Ted R.
Yelp
I've been coming to Lindey's since Jimmy Carter was president and I think I would have a hard time telling the difference between the food and atmosphere then, versus last night (other than the price).
Their moto is that they are the "place for steak" and that is almost literally true. It is certainly not the place for variety (in a good way) or for vegetarians. The price has risen consistently, but it still represents an excellent value compared to the Ruth's Chris Steak, Capital Grill, Manny's, etc.
The menu consists of four choices: Lindey's Special Sirloin ($37.95), Prime Sirloin ($36.95), Broiled Shrimp ($36.95), and Prime Chopped Sirloin ($29.95). In case that's too many choices, I'm gonna make it easy for you.
What's the difference between the "Special" and the "Prime Sirloin," you ask? The Prime Sirloin is less tender, smaller, and you save a dollar. Does anyone ever order it? No. Why is it there (I don't think you want to get smaller and less tender for a dollar, do you?). No one (including the son of the original owner) knows, other than it's always been there. So we can eliminate the Prime Sirloin.
I've been at a table that ordered the shrimp once. It wasn't a huge quantity of shrimp or anything special. Besides, why are you ordering shrimp at a steak house? We can safely eliminate the shrimp (and I love shrimp, so it's not personal).
What about the Prime Chopped Sirloin? You know this is a hamburger, right? It's expensive for a hamburger and if it's for your kid, let them order the steak and you can eat the leftovers for lunch. Don't order a $26 hamburger.
OK, so that leaves only one item left and that's the "Special." Of course, that's what you are going to order. Every. Single. Time.
Pro Tip #1: Put some thought into how you want your steak done. I'm a "rare" kind of steak person, but "rare" for Lindey's means a cold (not warm) center. Unless you really are a cannibal, order medium rare or possibly medium. In fact, bump up your done category by one notch, no matter what you think you like. This makes it difficult for "well done" steak people, such as my wife. Last night, her steak was very pink (probably a "medium" for most places), so if you like well done (no steak shaming from me), order it VERY well done.
Whatever you order (and we know what that will be, right?), the meal includes a salad, which is lettuce, one cherry tomato, and Russian Dressing, although they don't call it that. It's like Thousand Island Dressing. I like the dressing, so I like the salad. It's free, so don't kvetch.
The meals also come with refillable potatoes, which are kind of a cross between mashed potatoes and hash browns. Refills are free. They are really tasty and if you ask nicely, they will refill it to go with your steak leftovers, which you probably will have. This is the second best part of the meal.
They also give you baskets of garlic bread, which are really cut up hot dog buns with better and garlic and then toasted. Don't knock it until you try it. They are pretty addictive. You'll probably try making these at home, so don't laugh.
Theoretically, also included, are little cups of pickled watermelon, which I always give to my wife because I think it's gross. Apparently, there is has been a food supply chain shortage of pickled watermelon, so these have been absent. I consider that a blessing. (Maybe they were shipped from North Korea.)
Atmosphere: If you showed me a photo of the restaurant from 50 years ago versus now, there would be no way to peg a year to it, other than the quality of the photos. This places changes less than a house your grandparents lived in for 50 years. Fortunately, they never had shag carpeting, so that's a blessing. The ONLY changes I can cite are that they now take credit cards (relatively new and probably a radical and traumatic change) and you can make a reservation (advisable, especially on a Saturday evening).
Service: Some of the wait staff have been there since Lincoln was president -- or nearly so. They know what they are doing, and are unfailingly nice, and will patiently explain the difference between the two steaks (if you did not believe my tutorial).
The ratings will show that Lindey's has its detractors. I think that if you are looking for something fancy, or the hip new place, this isn't the place for you. If you want good steak, for a good value, in a place that's consistent, I recommend you give it a try.
Pro Tip #2: Sign up for their birthday club and you will get a postcard that's worth $25 off your bill. No, it won't pay for your meal, but it's a pretty good free perk.
Pro Tip #3: Weirdest perk of any restaurant I've been to: There is a postcard on the table to advise you of what they mean by "rare," "medium," etc. If you fill out the back of the postcard, they will mail it to you for free. My guess is that the postcard recipient has NEVER received a post-card, so this could be a valuable perk.