Elite Event – Steak Dinner @ LongHorn Steakhouse

I enjoy Grilled Meat, (Throwing a Steak, Chicken Thigh, Lamb Chops, Pork Loin) until you get those Beautiful Charred marks on the meat while the meat is Juicy and Tender. This was my 4^th time dining here and it was the 1^st Unilocal Event that was close to my House (less than a 20 minute drive from my House). There were 2 big tables for the Unilocalers in the back, on the table there was a card about each Unilocaler like what they like to do and some of the reviews they’ve written (nice way to get to know someone). I was sat next Alex’s wife Lena (nice women, great Russian Accent).
Once everyone got sat, the waiters and Waitresses told us what they were offering us. We started off with a free drink, I got the Black & Blue Margarita (like a spiked Blueberry Pomegranate Juice) everyone else at my table had a Moscow Mule. For the Appetizers they were offering 4 of them: 1. Sweet Corn Fritters with a Red Chili Ranch Sauce (I thought the Corn was going to be more batter than but when I bit into it, I could taste it so sweet and rich). the chili sauce that came with it had a good amount of heat. 2. Wild West Shrimp (with Cherry Peppers and a Ranch Sauce) I glad the shrimp wasn’t overwhelmed with so much breading. 3. Brewpub Pretzel Sticks (Big sticks with 2 dipping sauces, Beer Cheese and Honey Mustard with Bacon, so good) and 4. Fried Green Tomatoes (which I didn’t eat, I’m not a big fan of them). We also enjoyed a bowl of their Chicken Tortilla Soup (Packs a lot of Heat, the sour cream placed on top helped tone it down).
For our Entrees everyone ordered a Steak, whether it was a Ribeye or a Filet Mignon and a side dish (like Mac n Cheese, Baked Beans or Grilled Corn on the Cob). I chose the Outlaw Ribeye (cooked to Medium and topped with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes) I also asked the Waitress if I could smell some of the dry Hickory Rub they put on the Steak (It smelled great and I let everyone smell it, they enjoyed it) the Corn on the Cob was great too.
For Dessert we enjoyed the Chocolate Stampede (Chocolate Ice Cream Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream) and the Blueberry Lemon Cake. Chocolate Stampede was super decadent and Rich and the Blueberry Lemon Cake (which is one of the best combinations ever) was light and Fluffy.
This was an amazing event to go too. I got to meet other Unilocalers I got to eat some great food. I really got give thanks to Alex for organizing this, Can’t wait to get together again for another event.

I actually have a very Longhorn. Maybe it’s because I’ve been to the UT at Austin. Or maybe I was born with it. Or maybe it’s Maybelline. We can discuss it on the phone. Call me maybe?
Now I have to put my serious hat on. This is not a joke review. There is too much at Steak.
Another lovely event organized by Alex, and massive thanks to Longhorn for setting it up.
I felt like Dracula arriving here. A dying Dracula, in fact. Like a Steak had been driven through my heart.
If you know me, you know I can’t stand chain restaurants in general (especially national corporate chains), but if a chain is going to go out of its way to provide free delicious food to Unilocalers in order to grow their reputation and fan base within a community, then more power to them. That is a type of behaviour I don’t associate with cold, corporate entities. I’d imagine this was arranged at a store level and I’m very impressed by it.
I didn’t enter straight away. I had to Steak out the joint for a bit first.
I sadly was only able to stay 20 minutes or so. I enjoyed a delicious fried shrimp appetizer and a drink, but that was all. However I did get the chance to smell Ryan’s Dry Rub. He was encouraging everyone (male or female) to smell his Dry Rub and I have to say I enjoyed it. But then I’m into stuff like that.
The music was good too. First they played «Steak Another Little Piece Of My Heart Now Baby», then it was «Steak A Chance On Me» by ABBA, finally playing «Steak On Me» by a-​ha.
It was also a chance to meet the lovely Nicole and the wonderful Jillian. I wanted to date both of them (at the same time) but there were 2 problems. Firstly, at least one of them wasn’t single, and secondly, I prefer boys. But if not for those reasons it would have been totes awesome. I also got to see Trish and Jody and Katherine and Lena and a bunch of other great people. And this Hawaiian guy who I used to date who now runs all of Unilocal or something. Axel L or something. Maybe related to Axel F from Beverly Hills C?
Unilocal is not a dating site.
I wanted to get a to-​go order but I didn’t have the heart to ask if they’d do a Steakaway portion for me.
I’m disappointed to see a few negative reviews but Unilocalers are nothing if not honest and may the honesty live forever. I find it hard to criticize any place that is giving away free stuff, but as it happens, I only had one item of food and one item of drink, and both were excellent. Service was great. Seating was lovely. The place was absolutely packed.
I asked if they thought it was a Mis-​steak to have the event on such a busy night. They said no. I asked where I should throw my shrimp tails. They said to put them in the Rumpster out back. I think that’s what they said, anyway. I can’t be dead sirloin as it was loud in there.
Actually that makes me sad. All my fave family places are not packed, and Longhorn is utterly wall-​to-​wall packed. Welcome to America. But with such a friendly and innovative and pro-​active management, I’m not surprised this location is packed.
I wish them all the success in the world and will be back to try a steak soon.
And Garland said: They have an elevator for the meat in case someone says they’ve had better elsewhere. Just in case they have to raise the steaks.
So if you’re at Longhorn and about to order, and wondering whether to Steak or Twist, I recommend giving it a go. You might meat someone really nice like I did. On the way home I almost got into a crash. It would have been a T-​Bone. But I avoided it. I would have taken some prime ribbing from friends if I’d crashed my new car. I want to flank my brakes for saving the day. Flank you.

I suspected from the get-​go that this would be a little bit of an unusual event. I totally appreciate Alex’s efforts to get this organized, as well as Longhorn for trying really hard.
I’ve been to Longhorns before, in Virginia, and their food is good for a chain restaurant, but my constant complaint is that they use too. much. salt. I hoped this would be the case at this event, but not exactly.
Anyhow, the good: The fact that they feature a local beer on their menu is a definite plus. Usually at a chain, the most exotic beer you’ll find is Sam Adams. They had Hamburg Brewing on tap, which is a great choice. The laminated placecards that Alex did were great!
We had a number of appetizers, the best ones were probably the corn bread fritters and the fried green tomatoes. The ribeye was cooked to my liking (as in not very much) and it was a good quality of steak, and the asparagus that came with it was great! The blueberry dessert was really awesome. The service was also incredibly attentive!
So, the not-​so-​good: Someone, please put down the salt shaker, and nobody will get hurt. I understand there is a need for a certain level of salt that’s necessary, but some things were just way too salty. You could tell the shrimp was one of them, because there were a ton of them left over after the appetizers went around.
The beefsteak tomato salad was the biggest disappointment to me though. If you are going to feature tomatoes in a salad, please use good ones. The ones used in this salad were more of the «bred for durability, not taste» kind, and this was the one dish that actually needed a little salt. The cornbread croutons were pretty good, though.
I hope I am not coming across as overly harsh, there are just some minor tweaks that could make things perfect, and overall I had a fun time.

First off, thank you to LongHorn Steakhouse and to Alex for setting up this event! The staff was extremely gracious, and were great at answering any and all questions.
I can’t believe how much food we were given! Everything was absolutely delicious — from the appetizers, to the soup, to the main course and dessert. My favorite appetizer had to be the corn fritters, with the shrimp being a close second. For the main course I got the 18 oz. ribeye and it was just as good reheated the next day as it was at the restaurant. For my drink the waitress recommended the watermelon margarita and it was super refreshing.
I have friends that go to LongHorn all the time and love it but this was my first experience. It definitely won’t be my last!

I’ve only had one Longhorn experience before and it wasn’t at this location. When i saw this event come up I thought why not give it another try through the Unilocal experience… alas I didn’t experience much better.
Alex did a great job putting the event together, the manager and staff were attentive however the food wasn’t anything special.
We started our night with one free drink which turned into two thanks the nice waitress. Being that a few people ordered none she just transferred the drink to I and one of my table partners.
For appetizers we started out with corn fritters and fried green tomatoes, again the fritters were nothing special however the fried green tomato and sauce were great. We also got a round of fried shrimp, a bit spicey but way too salty as well as some pretzel sticks with two sauces. My preferred sauce was the beer cheese as the bacon honey mustard wasnt anything special.
For our main course we select between 4 dishes and a side. Disclosure I’m not a big red meat eater however the steak that I chose was disappointing, not because i don’t eat a lot of red meat but because the outside appeared charred and the sauce, tomatoes and garlic added nothing to it. The «loaded» baked potato was loaded but with sour cream, the shredded cheese and bacon was very sparse the accompanying salad, tomato and bacon although not what I expected was disappointing. A mass of wilted lettuce drowned in dressing, bland tomatoes and bacon. The only good part was the crispy bacon and the corn bread croutons.
Our finale were two shared desserts, one was a delicious and seasonal lemon poundcake with blueberries and a lemon sauce, the chocolate cake was ok but nothing you can’t get anywhere else.
In the end I’ve decided the Longhorn isnt just for me which is probably why I keep calling it the Longhouse.

Ok– free food? Free drinks!!! Just awesome! Really loved the corn fritters. My favorite app of the night. Steak very well done. Wish I could have had more firefly sweet tea vodka, but the blackberry tea was YUMM-​O. Suggest the summer menu. Very light and refreshing. How can you go wrong with cornbread croutons?! I like longhorns. Good food. I’d go back (minus the shrimp app and the Mac and cheese. Both a little too salty for my taste)

Another great event! I’m not usually a fan of chain restaurants… but the manager, Ryan, made me feel like I was dining at HIS place, not a place owned by a mega-​corporation. He treated all of us to an amazing and complete meal… and explained quite a bit about the food and the preparation methods. I left full and educated.
We were given a choice of cocktail (I had a lovely glass of Pinot Noir) and then shared appetizers were brought to the table: Fried Green Tomatoes, Sweet Corn Fritters, Brew Pub Pretzel Sticks, and Wild West Shrimp. All were yummy, but for me the Fried Green Tomatoes really stood out.
We were then given a choice of a Beefsteak Tomato & Bacon Salad, Mixed Green Salad, or Grilled Chicken Tortilla Soup. I chose the first. It was large and flavorful… especially with the addition of fresh cornbread croutons.
For my entrée I had the 8 oz. Renegade Sirloin with a side of Steakhouse Mac & Cheese. My steak was cooked as requested, but could have been hotter. The seasoning blend was quite tasty. The macaroni was creamy and flavorful, but (in my opinion) could have done without the bacon in the center. It kind of overpowered the cheesiness. Other choices (it was difficult to decide) included other cuts of steak, Grilled Citrus Salmon, and Parmesan Crusted Chicken. Sides included corn-​on-​the-​cob, baked potatoes, steamed asparagus, broccoli, rice pilaf, or mashed potatoes.
For dessert we were brought both Chocolate Stampede and a Blueberry Lemon Butter Cake. The former was dense, dark, and delicious with a decadent chocolate mousse layer and vanilla bean ice-​cream on the side… and the later was light, fresh, and tasted like summertime on a plate.
The staff went overboard to make sure we were well fed and happy. It was a wonderful event. Thank you so much Ryan for hosting us… and Alex for including me. I feel honored to have dined with you.

I had a wonderful time at Longhorn tonight! The entire staff was amazing and really showed us fabulous hospitality! We started off with appetizers. There were wild west shrimp, pretzel sticks, corn fritters, and fried green tomatoes. I loved them all! Can’t go wrong with any of the choices, but the fried green tomatoes won this course because of being in season. Just yum! Next, I had the beefsteak tomato and bacon salad. Here’s where the four stars come in. I was underwhelmed with this salad. I was thinking delicious beefsteak tomato like you get you in a caprese salad. This wasn’t that. Instead there was a bed of lettuce, a dressing I didn’t love, a couple of tomato slices, 2 strips of bacon and croutons. The croutons were of the cornbread variety and pretty light and fluffy… they were good. The rest of the salad was just OK.
Now for the main event. The 16 oz medium rare Outlaw. It was perfect. I have had a ton of ribeyes in my life and this one was up there with the best of them. Cooked exactly how I asked for it. My side of asparagus was also cooked very well and the presentation, although simple, was also perfect.
Dessert was the chocolate stampede and the lemon blueberry butter cake. The lemon blueberry butter cake was the star of the evening. Warm and delicious. Think lemon pound cake with a nice glaze and fresh blueberries. The chocolate stampede was an average chocolate cake; nothing fancy, but also completely acceptable.
Overall, I had a great time at this event and I will certainly return (probably many, many times). Everything was great!

This was a great event! I don’t usually eat at steakhouses (a vegetarian mom will help that) or chains, but I will definitely come back to LongHorn in the future. Winning a gift card and the staff giving everyone a free appetizer only helped to sweeten the deal.
Kudos to LongHorn for giving us so much space on a busy holiday week. Everyone was super attentive, especially Ryan who was one of the managers and our section’s great waitress Rachel. They helped and coordinated a great meal which was timely and everything came out fresh and hot.
Was able to enjoy a nice tall local Hamburg Brewing Company Small Town as part of the meal. The appetizers of the Corn Fritters, Fried Green Tomatoes, Wild West Shrimp, and Pub Pretzel Sticks were all very tasty. My favorites go to the tomatoes and the pretzels. I can see myself cashing in the free appetizer for those in the future. The shrimp were a little too salty for me. Each came with some different sauces, some of which seemed pretty similar.
After we got a little tutorial on different cuts of steak and some of the factors that affect steak’s flavor (marbling, bone in, etc), we started off with the salad choice and I went with the Beefsteak Tomato. Getting good beefsteak tomatoes that actually taste like something is not easy, and I really liked these as a big tomato fan. There wasn’t a ton of bacon, but the good quality lettuce, and a little bit of cheese topped with the unique cornbread croutons was like a deconstructed BLT.
Next came our steak and side. Most of us at our end of the table went with the Smoky Garlic Outlaw Ribeye which was a great choice. The garlic flavor was not overpowering, and again, more tomatoes! The sauteed grape tomatoes really balanced the meal. I usually order meat more medium well, but went with medium here and it was perfect and not too rare. I tried to eat it all, but no dice. Luckily, I will have some leftovers tomorrow. The grilled sweet corn on the cob was my first corn of the summer and it was cooked perfectly, and was nice and hot.
Just to make sure we really did roll out the door, we had the two desserts of the Lemon Blueberry cake and the Chocolate Stampede. I am not usually a huge blueberry/​fan of mixing fruits person, but I loved the lemon cake. The glaze on top was so good and it wasn’t too sickly sweet which some restaurant desserts can be. I muscled down a little of the chocolate stampede, and took a little of it home, and for a chocolate dessert which I usually don’t pick, I would come back for this definitely. The cake was moist and the ice cream it was served with fresh and not freezer burnt. I am one that usually avoids a chain’s dessert menu, but I would not hesitate to come here for some.
It was great to meet/​re-​meet many other Elite Unilocalers and enjoy a great meal with good conversation. Thanks to Alex for his always outstanding prep for events like these and all the LongHorn staff that were involved!

This was a great Unilocal event. I’m writing this review while drinking alka-​seltzer because I’m so full of deliciousness.
First off, the wait staff was very accommodating and friendly. They made sure we were well-​taken care of.
As tempted as I was to get a mixed drink, I chose the Hamburg wheat beer. I was surprised to find out that a chain had a (very) local beer.
All four appetizers came out promptly to getting seated and all had a clean, contemporary appearance. The shrimp were tender and spicy. The hushpuppies were soooo good and fluffy. I definitely could have eaten them all. The pretzels were soft and the bacon dip was a great compliment. I just don’t know why they had to be fried instead of baked. I thought the green tomatoes were the best app. They were sweet and juicy on the inside and light and crispy on the outside. I didn’t care for the sauce accompaniment.
The beefsteak tomato salad was alright. Nick’s tortilla soup looked really good… I should have gotten that instead.
My garlic 18 oz. ribeye was delicious right down to the bone. It was cooked to medium perfection and the tomatoes on top add a flavorful acidic touch. It was well-​marbled and had just the right amount (but not too much) fat on the onside. The grilled corn side dish was ripe in season and made me feel like I was having an outside bbq.
Overall, this was a great sponsored Unilocal event. I would have preferred many samples over full dishes but it was very gracious of LongHorn to do this for Elites.