In the last two weeks, I have visited two newer establishments in the Waco area. One I had eagerly anticipated - The Green Room Grille and the other - The Wild West Steakhouse and Saloon in West I stumbled on by accident. These are two very different kinds of food experiences. The Green Room will cost you $40 to $50 per person while dinner for two at the Wild West will be less that $50 for two. Both of these places met the expectations I had for them before I entered the restaurant but neither scored an A.
It would have been very easy for the Wild West to establish itself as one of the better outpost country steakhouses in and around Waco. It is in a nicely refitted building with a lot of stuff on the walls that give it a country barn sort of atmosphere. It was comfortable and not too noisy even though they had a good Saturday night crowd.
You can have your steak grilled or charbroiled - with or without garlic butter. My charbroiled sirloin came medium as ordered with a side of delicious mushrooms. They are not stingy with the garlic at the Wild West. My steak had a teaspoon of chopped garlic and melted butter sizzling on top.
Although we seemed to change waiters at least twice during the meal, I can't say that the service was anything but attentive. At least four people combined to make my experience a good one.
So why is the Wild West not quite an A? It is the little things. Lets start with the salad. The nice sized side salad served with dinner was tasty enough and had enough different ingredients that you could call it a garden salad. But it was obvious that there were bowls of salad made up in advance and placed in the refrigerator. Instead of filling a small bowl from a larger premade salad, my small salad was left to dry out a little around the edges uncovered in the chiller. I was glad to hear that they had a bleu cheese dressing (which had real chunks of bleu) but disappointed to see it served in a two ounce tub with a plastic lid.
One of the biggest failings of local steakhouses like Lake Brazos, Miller's, Lone Star, or Heitmiller's is to serve condiments is a very cheap and unappealing way. Why not bring it in a small bowl with a serving spoon? Unless we are talking fast food at a counter, I don't enjoy liquid butter and salad dressing in a squeeze bottle or ketchup, sour cream, and salad dressing in packages. It is such a short step to butter, dressings, and sauces presented at the table in a proper way. Plastic containers at the table do not add to that homey atmosphere.
Wild West also fell short in the bread department as well. Rolls (preferably homemade), French, Italian, German or a sourdough loaf would work fine. The sliced white bread I was served with my steak and baked potato seemed laughable.
The Wild West Steakhouse and Saloon serves up a good steak at a reasonable price but could have been so much better if they made some very small upgrades to their presentation. Try it yourself and see.
It would have been very easy for the Wild West to establish itself as one of the better outpost country steakhouses in and around Waco. It is in a nicely refitted building with a lot of stuff on the walls that give it a country barn sort of atmosphere. It was comfortable and not too noisy even though they had a good Saturday night crowd.
You can have your steak grilled or charbroiled - with or without garlic butter. My charbroiled sirloin came medium as ordered with a side of delicious mushrooms. They are not stingy with the garlic at the Wild West. My steak had a teaspoon of chopped garlic and melted butter sizzling on top.
Although we seemed to change waiters at least twice during the meal, I can't say that the service was anything but attentive. At least four people combined to make my experience a good one.
So why is the Wild West not quite an A? It is the little things. Lets start with the salad. The nice sized side salad served with dinner was tasty enough and had enough different ingredients that you could call it a garden salad. But it was obvious that there were bowls of salad made up in advance and placed in the refrigerator. Instead of filling a small bowl from a larger premade salad, my small salad was left to dry out a little around the edges uncovered in the chiller. I was glad to hear that they had a bleu cheese dressing (which had real chunks of bleu) but disappointed to see it served in a two ounce tub with a plastic lid.
One of the biggest failings of local steakhouses like Lake Brazos, Miller's, Lone Star, or Heitmiller's is to serve condiments is a very cheap and unappealing way. Why not bring it in a small bowl with a serving spoon? Unless we are talking fast food at a counter, I don't enjoy liquid butter and salad dressing in a squeeze bottle or ketchup, sour cream, and salad dressing in packages. It is such a short step to butter, dressings, and sauces presented at the table in a proper way. Plastic containers at the table do not add to that homey atmosphere.
Wild West also fell short in the bread department as well. Rolls (preferably homemade), French, Italian, German or a sourdough loaf would work fine. The sliced white bread I was served with my steak and baked potato seemed laughable.
The Wild West Steakhouse and Saloon serves up a good steak at a reasonable price but could have been so much better if they made some very small upgrades to their presentation. Try it yourself and see.
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