We tried Pittsburgh's original french fry salad
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The perfect bite of Jerry's sirloin steak salad with french fries. Photo: Ryan Deto/Axios
The french fry salad is one of Pittsburgh's most celebrated foods, but its origins are less well-known than Primanti's famous fry-stuffed sandwich.
The intrigue: I tried Jerry's Curb Service in Bridgewater, Beaver County, a fast-food joint that lays claim to the title of inventor of the french fry salad, aka the Pittsburgh salad.
Flashback: Legend has it that a Jerry's customer in the early 1960s ordered a steak sandwich without the bun and a side of fries. The customer chopped up the steak, added on the fries and covered the whole thing with ranch.
- The owner's wife watched the customer and then recreated the dish and added some salad greens.
- It's been on Jerry's menu ever since.
Dig in: Jerry's has four varieties of french fry salad: sirloin steak ($11.75), chopped steak ($10.69), breaded chicken ($10.35) and grilled chicken ($10.35).
- A massive pile of chopped meats and hand-cut fries sits on a bed of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, carrots and shredded cheddar cheese.
- We got sirloin steak with ranch dressing, but locals love the sweet and sour or Jerry's Dressing, a variation of Thousand Island.
- They're massive, and that combined with a compact burnt ham and cheese sandwich ($5.39) easily filled my girlfriend and me.
Ryan's thought bubble: Crisp produce adds freshness to a heavy plate of fries, meat and cheese, and each bite is a delicious contrast in textures.
How it works: Jerry's, operating since 1947, still runs curb service.
- Park your car, turn on your running lights, and a server will walk out to take your order.
- Enjoy your meal in your car or take it home.
- Open 10:30am to 11pm daily
Pro tip: Skip the black olives, unless you truly adore some extra brine.
Friction point: The Hilltop Grille just across the Beaver River in Rochester also claims it invented the french fry salad.
- Theirs comes with cubed provolone and crinkle-cut fries.
The bottom line: Primanti sandwiches get more attention, but I think french fry salads are the best food export Pittsburgh has.
- They're available at scores of restaurants across the region and differ by menu.
- Peppi's is a good substitution if you can't make it out to Beaver County.