October 15, 2001

If Texas is Beef Country

Then why can't I get a good steak? The last two times I've been to steakhouses, I left disappointed. Even if everything else is great, and it was, if the steak isn't perfect, I'm not going to be happy.

The first time was at Texas Land and Cattle two weeks ago. I ordered a 12-oz sirloin, medium-well. It came to me charred on the outside and dry on the inside. That's not my idea of medium-well. The baked sweet potato was great, the bread and salad were fine as always, but dammit, it's a steak restaurant, make good steaks already! I should mention that I always had great steaks from this place in the past, so maybe it was an isolated incident.

The second time was yesterday at Saltgrass Steakhouse. This was my first visit to Saltgrass, and according to Colby Donaldson of Survivor II fame, it has the best beef in Texas. They certainly went on and on about how they have only Angus beef, which makes it in the top 7% of all beef in the world or something. The waitress even tried to discourage me from ordering the 10-oz sirloin and shrimp, and instead buy the ribeye special for "only $1 more" (without the shrimp). I told her no, and I asked for medium-well, again. Again the steak came charred and dry. This steak was so tasteless I had to add the spice mixture on the table and A-1 sauce, just to make it palatable. The potato casserole, salad, and cheese fries were all fine, though. And this place had some very good ideas, such as keeping a carafe of ice water on the table so we didn't have to get the server's attention for refills. However, I wanted a good steak! PFFT!

So, it looks like my next steak craving will be fulfilled at the Outback. It is consistently good, and though the best steaks I've had from TxLC were better, I'm not sure I'm willing to gamble on getting a dry "medium-well" steak anymore. I'd start ordering medium steaks, but for heaven's sake, those are supposed to be fairly red in the middle, not pink the way I want it. Maybe the cooks in these places just don't have a clue.

Published: October 15, 2001
Editor: stacy