Fries with That Salad?
I'm from the land where we seem to put fries on everything: Pittsburgh. I know the whole fries-on-the-sandwich thing is kind of what we're known for, but I didn't know that it's unusual on salads also!?
I went to dinner with a few friends who were visiting from Indiana and she ordered a chicken salad. Which came with grilled chicken, fries, and cheese and all the other salad 'fixins. She was so surprised that there were fries on top! In the Pittsburgh area that's just a staple menu item, also coming in the steak variety.
So i guess my question is don't other people put fries on their salads?
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45 Comments:
Nope. And when I'm in Pittsburgh, that steak salad with fries is one of my favorite weird things to eat. Particularly if it comes with warm bacon dressing.
When I was there quite some time back, my cousins took me to a place that was allegedly the birthplace of the steak salad with fries, and it was better than any of the others.
Question is, do the fries go on top of the salad, or under the lettuce. I'd seen it both ways when I was there.
Oh, yum.
dbcurrie at 6:10PM on 01/26/09
over the lettuce but under the cheese so that it can melt...
hungrygrl7 at 6:14PM on 01/26/09
Where else does this? I used to work at Uncle Sam's in Squirrel Hill, and I was surprised to see it when I first started there (ok not really surprised but if you had asked me, I wouldn't have outright guessed that they did).
But I can't think of any other places that do this. I did the majority of my restaurant hopping getting a taste for ethnic food though, so that may explain why it's more of a mystery to me.
And yay for another excuse for me to whine about how much I miss Pittsburgh food!!! :P
joyyy at 6:20PM on 01/26/09
I've never been to Pittsburgh, but I have heard of the Pittsburgh salad from some food documentary. How many French fries do they put on though? Is it as much as a side for a burger or just a few pieces? There are many times when I want just a few fries while I'm trying to eat a healthy salad, so I think the concept has real promise nationwide!
runnereater at 6:28PM on 01/26/09
I've never heard of having them on salad, but that might be a new Pittsburgh thing - we've been gone for 25 years now (but it will always be home!)
I miss french fries with brown gravy poured over them. Gosh, I haven't thought of that in years. I know what i'm having for lunch tomorrow!
floridayaya at 6:31PM on 01/26/09
I never heard of such this in Seattle, fries on a salad, the only potato that I have seen on a salad is red potatos on a Nicoise salad. In Seattle I see more and more fries smothered with chili and cheese, there are some diner type places that do gravy on fries but the idea of fries on a salad sounds really good, have to try it sometime.
pjracz10 at 6:31PM on 01/26/09
Nope. On my sandwich, yes (chip butty or in a pita sandwich with falafel or schawarma). On my salad, nope, never heard of it. But it's an interesting concept...:-)
brooke29 at 6:32PM on 01/26/09
Ah-hem! Y'all Pittsburgians may be in the Superbowl, but don't be too cocky about inventing the 'fries on everything that moves' approach--New Brunswick, NJ has the 'Grease Trucks' at Rutgers University.
To be fair, some of the sandwiches feature not only french fries, but also mozzarella sticks and chicken fingers, to provide a thoroughly balanced 'stuffed sandwich diet.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_Trucks
I never have had one, but I had some guy friends who went to RU who partook on many occasion.
Although I think only you guys do the fries on salad thing--I guess in a way it is no 'less healthy' than mayo-y potato salad or fried chicken and ranch on a salad. I guess greens are too healthy for the NJ grease trucks.
HeartofGlass at 6:32PM on 01/26/09
almost every place that serves like "diner" food or every day food has a chicken or steak salad... its just gotta be on the menu. we're not talking like the classiest of joints but sports bars and places like that...
as for the portion its a healthy handfull so that the majority of the salad can have a bite of fries and cheese... its fantastic
hungrygrl7 at 6:35PM on 01/26/09
Oh man, the salad with fries. I did a student internship in Pittsburgh (years ago now) and fell in love with the salad with chicken, cheese, and fries. And ranch dressing, please.
I'm tempted to come visit just for that salad.
jessie at 6:51PM on 01/26/09
Wow, maybe I was from Pittsburgh in a past life. As a kid growing up in Hawaii, I'd stick fries in my saimin (local Hawaiian version of ramen) and in my strawberry sundaes.
Next time I shop at IKEA, I'll have to check out this fries with salad.
Cassaendra at 6:52PM on 01/26/09
@ heart- I think that Paula Dean did a party show of hers that she made a giant sandwich like that. Jeez, one bite of that and I would fast for a week lol.
pjracz10 at 7:10PM on 01/26/09
I have had a salad with fries on the bottom then the lettuce and tomatoes then grilled chicken, where else- the Buffalo area.
joanpieroni2 at 7:13PM on 01/26/09
@ heart well you sold me on that I will either have to make it on my own or beg my regular hangout cook to concoct this fries with salad. So how would I describe to him to put this fry salad together? I want to get it right?
pjracz10 at 7:14PM on 01/26/09
I think these guys put fries on their salads.
therealchiffonade at 7:23PM on 01/26/09
its gotta be iceberg lettuce with, cucumbers, tomatoes, shaved carrots, croutons, greens peppers, and i'm partial to the breaded chicken but some put grilled chicken, some put steak, then a decent amount of fries, and either shredded provolone or monterey jack melted on top...oh and ranch dressing... or bleu cheese, whatever you like really...
and for me franks red hot...
this is seriously shocking to me that some of you have not had the pleasure...
hungrygrl7 at 7:25PM on 01/26/09
It must be a local thing. I did not know about salads but did know about Primanti Bros which is the standrd by which all it Pittsburgh measure themselves.
JerzeeTomato at 7:27PM on 01/26/09
I would actually like to try this salad with fries. Sounds intriguingly tasty as a try-once thing.
marieinla at 7:59PM on 01/26/09
News to me, too. Are the fries super crispy and used as a crouton would be used - for some crunch? Do they look more like McD's fries (my favorites) or thick steak fries (I'd rather have crispy roasted potatoes). Putting fries on the bottom of the salad would make them soggy and so unappealing. I throw all kinds of things into a salad, but must admit that fries never crossed my mind.
PerkyMac at 8:04PM on 01/26/09
I used to work for a company headquartered up there. First trip caught me off guard with the salad french fry combo. Then I went looking to buy a 6 pack of beer and had to go to a 'state owned beer store'. Coming out of Texas I thought that was bizarre.
Ribster at 8:06PM on 01/26/09
No I've never heard of this either...I've made some grilled potato salads I guess, but Perk makes a good point about croutons, and I'm also a poutine fan :)
hungrychristel at 8:17PM on 01/26/09
I have never heard of such a thing. I love me some french fries, but I can't quite get behind the idea. I love 'em w/ ketchup or dipped in gravy or tartar sauce (don't judge me!), but I'm not a fan of them outside of their being a stand alone thing. Poutine would be awesome if it were on rice or mashed potatoes, but not the fries. Does it make the lettuce all weird? Now salad on the side is a whole other story.
chisai at 8:25PM on 01/26/09
not super crispy...just...fries.. kinda like McDonalds i guess, not thick cut... def. not on the bottom though.... you really should try it.. there is a place in Latrobe, pa (Dinos, where the STEELERS eat during training camp down the road) that dips the chicken in their wing sauce which makes the whole thing even more fantastic...
@Ribster.. i so wish PA would catch up to the rest of the world and sell beer in a store other than "the beer distributor" so annoying...
hungrygrl7 at 8:27PM on 01/26/09
you know it really doesnt make the lettuce that weird... granted i never let the fries sit that long but the cold and hot thing really does it for me... cold cukes and lettuce and hot fries with bleu cheese... dreamy
hungrygrl7 at 8:32PM on 01/26/09
I need to move to pittsburg! if a salad came with fries i would live off salads lol
huneybumper at 9:22PM on 01/26/09
I love that combo and have been creating my own version and I am from Southern California. I've never been to Pittsburgh. I got the idea from a Swiss friend of mine. I like them it in a ceasar salad but I can imagine they taste blissful with a ranch, chopped salad type deal. Wow! Now I need to hop over to that craving thread.
ilovebrusselsprouts at 9:26PM on 01/26/09
The first time I went to Pittsburgh I fell in love with this salad. And of course, Primanti Bros, as others have mentioned. The salad works, for those of you who are wondering. Any city that puts fries in salad is a fine city, in my book.
Go Steelers!
StripeyChef at 9:29PM on 01/26/09
Im in Youngstown Ohio, which is 45 minutes from Pittsburgh. Every restaurant around here has either the Chicken or Steak Salad on the menu which consists of an epic portion of salad mix, cucumbers, tomato wedges, green pepper strips, carrots, olives, hard boiled egg, bermuda onion rings, banana pepper rings and topped with marinated grilled chicken or steak, fresh cut fries, an insane amount of cheddar/jack and 2 slices of garlic toast. Buckets of ranch dressing and/or homemade italian.
Wear yoga pants and bring a friend!!!!
ChelleyD01 at 9:39PM on 01/26/09
Hard time here even going to fries on a salad thing. I like my salads cold and crispy. I have been known to have some some grilled chicken or grilled shrimp on top of a caesar. But that's about it.
Pitt fans, you guys have nothing on the Dinosaur as far as great BBQ and Blues!
Underlying resentment here...Pitt beat our ass. And once again we again have more injuries that will affect our starting lineup and bench. Psst. don't let my husband and the boys that I really seem to know what's going on.
dhorst at 12:21AM on 01/27/09
I had a salad at a golf club outside Seattle (Snoqualmie, for those in the area) that came with a garnish of still warm shoestring sweet potato fries. I was going to remove them and eat them separately, but I was with my mother and she pulled the "try one bite and if you don't like it" shtick and I was hooked. We ended up splitting a side order of the fries with the remainder of our salads when the garnish ran out!
cowprintrabbit at 2:43AM on 01/27/09
Wow. This is the first time I've even HEARD of fries on a salad! Somehow it just doesn't sound that good to me, EXCEPT for the version cowprintrabbit just told us about. That one I'd love to try. I just love sweet potatoes, and cutting them into shoestrings probably mean they're nice and crispy. I might have to try that one at home. The other versions just don't 'do it' for me. Of course, I don't like poutaine either...don't hate on me, I TRIED to like it, it's just 'too much' of 'too much' for my tastebuds.
Carolina de Witte at 7:57AM on 01/27/09
@pj--yeah, it always amazed me how guys could inhale those things. Must be something in the em, water, around Rutgers. I have never partaken, I should add. This is what one looks like: http://www.fatdarrell.com/
HeartofGlass at 8:46AM on 01/27/09
@floridayaya~brown gravy on fries with a couple of weiners, fries on a salad? never thought of it. but i'm sure i would like it. they would have to be crispy. on top.
dearrie at 11:47AM on 01/27/09
I got some very finely shredded deep fried potatoes on a salad once, can't remember where. I seem to recall that it was more or less a garnish. I wanna say it was in an upper scale Mexican/Peruvian style restaurant.
Flat out freneh fries? Never.
rlwycoff at 12:03PM on 01/27/09
Just a little aside about buying beer in PA. You either get a case/keg at the "beer distributor" or you can buy a six-pack in bars and some deli's; we don't have state owned beer stores!! Thank god!! State Liquor Stores are bad enough.
duncan1205 at 12:23PM on 01/27/09
@duncan - are you familiar with bar pricing on six packs? Buying by the case is cheaper, though still kind of a pain. I'm in AZ now, and the laws are pretty chill, but we go to Utah pretty often and their laws are just as weird, though possibly a little better as you have the option buy six packs at state beer stores - it's just the restrictions on what you can buy at more readily available sources make for slim pickings.
joyyy at 1:29PM on 01/27/09
@joyyy - I totally agree about our weird booze laws - where I live (in suburban Philly), we have an excellent LCB state wine/liquor 'shoppe'. They'll also do special orders if they can. But, Pennsylvania is still a big pain when buying beer. I only buy six-packs because I don't have room to store case(s) and I'm the only one who wants a beer now and then.
duncan1205 at 1:51PM on 01/27/09
@hungry- thanks I will tell the cook to make this for me. Who knows it could catch on and I will insist that they call it the Hungryg17 salad. lol.
@cowprintrabbit- I live in the heart of Seattle so that is like 50 miles from me and the only time I ever get up to Snoqualmie is to go snowboarding and then sit in the lodge and have drinks lol. From what it sounds like I think I would love 1000 Island on it.
pjracz10 at 2:53PM on 01/27/09
OMG I just had a thought. I have to rush to Shultzy's and tell the cook Rory about this, he would be an idiot not to try a salad with the frys Shultzy's are famous for their fries, when we go with a group we get baskets upon baskets of those gems. I am sooo excited now. WHEEEEEEEEEE!!! Thanks for this topic. Hugs and Kisses lol.
pjracz10 at 9:11AM on 01/28/09
The state of Pennsylvania is the single biggest purchaser of liquor in the world. Maybe wine, too? It's archaic. No competition. Separate stores for beer. Closed on Sundays. Fair distance apart. Another reason to move back to NJ.
PerkyMac at 9:17AM on 01/28/09
@joyyy-Isn't there a limit as to how much alcohol per volume is in the beer as well? I know Oklahoma does because there was a guy visiting Seattle from Oklahoma that had 2 beers at Shultzy's (they have imported high volume beers German ect) and just got ripped and he said that in Oklahoma they have to keep it below 3%? Somthing like that. In Washington state you can't buy hard liquor in grocery stores, you must go to monopoly state liquor stores, they vary in their selection and most are not very good in their selection. State wide no liquor stores are open on Sunday. Bummer.
pjracz10 at 9:39AM on 01/28/09
We moved from Pittsburgh to Seattle, and totally miss Pittsburgh salads. We've been trying to train the Red Door Grill to prepare them, but have only succeeded in being recognized as "that couple who order fries on their salads".
The absolute best Pittsburgh salad came from a place that used to use waffle fries. It was heaven. They've since switched to regular fries, which is a disappointment.
genkigecko at 9:20PM on 01/29/09
I feel like there have just been fries on salads all my life, and I'm 32...but grew up in western PA... so... that could be it. :)
Also, plenty of liquor stores in PA are open on Sundays, & 6-pack shops are never a problem... you just have to check. It's not Prohibition 2.0...
paMom at 9:21PM on 01/29/09
Ahem. HeartofGlass, I just want to say that it should be "Yinz Picksburghers may be in the Super Bowl..." ;-)
And fries on a steak salad, yum. Ranch dressing, please.
Ali at 12:12AM on 01/30/09
@perky- NO, in other words another reason to move to Seatttle. lol
@gentigeko- Rory who is the main cook at Shultzy's loves to get creative. There is this one guy who just moved here from Chicago and miss the famous Chicago dogs. Rory made him one that was nothing I ever saw in my life. I was in Chicago twice but didn't deal with hotdogs. The Chicago guy was just as happy as could be. It looked like a regular dog but had the neon green relish or something on it and tomatos, it had a whole bunch of stuff on it , can't remember. You should come to Shultzy's sometime and you can tell Rory what the deal is, he would be happy to make it for you.
pjracz10 at 10:55AM on 01/30/09