More Steak, Please

Texas Land & Cattle Steak House

Various locations

The Texas chain evolved from the purchase and conversion in 1995 of the beloved Night Hawk restaurant, and Austin is home to four locations of the popular eatery. It features casual, respectable food served up in super-friendly style that puts the "Texas" in the "Land & Cattle." That and the volume of food: This a place where two chili-cheese enchiladas are considered sides! Speaking of sides, of the 13 listed, six are of the potato variety. Then there's the aforementioned enchiladas, pinto/ranch beans, fried or grilled onions, and sautéed mushrooms. That leaves room for only two green choices: steamed broccoli or spinach. But this isn't the place one goes for restrained, responsible eating, it's the place to take the high school football team. Or the college team. One can afford to as a "Texas Trio" of smoked sirloin, enchiladas, and fried shrimp will set you back a mere $16.99, and that includes ranch beans! My Cowgirl's Ribeye ($16.49 for 10 ozs.) was satisfactory, exactingly prepared, but not particularly memorable. The same goes for the sautéed mushrooms and caesar salad that accompanied the steak. The spinach/artichoke dip that we substituted for a side vegetable proved way too rich to serve as anything but its intended purpose. All in all, a good meal and at a very fair price. What was memorable was the exceptionally competent and appropriately friendly staff. On an extremely busy Friday night, our hostess went out of her way to seat us promptly at our appointed time (reservations are accepted), and our waitress was exceptionally attentive and friendly without being overly familiar. The value and friendliness of this "TGI Friday's" of steak houses makes it worth a visit.