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The Good Steer: A Fellowship of the (Onion) Ring Lake Grove Eatery Marks Fifty Years of Classic Burgers by Jay Beatty |
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May 3, 2007 CENTEREACH,
NY -- When does a good thing become a classic?
When does a roadway sign become an icon?
When does a hangout become a landmark?
Still
satisfying loyal customers with mouth-watering burgers and what may be the
best onion rings on the planet, the McCarroll family, owners and founders
of the Good Steer, took time last week to remember and be remembered by
many friends. And
those friends included customers, employees, elected officials, restaurant
colleagues, and representatives of many of the community organizations
aided by the McCarroll family in their efforts to share some of the
success they’ve achieved over the last half-century. “We’re
very community oriented,” said Bob, McCarroll, Jr. proudly. Speaking
from behind a massive tray of onion rings destined to be noted in the
Guinness Book of World Records, Bob McCarroll, Sr., described the last
fifty years “as a lot of work, but a lot of fun.” “Don’t
believe it when they tell you that you can’t mix business and
pleasure,” the owner beamed, as he introduced some of the guests who
have been coming to feast since the beginning. State
Senator Ken LaValle was on hand with a proclamation from Albany and
remembered his earlier days in the eatery. “I
started as a teacher in the Middle Country School District in 1961,”
LaValle noted. “When I
asked my colleagues ‘Where do you go for lunch?’ there was only one
place…The Good Steer.” “Over
time,” the Senator continued, “I came to see a family-owned business
prosper and grow.” LaValle
noted that all was not about looking backward.
The McCarrolls, he said, were ahead of their time in recognizing
the needs of their patrons on such issues as handicapped access, smoking,
and even trans fats. Bob,
Sr. said they were the first restaurant in the area to install a
handicapped ramp, and his son added that The Good Steer had “gotten rid
of trans fats three years ago.” The
family’s willingness to grow and adapt — without letting go of their
consistent aim for “good food and consistent quality at reasonable
prices” — has kept families coming back again and again over the
decades. The
Good Steer began in 1957 as a hamburger drive-in, although it was quickly
converted to table service. The
restaurant remains on the once-rural original Route 25 site.
No considered Lake Grove, the restaurant predates the establishment
of the village, noted current village Mayor Robert Scottaline. From
the original hamburgers and onion rings, the menu has expanded
considerably. A slow-smoker turns out delectable barbecue.
Southern fried chicken and macaroni and cheese are now mainstays.
And an impressive lobster roll is a popular item. The
renowned onion rings require over a ton of Spanish onions every week. “We make your onion ring…since 1957” shouts the red
neon sign on the front of the Good Steer.
That’s a reference not only to the tasty onion rings, but to the
homemade, on-site approach to virtually everything on the menu. In
the days before the LIE and before the Smith Haven Mall, the Good Steer
was a pleasant stopover en route to the East End.
Bob McCarroll, Sr. remembers visits from many celebrities,
including the Gabor sisters, E.G. Marshall, and Bert Lahr, known best as
the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz. These
were the days when the tall Good Steer sign stood alone among trees, not
the current strip centers and competing signage which sprouted as Route 25
widened and filled with traffic. Suffolk
County Lynne Nowick was also on hand, remembering her high school days
with Linda McCarroll. “I
used to love to come to the Good Steer for what was then called a
“Cheese Dream,” Nowick said. “These
days I look at the menu and all the things I’d like to have, and then
order a salad.” Brookhaven
Councilwoman Kathy Walsh, on behalf of herself and County Legislator Joe
Carracappa, presented a proclamation declaring last Friday ”Good Steer
Day.” The
Good Steer is easily found at 2810 Middle Country Road in Lake Grove, just
east of Hawkins Avenue. They
can be reached at 631-585-8212 or on the web at www.goodsteer.com Yes,
the onion rings are calling you, too. Click
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