"How would you like your steak?"
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From best to worse
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The Palm
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Capitol Grill
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Morton’s
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Ruth’s Chris
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Fogo de Chao
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Longhorn
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Logan’s
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Texas Roadhouse
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Outback (though is improving)
I don’t know a couple of the others…
There is a clear distinction between the top 4 and others.
@LuFins-Dad said in "How would you like your steak?":
From best to worse
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The Palm
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Capitol Grill
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Morton’s
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Ruth’s Chris
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Fogo de Chao
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Longhorn
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Logan’s
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Texas Roadhouse
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Outback (though is improving)
Personally, I'd try to go to a locally owned place rather than a big chain. I've been to a a couple of Ruth's Chris and Capital Grille's, and while good I didn't feel like the food justified the price tag.
We went to a local Italian place last week for a rare family treat, and Mrs. Doctor Phibes had a filet they were running as a special. It came a little less rare than she asked for, but it was as tender as butter. She let me sample a bit and it was just beautiful.
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@Jolly said in "How would you like your steak?":
BTW, is it just me that can't stand the noisy "roadhouse atmosphere"?
You must be physic!! I just saw the below article.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2024/loud-restaurant-noise-health-effects/
Sietsema began recording and publishing decibel levels in his reviews in 2008 in response to reader feedback. More than a decade later, the problem persists. Noise was the most cited complaint in Zagat’s last Dining Trends Survey in 2018, and it continues to dominate the conversation in online restaurant reviews. Sietsema says behind tipping, a quiet restaurant is the most requested piece of advice in his weekly live chat sessions.
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I can take quiet music.
There was a guy down in Baton Rouge that was a great vocalist. Played guitar and could do anything from country ballads, early Sinatra stuff, to James Taylor and what-not. He used to call my son up to do some percussion and a bit of acoustic bass when he'd play this place:
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They went about this the exact wrong way and counted on customer reviews and other professional reviews.
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Hoss is not even in the same category as the Roadhouses. It’s the modern ponderosa. To be avoided at all costs
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Sizzler - Same thing
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Outback is weird. They used to be an okay mid-tier offering. Then they got bad. Shut down a lot of stores, and are trying to build up a classier more upscale image. It doesn’t fit the theme of the name and history, but whatever. I would put them with Logan’s and Texas Roadhouse. And the fact that they are ranked just below Ruth’s Chris is kind of offensive. Ruth’s Chris is a complete different level.
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Fogo de Chao is overrated. It is fun, and the meats aren’t bad. But the very nature of the way they serve limits how good the meat actually is. Depending on when you get served, you might get all bark, or none. Getting a slice of beef with bark on the outside and rare on the inside is impossible… But the atmosphere and service are great. I would put them below the Morton’s/Ruth’s Chris level but above the more casual shops.
To me a churrascaría and a steak house are two completely different things. I wouldn’t put fogo do chao on the list at all.
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Frankly, I like my steak the best… And it’s simple enough to prepare.
BUT… Karla and my schedules have led to us having to eat out a fair amount. There’s 1-2 nights a week where I meet her and Finley at a restaurant, we have dinner together, then I have to take Finley and she has to go take care of some of her clients…
Since she looooooves steak, that means we go to steak places. Since we aren’t rolling in dough, it means that we’re normally going to the Outback-Longhorn level. There aren’t really any locally owned steakhouses nearby. If I want locally owned restaurant there is a fantastic Italian joint in Reston, a mediocre Italian joint in Sterling but with outstanding service, and a few other Irish and Indian places we like, but not any steakhouses…
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Longhorn puts a pretty good steak on your plate for a reasonable price. Most folks overlook the workhorse of steaks, the top sirloin. If dry brined it's as good as any steak, usually with better flavor. I also use flat iron steaks a lot, also Fresh Market has a great prime flank steak. Used to do strips and filets most of the time, but the price has gone up and the quality down. All the filets I see now are butt end or glued together, not center cut.
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Longhorn puts a pretty good steak on your plate for a reasonable price. Most folks overlook the workhorse of steaks, the top sirloin. If dry brined it's as good as any steak, usually with better flavor. I also use flat iron steaks a lot, also Fresh Market has a great prime flank steak. Used to do strips and filets most of the time, but the price has gone up and the quality down. All the filets I see now are butt end or glued together, not center cut.
@Mik said in "How would you like your steak?":
Longhorn puts a pretty good steak on your plate for a reasonable price. Most folks overlook the workhorse of steaks, the top sirloin. If dry brined it's as good as any steak, usually with better flavor. I also use flat iron steaks a lot, also Fresh Market has a great prime flank steak. Used to do strips and filets most of the time, but the price has gone up and the quality down. All the filets I see now are butt end or glued together, not center cut.
Longhorn’s our favorite at that level not just for the steak, but their sides are a cut above.
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@Mik said in "How would you like your steak?":
Longhorn puts a pretty good steak on your plate for a reasonable price. Most folks overlook the workhorse of steaks, the top sirloin. If dry brined it's as good as any steak, usually with better flavor. I also use flat iron steaks a lot, also Fresh Market has a great prime flank steak. Used to do strips and filets most of the time, but the price has gone up and the quality down. All the filets I see now are butt end or glued together, not center cut.
Longhorn’s our favorite at that level not just for the steak, but their sides are a cut above.
@LuFins-Dad said in "How would you like your steak?":
Longhorn’s our favorite at that level not just for the steak, but their sides are a cut above.
Mrs. George and I were talking about the sides - have you ever had their lobster? She'd be curious.
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@LuFins-Dad said in "How would you like your steak?":
Longhorn’s our favorite at that level not just for the steak, but their sides are a cut above.
Mrs. George and I were talking about the sides - have you ever had their lobster? She'd be curious.
@George-K said in "How would you like your steak?":
@LuFins-Dad said in "How would you like your steak?":
Longhorn’s our favorite at that level not just for the steak, but their sides are a cut above.
Mrs. George and I were talking about the sides - have you ever had their lobster? She'd be curious.
Nope. Karla and Luke liked the shrimp. I think Luke had the lobster tail once. I’ll send him a quick text.
I was referring to their white cheddar stuffed mushrooms, the Brussels sprouts, asparagus, etc…
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You know, it's funny how the quality of a steak can vary in the same franchise. Way back in the dim mists of time, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I ate many a steak at Western Sizzlin' in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, not far from the gates of USM. Standard order was Gunsmoke, medium-rare. About a 3/4 pound top sirloin, it was a great steak for a broke college kid transporting cars from the auction.
Although I ordered the same steak at different places back in the day, none ever had one as tender or cooked as the one in Hattiesburg.
Go figure.
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I believe Luke did. He’s shadowing this afternoon, so I probably won’t hear back from him until - 4.
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Speaking of local places... Go to the original in Greenville. It might be one of the best steaks in the South. Or maybe the best tamales.
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We used to go to Morton's in Reston several times per year. I though they were always excellent.
I would get the Filet medium well with grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes.Now it is Texas Roadhouse, they are near us. The price is ok, you get what you pay for. But I like the filet there for a loud meal with the grandchildren.
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When I was a kid, we went to Ponderosa a few times. For my 50th birthday (2 decades ago), my wife and I visited Wisconsin. We drove around a bit, eventually got lost and by late afternoon, we were ready to eat cardboard...and then we came upon a Ponderosa... I was overjoyed - to once again as they still had your "all you can eat buffet" with genuine red jello, vanilla pudding with vanilla wafers - and steak that was pretty mediocre - but was recognizable as formerly a carbon based life form. I was overjoyed. I treasure the memory even if we never repeat it.
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When I was a kid, we went to Ponderosa a few times. For my 50th birthday (2 decades ago), my wife and I visited Wisconsin. We drove around a bit, eventually got lost and by late afternoon, we were ready to eat cardboard...and then we came upon a Ponderosa... I was overjoyed - to once again as they still had your "all you can eat buffet" with genuine red jello, vanilla pudding with vanilla wafers - and steak that was pretty mediocre - but was recognizable as formerly a carbon based life form. I was overjoyed. I treasure the memory even if we never repeat it.
@kluurs said in "How would you like your steak?":
When I was a kid, we went to Ponderosa a few times. For my 50th birthday (2 decades ago), my wife and I visited Wisconsin. We drove around a bit, eventually got lost and by late afternoon, we were ready to eat cardboard...and then we came upon a Ponderosa... I was overjoyed - to once again as they still had your "all you can eat buffet" with genuine red jello, vanilla pudding with vanilla wafers - and steak that was pretty mediocre - but was recognizable as formerly a carbon based life form. I was overjoyed. I treasure the memory even if we never repeat it.
So yeah, sounds like Ponderosa’s were still pretty much what I remember from the 80s…
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We used to lick the road clean for sustenance.
