Goodbye Mushroom Steak Special

I know nothing stays the same but if you're willing to play the game it's coming around again. -CS

Carly Simon hit the nail on the head with these lyrics from her 1987 hit Coming Around Again but for a few decades something did stay the same. It was a little eatery in McKeesport called Dot's Family Restaurant. It was a place where my family got quarts of chicken soup when we were sick, ate mushroom steak specials with grandma, and enjoyed a good Salisbury steak.

On Monday, Dot's closed it's doors for good. Yes, Carly. I know. NOTHING stays the same.

Some may say, "Kristen, aren't you being a little dramatic?" This is what my sister wanted to say when I called her at 7:00 a.m. last Thursday after I learned of the news. I said something to the effect of, "Dot's has pulled a Kennywood and is closing in four days. (A reference to Kennywood management waiting until the final operating weekend of the 2017 season to tell riders it was curtains for the Log Jammer.)

My younger sis was not happy to be awoken over something 'so trivial' and our conversation ended abruptly. But she redeemed herself minutes later when she texted, 'I'll go there for lunch with you tomorrow if you want.'"

I'm six years older than her so her lack of nostalgia is not her fault . I've had six more years of Dot's soup, clearer memories of dinners with grandma, and age has left me more sentimental. But it wasn't just the food or the memories which made Dot's so special.

It was the fact that in the forty some years that I have been going there, the décor basically stayed the same. The same orange bouncy booths, the same 70's style light fixtures, the same men and women silhouette signs on the restrooms. There were some minor additions here and there over the years, but if ever there was a time machine, Dot's was it.

So my sister and I went to lunch on Friday and heard other customers and restaurant staff lament the closing. I really didn't take in too much of the chatter. I am not exactly sure what the reason is for the restaurant closing or if I really want to know.  I was just happy to be there for one of my final visits, sitting in the booth I remember sharing with my grandma, taking photos of all the things I will miss.

The following day I went back for a rare dinner out with my husband and our kids. We all squeezed in an orange booth, at my request, even though a table would have been more comfortable. It was an intimate meal for sure and amazingly, my kids cleared their plates. They even spared a few fries for me who, as fate would have it, had a dinner that got lost in the shuffle. When my second mushroom steak special in two days finally came, after the rest of my brood had eaten, I was surprised to see it was taken off the bill. I wasn't going to complain. It was my last time eating there after all.

I made a special trip back to Dot's on their final day to get one last quart of chicken soup. They asked me if I wanted it heated and I said, "No".  I knew the quart was going in the freezer to be enjoyed at a later date when maybe someone isn't feeling well and needs a little Dot's magic to put them on the road to recovery.  I make a pretty good chicken soup of my own, but it's not like this special recipe. I'm not even sure what makes it so good.  Is it the thin noodles or the little carrot bites? I have one last chance to find out.

Yes, things change but I liked having somewhere I could go that didn't. Maybe that is one of the reasons Dot's had to close. Maybe the vintage décor didn't appeal to a younger hipper crowd, but if those millennials could have given that mushroom steak special a chance, I know they would have Twittered, Instagrammed and Snap Chatted the hell out of it, so much so that it would have gone viral. MSS DOT'S OMG!

I drove past Dot's Monday evening and both parking lots were full of customers for their last dinner rush. It made me happy and sad at the same time. I have now added steak specials to my list of perfect foods I'll never order again from establishments that are gone for good; along with Irene's Sicilian pizza (former restaurant in East McKeesport) and Mr. Food meatball sandwiches (former deli/mini grocery in Johnstown) . But for now, as long as I can get Murphy's wings, Luciano's pizza and grilled stickies at any Eat n Park, I'll be coming around again.