March 26, 2007...4:03 am
Longhorn Texas Steakhouse (aka, By any other name…)
So, the Brannigans up our way disappeared.
We’re not sure when it went away, but it was in the last couple of weeks. One time we drive by, it’s a Brannigans. The next time we drive by, it’s a Longhorn Texas Steakhouse. My husband, a friend and I decided to pop by there for dinner. I’ve been to the Longhorn Steakhouses in the States, and it was a pretty good place, so I thought this would be worth checking out.
It’s done up in a typical “western” theme, although they still have a lot of work to do to disguise the fact that it used to be a Brannigans. (Removing the giant frosted glass room dividers with the script “B” on them would be a good start.) We were greeted and seated promptly and given menus. That’s when I realized this wasn’t the Longhorn that I’d known. The menu, although it had the little Longhorn icons, was not the same as the menu I remembered. It seemed a bit sparse, but I thought - hey, they just started up, give them some time.
I ordered a ribeye, my husband got a porterhouse, and our friend ordered the beef skillet. We also got one of their “flowering” onions… And it’s when that arrived we knew we were not in for a treat.
I’ve had the bloomin’ onion at Outback, and Tony Roma’s here has a similar menu item. This was a bloomin’ onion done very poorly. Instead of using a sweet onion, it was done with a regular yellow onion. The batter was mediocre, and it didn’t seem to have been cooked properly. The batter was all mostly cooked, but the onion was still quite raw in the middle. The sauce that came with it could have conceivably saved the dish, but it just didn’t seem to go with the onion.
We also got the salad bar with our dinners. It would have been ok, if we hadn’t paid $3.99 for it. As it was, for the price it was a pretty lame salad bar. There were two types of greens, some potato salad, sliced beets, a few dressings, cut veggies, some toppings, and a few other things. That’s it. Like I said, though, this place was just getting going… Maybe they hadn’t figured out their full spread yet.
Then our main courses arrived. Out of our three dinners, there was one thing that was good: my husband’s mashed potatoes. Everything else was either mediocre or less. The mashed potatoes had a nice texture and flavor, but my fries were a bit limp and bland. Come to think of it, that described a lot of the food we had tonight: bland. It was as if the chefs were afraid to use spices. The batter for the onion was bland. Our steaks - really nice cuts of meat, well marbled and cooked just right - had no seasoning at all. My steak tasted charred, and that’s it. There didn’t seem to be any marinating, no spice rub, nothing. If they were seasoned at all, it was really really subtle. The veggies were kinda blah as well. Our friend’s skillet dish was a disappointment as well, with chewy bits of meat tossed with tasteless veggies and rice.
When we were asked if we wanted to see a dessert menu, we declined.
The service was fairly attentive and pleasant, so no complaints there. I thought about expressing my disappointment in our dishes to the waitress, but I pondered whether there was anything really wrong with our meals, or if we just didn’t like them. Now, technically, anytime that you don’t like a meal it’s because you don’t like the way in which it was cooked, but everything came out as advertised. Bland, tasteless, but as advertised. We discussed it a bit and decided that we just didn’t like the food, and that’s not something to complain about. (On the other hand, I was *this* close to walking over to a neighboring table and introducing myself to the occupants, because they kept staring at us. Like, really staring. Turning around and staring. Walking by our table to the salad bar and staring. It was kinda creepy.)
So, thumbs up for prompt and friendly service. Thumbs down for food, menu selections, and weird clientelle. I’m willing to give this place another shot in a year (or more) - once I’ve forgotten how sad I was that my steak was so boring. Hopefully they can get the kinks out of their system, figure out a logo that makes it clear they are NOT affiliated with the US chain (and if they are, I have a letter to write), and realize that good food needs good spices.
3 Comments
April 15, 2007 at 10:05 pm
I have eaten at Longhorn’s a few times and it seems to be worse with each visit. Two visits ago, when I ordered a steak cooked medium, it came medium rare and had it sent back. When it was returned, all they did was sear the cut end and that was it. The last time, I ordered a steak cooked medium well and it came well done. When someone finally came to ask how thngs were done, I gave my opinion and was told that I would receive a discount. When I got the bill there was no discount and I mentioned it at the front desk. I was told that I didn’t say anything until my steak was half gone. I had told them that if the service had been better and someone came earlier, It would have been reported. Both times the service was the pits. No one came to ask if another drink was wanted. No one came after I had sent the first steak back to see if things improved. They seem to think that once your meal is served that their job is done. They really don’t care about customer satisfaction and after several tries, I won’t bother going back.
July 17, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Had the misfortune of dining at Longhorns today. Wish I’d read this review sooner.
My steak(6oz sirloin) was served rare as ordered, charred steak with no steak seasoning, the house special had asparagus and shrimp and hollandaise. I hate hollandaise so I ordered without. Turns out I hated the shrimp more as it was out of a can and tasted rotten(very fishy)
My husband also had the same we both had our steaks cooked as ordered, he also found the shrimp gross, we both found the asparagus to be over cooked and hard to chew.
My husband and I both had mashed potatoes(sour cream & scallion) which we agreed were well done. As my 2nd side I had the “fresh” vegetables, these were sliced thin and over cooked and very chewy( I didn’t order gum). Bob’s 2nd side were the bacon baked beans, nothing spectacular , no spices no flavor.
We also had the chef station which is still $3.99, there was no potatoe salad or maccaroni salad, just 2 green, some pickles, olives, beets and dressing. Not worth the price.
My son had ordered their cowpoke burger(they charge extra if they want cheese)it’s a bun with a frozen burger pattie on it. he took 1 bite and didn’t like it, added ketchup and still was not eating it, he tried the fries and seemed to be unimpressed. The kids meal came with a dish of chocolate ice cream, this was just not impressing my son .
There were no refills offered, no chips n salsa, the waitress seemed unconcearned with the complaints on the food.
The manager offered a free dessert, my stomach was nauseated from the bad food so we declined. We were given a $9 discount.
Each meal was $17.99 + $2.49/drink(pop)
outrageous for the same portion and bad quality, this also seemed to be one of the lower priced meals on the menu.
The service was terrible, the food was worse. I paid exact change with no tip. I will not be returning to Longhorns.
I think I’ll stick to applebees, better service, better food, better prices.
If you like true texas style with flavor, there’s a place near st.vital mall
Big Guy’s Ranch And Saloon
Address : 16 - 200 Meadowood Dr.,Winnipeg, MB
Telephone : 204-253-6569
Category : Restaurants
Directory : Winnipeg
Texas flavor and Texas style portions.
September 29, 2007 at 5:04 pm
The wife and I went to Longhorns last night. The food was better than the last time we tried it, right after it opened. I had the pickeral and the wife had ribs. We were surprised there was an additional charge $1.99 for a baked potato. No bread for the table while we waited for our meals. How hard is that. We also found at the end of our meal when the bill came this is the only restaurant we know that charges for refills on pop (mine) and iced tea (the wifes). Not only do they not mention the price of these items on their menu they then gouge you with a refill cost.
I will definitely say this is the last time I will try this restaurant. The quality and quantity of food does not fit the price tag. Who are they kidding. It’s just a matter of time until something new will move in to the place and I’ll try it.
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