Salisbury Steak & Gravy
Throwback to the Visalia Country Club
1960’s Style
The first time I ever had Salisbury Steak was in the 1960’s at the Visalia Country Club of all places. I was there with my girlfriend, Cathy, and her father (the beloved owner of the Visalia Chicken Shop) who had been brought in to ‘elevate the menu’ which back then mostly meant trying to nudge the place beyond sandwiches and an Arnold Palmer ice tea that was probably more like a John Daly for the golfers.
He had big dreams of turning the club into something more refined for a proper dinner or maybe even a celebration. You know, what it did become: the reunions, receptions, and social memberships that make it a dining destination today. But at that time it was still very much in its sandwich (and maybe a side salad) era.
The Salisbury Steak that night made an impression, maybe because it was one of the few things on the ‘menu’ that actually seemed ambitious. Or maybe because it was served with such confidence as though Visalia had suddenly gone cosmopolitan. Either way, that dinner has stuck in my memory all these years.
So this recipe is for them, for Cathy’s dad, who tried to bring a little culinary polish to the fairways and for everyone who ordered a sandwich mostly to justify another John Daly.
And while I won’t say anything about the current state of the food, let’s just say this homemade version might be the best Salisbury Steak the Visalia Country Club never served.
While I never was able to get the recipe I do remember his secret was the cream. I hope he would have more than liked this recipe.
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