Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo

[Brian S]

I was at a Jackson Browne concert more years ago than I care to remember, and as he played there were some timorous, half-hearted cries of "Boogie". So Jackson Browne stopped singing and said, "if you're going to interrupt me, don't be croaking like a wussy frog. Do it REALLY loud!" (So I did, but that's another story...) A similar thing applies to restaurants. If you're going to make your restaurant like a themed amusement park, don't pull your punches; do it dazzlingly flamboyant, in the worst possible taste, and totally over the top. This place does! If you had a flamboyance rating, five stars max, this place would pull a six or maybe seven.

We were driving from Oklahoma west and stopped there for dinner. It's right next to I-40 exit 75. The outside is painted like a garish version of a movie set of a one-horse cowboy town. Step into the dining room (which can entail a long wait at peak hours) and you're in an enormous room, totally packed, everyone having fun, laid out like one of those saloons you'd see in a cowboy film. Red velvet wallpaper, animal heads everywhere, balconies full of diners jutting out from the second floor. It was LOUD! And fun! Waitresses dressed like day-glo cowboys take your order. I sprang for an 18 oz ribeye ($22), very rare, with salad and loaded baked potato. The potato was forgettable (order something else!), the salad big and very good, the steak, cooked more or less rare was flavorful and quite good though far from great. I downed it all and was satisfied, no room for the huge slices of cake that were offered after.

The wood-fired grill is center stage and in front of that a raised table where anyone taking the challenge (eat a 4 1/2 pound steak and sides in under an hour and it's free, if you lose you pay (about $75)). As we were leaving someone stepped up to the table. A waitress in cowboy hat announced the challenger's name and height and weight, just like a boxing match. The huge sirloin looked so good I got hungry. People crowded round. When we left he was well on his way to winning.

I've had far better steaks. (Though I must admit I enjoyed eating this one.) But rarely have I had so much fun.

Big Texan Steak Ranch
7701 E Interstate 40
Amarillo, TX
[phone]
Their website says they are open from 7 AM to 10:30 PM but they told us on the phone that they closed slightly earlier, so phone for hours.
http://www.bigtexan.com/

-----
Big Texan Steak Ranch
7701 E Interstate 40, Amarillo, TX 79118

[texasredtop]

The first time I ate there was for dinner on a trip to Colorado about 12-14 years ago. It was delicious, everything about it. I had a filet that was perfect. The service was great.

Passing through Amarillo a couple of years ago, we stopped for lunch. I had the same filet. The salad came to me drowning in dressing so much so that I couldn't eat it. I said something to the waiter and he just gave me a blank stare and walked off. The steak was awful and the potato was edible but not very good. I was so disappointed.

Could it be that it's just better when crowds are there in the evening? Could it be that time has changed the place to something awful?

I did purchase a nice gift in the gift shop for my friend that I was on my way to see in Alberta.

[James Cristinian]

One thing I noticed about their menu, unless I missed it, is the grade of steak is never mentioned. The prices are on par with Saltgrass Steakhouse, which lists the steak as Angus, but again no grade of meat. What is out of line is the prices for chicken fried steak, 15.25 to 13.99 at Saltgrass, and even more chicken tenders, 15.25/10.99, and chicken fried chicken, 15.85/11.99. This makes me wonder if the steak is select, maybe they've gone down in quality in the last few years. Most steak places list the type of meat available.

-----
Saltgrass Steakhouse
1502 Seawall Blvd, Galveston, TX 77550

[texasredtop]

James, I'm not a huge fan of Salt Grass steaks but they used to have the best cheddar burger I've ever had. The last time I got one was at the SG in Clear Lake and it wasn't very good at all. It was my first time at that specific location. We don't go to SG often but I want to try it again to decide if it was a fluke or they've started sliding downhill. I've had the cheddar burger at the one in Kingwood, one in Round Rock and a couple of other locations and they were so delicious.

[Brian S]

Here are some photos I took. One of the 18 oz steak, one of a contestant trying to eat the 72 oz steak, and one of the thing I love the best, the decor and over-the-top ambiance.