By Sara Kay, Assistant Features Editor
For most Long Islanders, the idea of saddling up in wooden booths and listening to country music while chowing down on some of the south's finest fried cuisine isn't exactly part of the plan for any day of the week. As someone who has been living in New York for the past three years of my life, I can understand the appeal of Italian comfort food over below-the-Mason-Dixon-line eats.
Texas Roadhouse, a chain that has just made its grand opening in East Meadow this past month, has been attracting even the most traditional of New Yorkers. Texas Roadhouse acts as a time machine to transport someone from a Wednesday night on familiar Long Island to an exciting one in the Lone Star state. It isn't easy to find good southern cooking unless you're actually in the south, but I feel like I've finally found a place that doesn't pale in comparison to a Texas steakhouse that's actually in Texas. The flavors of fried chicken and fall-off-the-bone ribs were something not only reasonably priced, but classic, simple and incredibly delicious.
The intimidating part of chain restaurants is their daunting familiarity. A chain like Applebee's or TGI Fridays can be lifted from one location and placed in a completely different one and is promised to have a crowd that is comfortable with the few pasta dishes and maybe a steak or two. But that is just the problem with restaurants like this; they are too familiar. There will always be typical American dishes available at places like this, and they can be eaten anywhere and taste virtually the same every time, which is why Texas Roadhouse can only be defined as incredibly different and fantastically welcome. Being welcomed at my table by freshly baked bread rolls and honey cinnamon butter made the change of scenery from the typical Long Island restaurant even more exciting.
Stepping into Texas Roadhouse I immediately felt at home. Not that I have peanut shells all over my floor, a well-stocked beer bar and a chef grilling steaks and frying chicken for me at my house, but the fact that I sat down and suddenly forgot I was in Long Island. I was at a down home country steak house in Texas, where a lot of my family resides and it was a feeling I was willing and able to accept. The chicken tenders that were part of our appetizer plate were moist, crunchy and incredibly flavorful. The cactus blossom, which was similar to a bloomin' onion, had an unexpected sweetness from the onions and a tasty contrast with the savory Cajun horseradish sauce that came with it.
My six ounce sirloin steak that was accompanied by buttery and fluffy loaded mashed potatoes was outstanding, being so tender and juicy that my knife was a formality; the pulled pork was served with a rich and savory sauce that made all the flavor of the meat pop. The ribs weren't too saucy which I appreciated, and the meat really did fall right off the bone. We topped off the meal with the Big Ol' Brownie, which came highly recommended by our cheerful and accommodating server. It managed to sum up the meal in one bite: simple but fantastic.
The thought of eating at a Texas style steak house might be an unfamiliar one to have in this area of the country, but it shouldn't be given the cold shoulder. Texas Roadhouse may be a different meal consideration, but it is absolutely worth the new experience. With big portions and big flavors, everything really is bigger in Texas. Roadhouse, that is.