Last time I ate at ALC was for the Prism Risk Management Christmas dinner. At that event, I had the 16oz rib-eye (my usual stand-by) along with the appetizer sampler. The stand-out item on the sampler was the buffalo lamb chops. The goat cheese stuffed green chilies were popular as well. On other occasions, ALC's seared Ahi has been very popular as a pre-steak warm-up. The only item I could suggest adding to the appetizer menu is bacon-wrapped shrimp (esp. something with a pepper, like El Arroyo's "shrimp diablos").
I met some friends at ALC on Friday night, this time deviating from the rib-eye and ordering the 12oz fillet. That turned out to be an excellent decision, as the fillet was incredibly tender and virtually melted as I ate it. I don't recall eating a fillet that tasty since my last trip to the Ft. Griffin General Merchandise Restaurant in Albany, Texas.
Looping back to the value aspect: not only are the steak prices reasonable, but each steak dish comes with a selection of included sides. You can add on shrimp or lobster tail, but the prices are too steep. Contrast this with Ruth's Chris and Sullivan's, which charge more for the individual steak and then provide sides on an a la carte basis.
I'm not the only person who's fond of ALC. Their 2008 Zagat rating lists them as "very good to excellent" while highlighting the value that comes with the high quality food at moderate prices.
