Food: ALC Steaks Wagyu Ribeye

16oz Wagyu Ribeye, with Asparagus for Health

 

As you may know, the Formula 1 was in Austin last weekend.  I have two friends with whom I attend the race every year, and part of our race weekend tradition is a visit to ALC Steaks.  Last time I had been to ALC was in June, and whilst there I enjoyed the 16oz wagyu steak (from Beeman Ranch) from the specials menu.  It was fantastic (the marbling in wagyu is intense); I liked it even better than the bone-in, dry-aged, grass-fed strip from 44 Farms.  Thus I was pleasantly surprised last Friday when the 16oz wagyu was still in the specials section.  Again I ordered it (see photo above) and again I was highly impressed.  

I don't know what the long term availability of this steak is, but if you are at ALC Steaks anytime soon I highly recommend that you try it.  It is every cent worth the $65.  

Also, I have a rule-of-thumb for steak: if they name the farm/ranch of origin on the menu, it is probably going to be good.  

View from the Turn 9 Grandstand

Food: Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

 

I was recently in Fort Worth for the Texas Realtor's conference.  While in the DFW area, I decided to meet a steak-loving friend for dinner.  We chose Pappas Bros. Steakhouse and it was the right call.  

I'll say this upfront: being the steak enthusiast I am, I can't believe I waited until 2022 to visit this place.

Here's what I had:

• An excellent vodka martini, rivaling the one I had at the Four Seasons in New Orleans earlier this year.  I also had a local lager (unfortunately I can't recall the name, but I liked it).
• Poblano and corn chowder... with crab.  The ellipses capture how the waitress described it, with my interest spiking from low to high as the latter ingredient was mentioned.   The soup was delicious.
• Potatoes au gratin which were as excellent as the martini.
• An 18oz dry-aged prime ribeye served Oscar-style.  It was outstanding and probably the best steak I've had this year (a high bar, considering I've been to several excellent steakhouses in the past 12 months).  

Pappas Bros. Steakhouses have for years been featured in lists as a top places slinging high-end steaks in Texas and in my opinion the Dallas location lived up to the reputation.   Everything I had was great and the service matched the quality of the food.  The bill came out to around $270 for us both.  We were drinking lightly, though, so more cocktails and/or some good wine could easily have driven the bill north of $400.  The decor is is old-school (like Bob's or The Palm) as opposed to airy and trendy.  I prefer to eat expensive beef in a clubby setting so the setting was appreciated.   The verdict: if you like fine steaks then you should eat one at Pappas Bros.

Food: Austin Take-Out During COVID-19

Grass fed, dry aged NY strip from ALC Steaks.

Eater Austin is maintaining a list of Austin restaurants open for take-out during the COVID-19 pandemic related business shutdown.  There are too many great options for me to list them all.

ALC Steaks (as featured in the photo) is open for take-out from both the restaurant and their food truck.  I added the photo above because it was the first food photo I found when looking for a visual aid to add to this post.  But, it was a lucky pick of the draw.  The above steak is the 44 Farms dry-aged, grass-fed ribeye about which I have waxed rhapsodic in past posts (and if you know me, in person).  The steak in the photo was served Oscar style, with chimichurri covered asparagus and flash fried spinach (probably not the healthiest spinach, but delicious).  Anyway, order a steak from ALC if you can: you're supporting a local business and treating yourself during this unpleasant time period.

Food: Prime Rib Friday, Now with Crab

Prime Rib and Crab at Lonesome Dove in Austin

You may have been wondering: how does one improve upon a $16 lunch special consisting of a pound of smoked prime rib and a twice baked potato?  Wonder no longer.  You add the delicious "deviled gulf coast blue crab" appetizer.  I already thought the rattlesnake and rabbit sausage was good, but the crab surpasses it in the flavor department.   Try out out the crab (or try it and the sausage) next time you're in Lonesome Dove.  Also, keep in mind that Austin's Lonesome Dove has 1/2 bottles of wine available during lunch.  Plan your afternoon accordingly. 

Also: are you curious about the difference between prime rib and steak?   Ribeye and prime cut come from the same primal cut of the cow.  There are slight differences in the cuts.   Ribeye is prepared as a steak, which means it is cooked already cut.  Prime rib is prepared as a roast, meaning a larger piece of beef is roasts with the individual servings cut off.   Lonesome Dove goes above and beyond, as they smoke the prime rib.

Food: Porterhouse Steaks

Porterhouse, Oscar Style

It is no secret I love a good steak.  Back in the Fall, over F1 weekend, a friend and I engaged in a long talk about the hilariousness that is the Big Texan Challenge.  For those who are unaware, this involves going to a steakhouse in Amarillo and eating a 72oz slab of beef along with sides.  Having recently driven through Amarillo, I can attest there are signs everywhere offering the chance to "win" a free steak (if you can't finish the steak and sides you lose the challenge pay $72; if you do finish the steak and sides within the hour the meal is free... but do you really "win"?).

Anyway, while sitting in the stands for the better part of a day I learned of said friend's attempt to beat the Big Texan Challenge.  He had been playing rugby at the time and was constantly hungry for protein.  I had been lifting weights for most of 2018 and was also constantly hungry for protein.  Thus, I indicated I thought I'd easily take down 72oz.  He was dubious about my levels of confidence, and thus challenged me to try the largest steak on the menu at ALC Steaks.

The largest steak ALC sells is the 30oz porterhouse (pictured above; at the time $50 but now $56).  In case you aren't a steak aficionado: the porterhouse is basically a larger version of the T-bone, which is a cut that includes a strip steak on one side and a tenderloin on the other (according to the USDA, the filet must be 1.25" thick).   We both ordered these, Oscar style (i.e., with lump crab and bernaise sauce on top). 

All I can tell you is that while it was delicious, there is no way of which I can currently conceive that I'll be eating 72oz of steak in one sitting (let alone the potato, shrimp, salad, and roll which come with the Big Texan).  It was a challenge to finish the 30oz porterhouse, though it was a great cut of beef, along with the crab and asparagus.  I don't think even a long ski or backpacking trip could make this possible.   Maybe you can (and if you want to try, there is of course an online guide for steak challenges). 

However... if you feel the need for 30oz of delicious prime beef while in Austin, the ALC porterhouse delivers size and flavor.   Another one of my favorite steakhouses, Bob's Steak and Chop, has a 28oz porterhouse on the menu.  I haven't tried it yet, but every steak I've had at Bob's (here and in Dallas) has been good (I'm partial to the "cote de beouf" bone-in ribeye).

As for Amarillo: why might you find yourself there?  If you aren't going there on purpose, you may find yourself in the area if you are driving to northern New Mexico, Colorado, or staying in the vicinity to enjoy Texas' own Palo Duro Canyon.

Steak in Austin

Bone-in Strip Steak at ALC Steaks in Austin

Last night Sara Foskitt and I went to ALC Steaks (formerly known as Austin Land & Cattle) for a celebratory dinner.  Normally I order the 16oz ribeye or 22oz bone-in ribeye as the main course (and I often have it Oscar Style).  Either one of these steaks, cooked medium rare, is a delicious choice.  You get tender, well marbled meat.  I like the ALC ribeyes enough that I haven't deviated from selecting them in years.

Though I do love the ribeyes, yesterday I was feeling more experimental.  Based on a tip from a steak loving friend, I wanted to try the Oscar Style toppings on a leaner cut of beef.  I was also curious about a dry-aged, grass-fed option at ALC.  Thus I went with the 14oz bone-in strip steak from 44 Farms.   Excellent choice on my part; the grass-fed beef had great constancy and the "meatier" flavor it is known for.  All I can say is that it was fantastic, and if you are looking for a steak in Austin ALC Steaks should be at the top of your list.  Furthermore, I'd love to see ALC put a grass-fed ribeye on the menu.  [note: if fillet is more your style, I sampled Sara's and it was quite good... though not as good as mine]

Other items of note:  the asparagus with chimichurri makes an good side for any of the steaks.  It's flavorful and it won't slow you down later (as a baked potato might when combined with almost a pound of beef).  The new crab cakes with smoked jalapeño remoulade are a great appetizer.  Now, if only ALC will take my suggestion and put bacon wrapped shrimp with remoulade on the menu...

Food: Steak at Austin Land and Cattle

If there is one thing that you should know about me, it's that I love steak even more than I love pork products.  And, of all steak places in Austin, Austin Land & Cattle is my favorite.  It's an excellent nexus of price and overall quality, in addition to the fact that the steaks alone are excellent.

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.

Food: Pork and Bacon

Last evening, we had some friends from Towers Watson in town to discuss the Texas Schools Property & Casualty Cooperative and Oklahoma Schools Property & Casualty Coopertative programs which Prism Risk Management operates.   I decided that a post meeting trip to the Roaring Fork was in order.

I went to the Roaring Fork expecting to order a steak.  Thus, while I was tempted by several menu items, I stayed on mission and went with a 22oz cowboy cut ribeye (with shrimp and smashed yukon potatoes on the side).  While a little tough in the center, the outside portion of the ribeye was tender, well marbled, and very flavorful.  The potatoes were tasty as well.

What temped me, and what will draw me back to the Roaring Fork, was the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin.  Talk about an awesome marriage of pork products.  The gf ordered this, and her report was that the pork and bacon combo was exceptionally good.  I would hope so, as the thought of delicious bacon infusing it's goodness into a cut of port tenderloin is making me exceptionally hungry as I write this post.  Furthermore, just last week I was imagining the combination of pork chops and bacon as I ate at the Texas Chili Parlor.  The gf isn't as bacon obsessed as I am, so if she raved about the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, then it has to be quite good.

I'll be making a return trip to the Roaring Fork, as well as a trip to the Shoal Creek Saloon for what is rumored to be an excellent pork chop.