Just follow the telltale trail of crushed peanut shells to the nearest Texas Roadhouse.
Of course, dining at Texas Roadhouse today isn’t as cheap as it used to be.
The noblebone-in ribeye, for one, has gone up $1.50 since last fall.
Photo: Texas Roadhouse/Facebook. Design: Eat This, Not That!
But, more importantly, your meal seems more wholesome.
Even so, not every Texas Roadhouse steak is a winner in my book.
It’s called “Road Kill,” and it’s just as enticing as it sounds.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
At the same time, you won’t find any steak dish on the menu for less money.
This plate cost me just $13.99 and came with two sides.
The look: Wretched.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
Somewhere under all of that is supposedly a beef patty.
The taste: Better than it looks, but still not great.
Many of the individual ingredients taste fine on their own.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The cheese is rich and buttery, the ‘shrooms are earthy, the onions are sweet.
This strikes me as a waste of both the burger and the toppings.
Try this with literally any other actual steak on the menu and the conglomeration might work better.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
(I’ve also seen cuts as big as 26 ounces in the display case up front.)
Prices start at $14.49 in my area.
Most recently, I opted for the 8-ounce cut for $16.99, ordered medium rare.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The look: Long and lean, streaked with dark grill marks.
Inside the meat showed more pink than red in the center.
This is the perfect cut to top with sauteed onions and mushrooms for added oomph.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
Over many visits, I’ve seen plenty of customers do just that and seem perfectly happy with it.
At the same time, however, that inherent polarity can sometimes make it a tricky steak to cook.
So, it’s far from a sure thing.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
I paid $34.99 for this one and ordered it medium rare.
It arrived at 19.4 ounces after cooking and measured a full inch thick.
The look: Massive, taking up nearly the entire 11-inch platter, but unevenly cooked.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
Inside the inconsistency is starkly evident, ranging in color from dark red to nearly purplish in spots.
(I hesitated to send it back for fear of encountering the opposite problem upon its return.)
While the cooking temperature was variable, the seasoning seemed even-handed throughout and not too heavy.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
New York Strip
The classic New York strip remains my favorite cut to cook at home.
Not to brag, but I’ve gotten pretty good at it, too.
So, admittedly, I came to the restaurant with fairly high expectations.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The regular 12-ounce cut recently set me back $23.99.
It arrived at 8.9 ounces after cooking and was about a full inch thick.
A slender but noticeable fat cap ran along the upper edge on the far side.
Inside the strip struck a dark pink color reminiscent of watermelon.
This was the only steak that I enjoyed more at LongHorn than Texas Roadhouse.
LongHorn, for one, stopped serving it years ago.
It’s offered in three sizes: 12, 14, and 16 ounces.
I recently ordered the 12-ounce slab for $24.99.
It arrived at an even 11 ounces after cooking and measured about three-quarters of an inch thick.
The look: Rosy and fatty with dark crusty edges along the perimeter.
When I turned it over, the underside appeared almost fully brown.
The taste: Surprisingly smoky.
The darkened edges had an almost barbecue-like flavor, while the pinkish center tasted more mild and beefy.
Forget the famous cinnamon butter at Roadhouse.
You get three small filet medallions, adding up to about 9 ounces of meat.
That’s more protein than the regular 8-ounce filet but costs $4 less.
It also comes drizzled with your choice of peppercorn or mushroom sauce and served atop seasoned rice.
On top of all that, you also get your pick of two sides.
I opted for the mushroom sauce and paid $23.49.
The look: Modest in size but plump and meaty.
Each medallion came at roughly a full inch thick, weighing between 2.3 and 2.8 ounces apiece after cooking.
The taste: Distinctively flame-kissed.
Every morsel was superbly tender and the ‘shrooms only upped the umami factor in each bite.
I also enjoyed the soft, savory rice that comes alongside.
In terms of pure value, this is a tough option to beat.
But from a straight-up enjoyment angle, there are a few other cuts I liked even more.
Frankly, I was a little surprised to see it on the Texas Roadhouse menu in the first place.
What’s more surprising, though, is how much I liked it.
The look: Colorful but oddly non-skewered.
Instead, they were neatly arranged in two distinct rows along with hunks of vibrant-looking veggies.
The beef appeared nicely browned and cut into 14 perfectly bite-sized, roughly half-ounce portions.
The taste: Sweet and succulent.
Every tender morsel proved more flavorful than the last with the accompanying vegetables adding some satisfying crunch.
I dare say this was the sleeper hit of the entire steak menu.
If you fall into this trap, however, you may be missing out.
The filet at Texas Roadhouse is a great example.
You’ll find two sizes on the regular menu: 6 and 8 ounces.
I recently opted for the larger version, which cost me $27.49.
It arrived at 6.1 ounces after cooking and measured a whopping inch-and-a-halfthe thickest cut in this entire survey.
The look: Plump and moist.
This filet came nicely browned with interlaced char marks up top and a rosy red center within.
The taste: Superbly seasoned and supremely succulent.
This cut proved incredibly soft and tasty with none-too-subtle hints of salt and smoke in its palpable char.
The 16-ounce cut recently cost me $30.99.
The look: Expansive and exquisite.
The taste: Rich and robust.
I hardly had to chew as each slice dissolved faster than the one before.
As delectable as it was, however, there was one cut that proved even more ambrosial.
I don’t claim to know the exact science behind this.
I just know it works.
I’ve ordered the bone-in ribeye at Texas Roadhouse several times now, and it’s always satisfying.
It weighed 15.8 ounces after cooking and stood a full inch thick if not more.
The look: Immense, if not quite porterhouse-level enormous.
The hulking ribeye arrived beautifully and consistently charred outside while striking a luxuriant red color internally.
The taste: Just as luscious as ever.
Forget the oft-used phrase “falling off the bone.”
This meat was so tender and juicy it was practically falling away from itself.
This full-flavored steak requires no sauce, no toppings, no accouterments of any kind.
It’s hands-down the best-tasting steak in the entire Texas Roadhouse repertoireif not the whole casual dining world altogether.
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