Texas Roadhouse
5620 Johnston Street. Lafayette, LA 70503
www.texasroadhouse.com
1. Price. $19.49. Steak plus 2 sides. The astute reader will notice that the last review I did was also a prime rib, a damn good prime rib, from Outback. So be ready for frequent comparisons between the two throughout the review. Roadhouse offers the 16 oz for $19.49 while the 12 oz at Outback was $18.99. From sheer quantity, Texas Roadhouse takes wins this round. I’ve mentioned before Texas Roadhouse will always be one of the best bang for the buck opportunities in town, so don’t look for that to change.
2. Look
That’s a big hunk of steak, but also quite fatty. The fat helps keeps the steak from drying out during the cooking process. Which with prime rib, is more of a roasting than a grilling. So be prepared to trim a little fat.
3. Cooked to Doneness
As I mentioned in the previous review of Texas Roadhouse, they tend to cook their larger cuts of steak a little under what you order. So I went ahead and ordered the steak medium. As you can see, that’s still a finely cooked steak. I’m a medium rare enthusiast, but I might make medium my go to order at Roadhouse.
4. Taste
Now for taste. Quite simply, this was a good steak. The texture and tenderness was pure, combined with the rosy pink, medium interior created a near perfect steak. Like I mentioned, it was quite fatty. For comparison vs. Outback, Roadhouse doesn’t offer the prime rib to be finished on the grill, so the char flavor is absent. Like the Outback steak, the Roadhouse prime rib comes with leftover jus and as you can see from the picture, the steak is basically swimming in it. The jus has just enough flavor to impart slight depth and saltiness, but nothing that would overpower the flavor of the steak. Ignoring everything but the pure, beef flavor, Outback and Texas Roadhouse are almost dead even in taste.
5. Seasoning
But if you’re someone who likes a well seasoned steak, this might leave you reaching for sauce. The taste is distinctly steak, but the seasoning is pretty minimal. Usually this would be a bad thing for me personally, but the flavor of the steak was so good it makes up for it. And also because the Texas Roadhouse brand steak sauce, Roadhouse Gold is probably one of my favorite sauces of all time. I dipped our onion blossom appetizer in it, I dipped my French fries in it, and I dipped my steak in it. I love it, but that’s a personal thing.
Again, up against Outback’s version, I’ve had very few steaks that were seasoned as well as the Outback herb crusted prime rib. The herb crust combined with the finished-on-the-grill option creates such a deep flavor that’s rare in a chain steakhouse steak. So I have to give this category to Outback.
6. Bang for the Buck
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, and I’ll keep saying it. Texas Roadhouse is one of the best bang for the buck opportunities in town for steak. The quality of the meat might not be up there with Copeland’s and Ruth’s Chris, but you’ll get a fine steak for a mighty fine price. But it’s not like you have to take my word for it. They’re always busy and probably will continue to see heavy business well into the future.
If you want a final side by side match up vs. Outback’s prime rib, I say you can’t go wrong either way, it just depends on what your preference is. I’d recommend them both as superb under $20 values.
--Aaron A. Aaronson
Dallas Filet 6 oz (Medium-Rare)
1. Price. $16.79. Steak plus 2 sides.
2. Look
Decent. Nothing to scoff at.
3. Cooked to Doneness
Aaron A. is right about Texas Roadhouse – Go a grade higher than you normally would. My medium-rare was rare. Still tasty, but they're clearly erring on the side of having throw it back on the grill as opposed to completely redoing a steak.
4. Taste
I'll go with a B- here. Compared to some of the other offerings at roadhouse, I would call it a bit underwhelming. The sirloin, ribeye and the T-bone are better choices.
5. Seasoning
I'd give it a B. It was pretty good, just not special.
6. Bang for the Buck
C-. A small steak that doesn't taste as good as cheaper, bigger steaks: Yeah, that ain't gonna cut it. Go with the sirloin, ribeye... Go with something else. Save the filet for Copeland's and other establishments.
By the way, the chili is pretty good at the roadhouse. If you're not feeling the usual potato craving, give it a shot.
--Optimus
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