But no more. So here’s a rundown of all the noteworthy places I’ve been to in the past couple of months and the steaks that were consumed. Just call this the Steak Rant.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Bone-in Cowboy Ribeye
So we finally broke down and went to Ruth’s Chris and I don’t even put up a decent review of it? Well, for starters, that should tip you off to something right there. The experience wasn’t spectacular. I guess I’ve always been somewhat biased against Ruth’s Chris. From a sheer seasoning standpoint, I’ve always thought their steaks to be bland and under-seasoned. Then factor in how much you pay, and to me, you have a highly overrated experience.
But the steaks are prime, I get it. Well here’s my Cowboy Ribeye.
You’ll notice in the side view, how thin the steak is. Now it’s quite large, but I’ve had this problem before. A thin steak requires a deft hand to keep medium rare, and there was no such hand in the kitchen that day. There were a few small patches of pink in the steak, but the rest wasn’t close. Now my dining companions had the filet, and it was beautiful and perfectly cooked. So to be fair to Ruth’s Chris, I think I just ordered the wrong steak.
But to be fair to the consumer, why is there a 45 dollar steak on the menu that sucks?
Outback Steakhouse: Ribeye with blue cheese crust.
The last Outback experience was outstanding. This one, a little less so. The steak was cooked and seasoned alright, but something was amiss with the blue cheese crust.
The color looked to be closer to seafoam green and I could tell it was textured. After tasting it, I assume it was mixed with some kind of cornmeal or other component to make an actual crust on top of the steak. Usually blue cheese is just applied to the top of a steak for a bit of a rich, creamy accent to the beef. But Outback’s take was a swing and a miss. Also the quality of the ribeye was lacking. There were large pockets of fat and gristle and it was just a poor quality steak.
Hey, hey. I went to Dallas for some R&R and of course that means I ate well.
Meso Maya: Spice rubbed filet.
http://www.mesomaya.com/index.html
Meso Maya is what is probably considered upscale Mexican. Not super expensive, but not the under 10 dollars you’d spend at taco places and the like. But the food was delicious. I don’t have any pictures. I wish I did, cause this was one of the best filets I had in my life.
First off, it was cooked perfectly. There were two sauces on the plate, one was more of a cream like sauce, the other could have been more like a mole(mo-lay, I can’t figure out how to accents in Works). The flavor of the steak and the liberal application of Mexican spices worked by themselves or with any of the sauces. It was close to perfection. And it was only 23 dollars. Note, the menu on their website is a little dated though. So I guess you'll just have to go check it out.
Fogo de Chao: MEAT BUFFET
http://www.fogodechao.com/
So I’ve never been to a Brazilian Steakhouse/BBQ, but now I think it’s my new favorite thing ever. So to summarize, there’s an amazing salad bar. Skip it. You’re here for the steak. You have a card by your plate with a red side and a green side. If you have the green side up, the waiters walking around with skewers of meat will stop at your table and offer you what they have. Say yes, and they’ll cut you off a piece and off they go. And this just keeps happening until you flip your card over to the red side. If you wanna pause to eat what you have before tackling more, don’t forget to flip your card.
I’d say the staff is amazingly attentive. There was seriously not more than a 2 minute period where I had my card on the green side and did not get served. There are also sides that come with your endless meat feast. Some kind of caramelized banana and some mashed potatoes, also some bread. All good, but you’re here for the steak.
Here’s a list of the meats: 3 kinds of sirloin, ribeye, filet, bacon wrapped filet, beef ribs, pork ribs, parmesan encrusted pork loin, bacon wrapped chicken, lamb, pork sausage. I may have missed one, but trust me, they were delicious.
The only thing I’ll say is that they season the meat very simply, just some salt. I don’t think they even bother with pepper. But there is a shaker of salt and pepper on the table, which I used from time to time. I will say the best cut, which should come as no surprise to anyone that reads my reviews, was the ribeye. So flavorful, so tender.
Now you pay a pretty penny for this piece of a heaven. Normally the dinner experience is 52 dollars, but we happened to be in town during restaurant week and they were running a special for 35. I’m glad we took advantage of that.
Texas Roadhouse: 20 oz Bone-in Ribeye
Back to Lafayette.
So I opened with a bone-in ribeye, now I close with a bone-in ribeye. Suffice to say this steak was less than half the price of the Ruth’s Chris version and many times its superior in flavor and seasoning. Texas Roadhouse is a consistent performer in value and then delivering a steak at or exceeding that value. And as I’ve just proven, my last meal at Texas Roadhouse was better than my last meal at Ruth’s Chris.
Will that always be the case? Maybe, maybe not. But that sums up why I started the Lafayette Steak Database. With knowledge, we can separate the fact from fiction when it comes to where to get a good steak. Establishing a written record and judgment of steaks where the journey begins to find the greatest steaks in all the land.
