Salad (which can also be a Chicken Salad if made with chicken, but is not the chicken salad you're thinking of) are missing out. How to make a respectable Steak Salad:

1. Take two respectable side or garden salads and put them in one large bowl.
2. Add one hard boiled egg that has been cut into quarters.
3. Add a serving of hot french fries.
4. Add a handful of shredded cheese if you're into that kind of thing.
5. Top with a quarter pound of grilled steak or grilled chicken breast, cut into strips.
6. Serve with dressing on the side.

It's the fries that really make this a Pittsburgh masterpiece. For Pittsburgh fare, it's almost healthy, really. There's all those vegetables under the fries, meat, and possibly cheese. You might ingest some that stick to the end of the fork. Dress this with Ranch or Thousand Island dressing, and it's probably the least healthy salad you will ever order.

The one Lumpy's made for me was very good. The salad was much more than just lettuce. It included green pepper, tomato, onion, and radish for Pete's sake. The fries weren't perfect, but were hot and more crispy than soggy, which is hard to achieve in a salad. The steak was hot, grilled, and actual steak, not minute steak. The dressing came in packets, but I don't know what the alternative would be for a place like Lumpy's.

Lumpy's is the kind of place that you insult offhandedly one day, and have a decent meal at the next.

2008.07.17 at 12:00am EDT

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