Mahoning Valley Eats & Treats: July 2014

Saturday, July 12, 2014

TEXAS ROADHOUSE

For many years, my husband Jack and I - often accompanied by our son Scott and daughter Chris - made an annual trek to the North Carolina Outer Banks, usually in early June before rental prices headed sky high in peak season. Almost always, we stopped in Winchester, Virginia, for a night on the way just to break up the nearly 11-hour trip into manageable drive times. We'd arrive in plenty of time for dinner and head straight for the Texas Roadhouse there. It was our first experience with the chain, which started in 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana.

The food was wonderful - no way to beat those steaks and filets. But I love peanuts, so I had a great time diving into the tin bucket on the table, cracking them open and pitching the shells on the floor. The decor was fun - lots of western "stuff" on the walls, a large jukebox and such - but it was the taste that was as big as all outdoors.

So the announcement that a Texas Roadhouse would open in the Eastwood Mall Complex here brought a Texas-sized cheer from our house, and we couldn't wait for it to open. Unfortunately when it did, we waited, and waited and waited some more before we could manage to get in.

During the week, the place doesn't open until 4 p.m.; and every single time we drove past shortly before that time for at least a month and a half, the parking lot was overflowing into other store lots. The first time we tried, in fact, was on a weekday perhaps a week after the opening; it was so crowded that we turned tail and headed across the way to Lone Star Steakhouse. It, too, was fairly crowded - and we learned we weren't the only ones to pass on a wait of an hour or more at the new place.

In fairness, Texas Roadhouse does offer call-ahead seating, but all that means is your name will be on the waiting list when you arrive so you don't need to push through a throng to get to the reservation desk, but that doesn't quite do it for us. There's also a restaurant in Boardman, but restaurants there usually are even more crowded than in the Niles and Howland area so we didn't want to chance driving that far and having an even longer wait. In the end, we held off for a few months till, we hoped, some of the newness had a chance to wear off - finally picking a Saturday when the place is open for lunch. We timed our arrival at about 3:15 p.m. - after lunch but before most folks are thinking about dinner - which would give us the best chance of getting right in, we figured.

We figured right. We had no wait at all this time, but by the time we left an hour or so later, the place was nearly filled to capacity and a few people were waiting.

As for those peanuts, it appears the option of tossing the shells on the floor is here; but when we were seated, we noticed that the bucket on the table was empty - apparently you ask for peanuts if you want them. We're not sure whether that's an attempt to save money on peanuts by giving them away to people who really want them or trying to cut down on the mess on the floor. Since the floor didn't exactly crunch under our feet, it could have been either one.

As often happens, we dragged our friends Jerry and Barb along (or maybe it was the other way around; they'd been wanting to try this place as well). We were seated almost immediately, walking past a glass display case of various cuts of beef. There are many booths and tables in several sectioned-off areas, all surrounded by lots and lots of wood.

We placed our order for drinks and appetizers right away: a Cactus Blossom (a Texas-sized onion deep fried and served with Cajun horseradish sauce for $4.99) and Rattlesnake Bites (diced jalapenos and jack cheese battered and fried with that same sauce (also $4.99). By the time our drinks arrived, we'd decided on entrees - but not without some difficulty. For openers, there are several special entrees for $8.99 available Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., including a 6-ounce sirloin and a pulled pork dinner.

There are plenty of steak choices here as well, plus burgers and other tasty-sounding sandwiches, "country" dinners like pork chops and beef tips over rice or mashed potatoes, several big salads and more. If I have a complaint, it's that seafood options are very limited (three items were on the menu at the time of our visit, one of them fried catfish, one of few fish species for which I don't care much).

As a huge fan of ribeye, Barb's choice was a no-brainer; the 12-ounce bon-in at $11.99, with a salad and veggie - broccoli and carrots on this afternoon. I went for steak as well, but an 8-ounce choice sirlous ($11.99) with a Caesar salad and cup of chili.

Jerry and Jack took different paths, with Jerry choosing the pulled pork dinner with a Caesar salad and baked sweet potato ($9.99). The slow-cooked pork is covered in the restaurant's signature barbecue sauce and comes with toasted bread. If beef tips are on a menu, it's a pretty good bet Jack will go for them - and he did ($11.49). They're served over seasoned rice (or mashed potatoes if you prefer them) with sauteed mushrooms, onions, brown gravy and sour cream. For his side, he chose fries with cheddar and bacon.

The appetizers both were delicious - especially the rattlesnake bites. The onion was a little on the overly browned side, but it was quite good, as was the sauce. A ranch-type sauce came with the rattlesnake bites, and it was exceptionally good with what we figured was a hint of horseradish.

Jerry I enjoyed the Caesar salads; the dressing was quite mild with no strong anchovy flavor, and the greens were cut into manageable bites. I'm not a huge fan of croutons so was happy that the salad wasn't covered with them, although they were exceptionally good as croutons go. Barb said the broccoli was done as she likes it - still slightly crispy - which means I won't order it (I like mine very tender). Meantime, Jerry raved about his baked sweet potato.

My steak was outstanding - relatively thick and cooked perfectly to medium rare. Barb raved about hers as well - also done to medium rare perfection. Jerry loved the pulled pork, saying he wouldn't hesitate to order it again, and Jack was happy with his beef tips. The gravy was very rich and the rice had a great flavor - and there was plenty left to bring home.

As we finished up and were waiting for the checks, we all agreed we'd be back here any time we're in the mood for a great steak. We'll definitely try to get here for at least one of our birthdays; the special person gets to sit on a rolling "steer" saddle while servers sing to you and yell "Yee-haw!"

If you go:

Texas Road House
2260 Niles-Cortland Road S.E.
Warren, Ohio 44484
(330) 349-9488

http://www.texasroadhouse.com

Open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Why This Blog?

The Mahoning Valley region of Ohio is perhaps most often thought of as part of the so-called "Rust Belt" -- if it's thought of at all. Tucked up in the northeastern corner of the state about 15 miles from the Pennsylvania border, it's arguably best known for a former U.S. Representative who spent time in jail, the "Mob" and shuttered steel mills. I know that how? Because every single time we travel to another state -- any other state -- and tell folks we meet where we're from, it's guaranteed that we'll get a question about one or all of the above.

Add in a reputation for somewhat lousy weather, and it's enough to make a body wonder why anyone would want to visit, much less live here. But I don't see it that way. I've been in this part of Ohio for close to 50 years now, and while I'd love to see more sunny days, I firmly believe this is a great place to be. The cost of living is remarkably low compared with other parts of the country. It brings together the best of the city and country; cornfields and other amber waves of grain dot the landscape right along with interesting museums, shopping centers and parks.

Oh sure, the weather can be iffy -- if you don't like what you see, just wait 5 minutes, we're fond of saying. But on the other hand, it never gets boring, and not much compares to walking along a tree-lined path amid brilliantly colored foliage on a crisp fall day. Besides that, within an easy hour-or-so's drive we can be walking barefoot on a sandy beach, climbing an historic lighthouse or trolling for wildflowers in one of at least 15 state and national parks.

Then there's the food. My husband Jack and I travel as much as we can, and when we do, we love to eat. We've had dinner at some pretty well-known restaurants in quite a few states, and you know what? Every single time, we say to each other, "This is great, but there's nothing here that's better than what we can get back home every single day."

Of course, I can't discount the familiarity factor and learning to love what you're used to; there's a reason they call it Home Sweet Home. Still, we've always insisted that the Mahoning Valley's cuisine is pretty hard to beat. And just for the record, we include the Shenango Valley in that sweeping declaration; just over the Pennsylvania border are plenty of other fantastic restaurants and attractions just waiting to be discovered by me and you.

I do admit to one exception to my "home" rule, though: As seafood moves inland, it tends to lose ground. Not surprisingly, absolutely nothing compares to fresh-from-the-ocean "lobstah" at The Lobster Dock in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, the huge, almost no-filler-added crabcakes from The Crab Claw in St. Michaels, Maryland, or the steamed spiced shrimp at Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar on the North Carolina Outer Banks. That said, there seems to be a direct correlation between distance from water and how long fish is cooked; by the time you reach mid-Ohio, all too often it's barely recognizable. Sorry, Charlie, but the fish is dead. No need to kill it again (and again!) by leaving it on the grill or in the oven till it's tough and tasteless.

The reason for this blog is to showcase some of the eateries and other treasures our little part of the world has to offer. There's no set schedule for updates, but the plan is to add something new every couple of weeks. For the most part, what you'll see is what we get in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties in Ohio and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania. But once in a while -- especially since I'm an official "Ohio Ambassador" charged with promoting what the Buckeye State has to offer -- I'll stray into other parts of Ohio (and maybe even another state or two) to bring you a look at a special restaurant or attraction we've found.

If reading about these places entices you to come visit, that's wonderful -- y'all come on down (or up, or over as the case may be). And if you have questions about anything you see here or want to suggest a favorite restaurant of your own, zap me an e-mail. I'm always up for a new adventure!

Just for the record, I've had a bit of experience at not only eating and traveling, but writing about it as well. I wrote about local restaurants and travel for The Business Journal in Youngstown for several years (and Jack penned 100 "Dining Out" restaurant reviews for that newspaper over a period of four years). Besides that, I've posted similar "stuff" on a number of travel Web sites since then.

In the interests of full disclosure -- and the letter of the blog law -- I'll emphasize here that no one associated with any restaurant pays me, or gives me free meals, or in any way influences what I write here. As I mentioned before, I'm open to suggestions for places to visit -- but whether or not I go there or write about it is completely my choice. I'll also say, though, that while I don't mind pointing out a flaw or two here and there, my purpose is to showcase what's good about the region's restaurants and attractions. As such, I'll stick to what my mama always taught me: If you can't say something good about somebody, don't say anything at all.

I'll try to add something new here every couple of weeks, give or take, so check back often. If you want to be notified when a new entry is made, there's a place here to sign up for that as well. And finally, if you'd like to see some of my photos, you're invited to visit my galleries at Zenfolio. Enjoy!

Monnie Ryan

Mahoning Valley Eats & Treats

Saturday, July 12, 2014

TEXAS ROADHOUSE

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