The Missus, Robbie, and I dropped by the new Texas Roadhouse [Warning: audio] in Apple's Way last night. It opened for business on Monday. We were eager to go because TR was actually one of Robbie's first restaurants. We went to the location in Methuen, Massachusetts when he was just 4 weeks old. Here are some quick reactions to last night's visit.
Two things about TR are obvious right away:
- It's new. Customers don't quite know how it all works, and the employees are green. Plus, the peanut shells haven't had time to get ground into every surface. Patience is a virtue.
- It's not from Texas. In fact, it's from Indiana. This is a Texas-themed restaurant, not a Texas restaurant. There's an important distinction there, like the difference between Disney's Main Street USA and an actual main street.
The restaurant is very polished. From the television and chalkboard floor in the waiting area, to the nifty extendable tables, it's obvious somebody has put some thought into how a restaurant should be put together. Then again, they also placed POS machines and server supplies in the path of major walkways. Why do designers do that?
It didn't take me long to come to despise TR's birthday celebration shtick. There's a lot of hootin' and hollerin', the birthday boy or girl sits on a saddle, and then, on the count of three, everybody is supposed to yell 'Yee haw!". It's the sort of thing that might be cute once, but it's really intrusive, and it happened no fewer than five times last night. Five times! Apparently 10% of Lincolnites were born on July 16. Who knew?
Did I mention that TR is loud? It's LOUD. Forget about having a conversation.
OK OK, but how was the food? [PDF] There were highs and lows. The Missus ordered the mushroom jack chicken sandwich ($7.79). The sandwich received a thumbs-up. The fries, on the other hand, were 25% potato and 75% seasoning. Those puppies were salty. I love salt, but a single bite of one fry was enough to make my eyes blink.
I went with the 10 oz. Fort Worth ribeye ($13.29) smothered in mushrooms and onions, with mashed potatoes and baked beans on the side. I ordered the steak medium, and it was fantastic. It was tender, it was juicy, it was cooked just right. Two thumbs up. The mashed potatoes, complete with lumps and skins, were good, too. I wasn't a big fan of the baked beans, though. The flavor of the sauce just didn't do it for me.
So let's sum it all up: The joint was loud; the entrees were tasty; and the sides were hit and miss. Overall, it's a place Lincolnites are going to love, not unlike the arrival of Famous Dave's several years back. It's going to be busy for a while, so if you go, you might want to give the call-ahead seating service a try (420-0155).
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I went to the one in Omaha back in May and I remember it being pretty decent, a lot better than I had anticipated. I’d still rather go somewheres local though.
You’re right about it being loud. I remember the portions being HUGE too. I had a chicken fried steak that was laughably huge.
I’ve been to the one in Omaha too. I don’t remember it being any different than the standard chain steakhouse, i.e. Whiskey River, Logan’s Roadhouse. They’re basically an Applebees with peanut shells on the floor.
Lincoln still has a Whiskey River, right?
CREEK
Whiskey Creek, pardon me. I’ve apparently got some Willie on my mind.
Nope, Whiskey Creek packed up and left town a few months back. It never really caught on with the locals.
I really despise places that are too loud. The Watering Hole is about as loud a food establishment I am willing to tolerate. Anything more than that really turns me off. Even if the food is really good, excessive noise just ruins the entire experience. I probably won’t be patronizing this place.
I think Texas Roudhouse sounds like a fun place to go, if a quiet evening isn’t in the cards for someone. I wasn’t aware anyone was still doing the peanuts and tossing the shells like Lone Star used to (they stopped many years ago, yes?). Sadly, with a peanut allergy in the family, that could rule it out for me. Bummer!
I went to a TR in Texas on Wednesday night and it was packed with a 20 minute wait. I wonder what all those Texans eating there would say if they knew it was an Indiana chain (“Get a rope!” maybe)? I had the same exact meal you did although my steak was medium rare just as I ordered.
I’ve been to a couple of other TR’s and it’s pretty standard across the board as far as service, food and even floor plans.
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