Steak for Dinner!

We finally decided to dine at another nationwide chain restaurant…one that we’ve talked about eating at for a couple of years, but had never gotten around to visiting. 

This is the Longhorn Steakhouse in Farragut’s/Knoxville’s Turkey Creek shopping area.  We’ve probably driven by it 3 or 4 times a month for many years.  There are actually 2 Longhorn Steakhouse locations in the Knoxville market, with at least 491 of these restaurants in operation across the USA, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and El Salvador…

From the bar to the dining areas, the interior of this Longhorn Steakhouse Restaurant is warm and comfortable.  After the overwhelming number of ‘industrial look’ restaurants with open ceilings (and high noise levels) and a lot of metal, this décor was a welcome respite.  The metal here is decorative and western, including the sculptures.  Western art covers the walls and the ceilings are low and sound absorbing… Love the stone work too!

Diners are started out with a loaf of bread and butter.  It was nice to have and it was OK…but it also was fairly typical or average.  We skipped any appetizers because we both decided to order steaks and they came with a side salad and a side dish…

I had a small Miller Lite ($3.99) with the bread and Laurie went for a 9 oz. glass of Red Rock Malbec wine. ($10.49) She did enjoy her choice of wine.

The salads accompanying our entrees were nice with fresh ingredients and tasty salad dressings.  We’ve always wondered why many restaurant salads taste better than the ones we make at home…and the answer has to be the salad dressings.

Laurie loves ribeye steaks so she ordered Longhorn Steakhouse’s 12 oz. hand trimmed Ribeye. ($21.29) The sides that come with the steaks at no extra cost are the steamed broccoli, a baked potato, seasoned French fries, mashed potatoes or a sweet potato.  So of course, neither of us ordered a ‘free’ side.  Laurie chose the Parmesan Creamed Spinach. ($2.29)

Laurie enjoyed her steak.  It was grilled to medium rare as requested, it was tender and it was quite tasty.  The spinach side dish also was a winner.  Laurie’s one issue with her meal was that there was a bit too much fat or waste on her steak.  She had of course expected some fat as it adds flavor to the meat…but she felt there was just too much waste.

I ordered the 18 oz. bone-in Outlaw Ribeye for my dinner. ($26.99) I also chose a ‘special side’ instead of the standard ones.  My choice of sides was the Crispy Brussel Sprouts. ($2.29)

Unlike Laurie’s steak, my very nice steak didn’t have much extra fat on it plus it was grilled as ordered.  I really liked the Brussel Sprouts but I didn’t finish them because they were so ‘rich’ tasting. (I like my wife’s version better!) Laurie and I both agreed that although we enjoyed them, the steaks were a bit too salty for our taste.

FYI, Longhorn Steakhouse is owned by Darden Restaurants.  In addition to at least 491 Longhorn locations, Darden owns the following restaurant chains: Olive Garden; Cheddars Scratch Kitchen; Bahama Breeze; Eddie V’s Prime Seafood; Capital Grille; Seasons 52, and; Yard House.  In total, Darden owns or franchises over 1,800 restaurants!

This particular Longhorn Steakhouse was located at 11644 Parkside Drive in Farragut Tennessee.  Phone: 865-966-6954.  The Company’s website can be found at www.longhornsteakhouse.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave