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| - It had been awhile since I'd been to a Lone Star and I really had no memories of the experience, so a few friends and I decided to try it out as it was the nearest steakhouse to our location.
We were extremely disappointed. Although the service was just fine and the bread & cheese fries were tasty, the rest of the food was either wholly unremarkable or completely unsatisfactory.
I ordered the 8 oz. sirloin (so cold and purple throughout that it could walk off the plate on its own; I know, go ahead and make a face...), with sautéed mushrooms and a house salad (no onions, extra ranch dressing) as my sides.
The salad was very plain and had nothing about it to distinguish it from any other salad anywhere (including one you would make at home or one that you would get from any buffet salad bar anywhere in the nation). I did not expect the salad to be the highlight of the meal, but usually there is something (a spiced up ranch dressing, flavored croutons, etc) that add to uniqueness of a 'house' salad. Not this time. Meh.
When my entrée showed up, the steak was warm, light pink throughout, rubbery, and absolutely flavorless. No rub, no marinade, and the cut had clearly either been recently frozen or sitting in a fridge for an extended period of time because the flavor of oxidation was rife. Please note that I never expect there to be marinades or rubs on a steak, but then I do expect the cut to stand up on its own (which it did not in this case).
The sautéed mushrooms were particularly disappointing. I love sautéed mushrooms. Adore them. I require nothing more than a little butter or oil on them and then just go to town in that pan! The mushrooms I received were a mix of mushrooms that had been sautéed to the point of shriveled brown lumps and those that had been held over a warm microwave for 15 seconds. On top of this odd culinary spectrum, there seemed to be nothing but water on them, which didn't do anything to assist in the flavor. A quarter through the meal, I'd had enough and claimed a full tummy (a white lie... forgive me).
Although the server was kind and competent, the food was a severe let down and I would never return to this or any other location. Sorry, Lone Star.
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