Texas Roadhouse offers down-home tasty fare
Country music turned up high, beer signs on the wall, a stuffed armadillo ... and a really big stuffed lizard?
Those were first impressions of the Texas Roadhouse on North Mall Drive off Siegen.
Based in Kentucky, the chain has nonetheless pumped its restaurants’ decor and ambience full of the feel of the Lone Star State.
Practically vibrating with energy suggestive of a hoedown in the next room or a rodeo about to kick off outdoors in the corral, this isn’t the place to go if you’re looking for a quiet place to meditate.
That might be one reason there were so many families there with children on a recent Saturday night.
The food, though, has a wonderful, down-home taste that will likely make fans of the most mellow of diners.
The combo appetizer ($9.99) brought us boneless buffalo wings, tater skins and “rattlesnake bites” — round servings of jack cheese and diced jalapeños battered and fried.
There was a bit of a division over the tater skins, served topped with cheese and bacon bits: some of the guests found them overbaked; others liked the crispy finish, but overall the combo dish was a hit.
As was the excellent sirloin kabob entrée ($10.49). Slices of marinated sirloin, alternating with onion, mushroom, tomato, red pepper and green pepper, was served on a bed of seasoned rice.
The entrée came with a choice of one side dish. Diners can choose from a dozen sides, and the guest’s choice was a cup of chili — nicely seasoned and a bit of an unexpected offering. But this is Texas country, and it was good.
Most of the other entrées come with a choice of two sides. The ones we sampled included a generous-sized Caesar salad; tasty green beans, cooked southern style with onions and bacon; and a sweet potato.
It seems hard to improve on a simple, baked sweet potato, but add melted marshmallows and a drizzle of caramel, and you get the idea.
Another entrée choice was the fried catfish ($13.99 for four filets), breaded in cornmeal and served with Creole mustard sauce, a tangy and different accompaniment. The filets were a good size, and some went home in a to-go box.
We checked out another staple of Louisiana restaurants, the chicken strips, here called “Chicken Critters,” ($9.99). The guest was happy with the all-white-meat strips fried crisp with a light, tasty batter.
Texas Roadhouse boasts of its hand-cut steaks and it didn’t fail us.
One diner decided to go with the country theme and chose the country fried sirloin ($10.79), served up nice and golden and topped generously with cream gravy that the restaurant says is made from scratch.
The idea was catching, and another guest went for the country fried chicken, an 8-ounce fileted chicken breast, also topped with the delicious gravy.
Both choices were tender and well-flavored.
For dessert, what could be more down-home than apple pie ($5.79), topped with ice cream — and that wonderful caramel sauce again.
The restaurant fosters its casual atmosphere with the now-familiar buckets of peanuts on the table and peanut shells on the floor.
Diners might also be able to catch one of the impromptu line dances that the waitresses, good sports all, apparently provide from time to time.
Texas Roadhouse is busy, with a crowded waiting room later in the evening. The waiters are nice but have a driven efficiency about them, and you know there’s a queue of people just chompin’ at the bit for your table.
To help, the restaurant offers a call-ahead option, allowing people to add their names to the waiting list ahead of time.