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| - All too often, I become green-eyed over what my girlfriend Kay orders at restaurants.
She'd been hankering for steak, so we stopped at this Lone Star franchise en route to Wal-Mart for a bi-weekly shopping trip.
For the first 20 minutes of our Sunday lunch. we had the faux country/western joint to ourselves as songs of gunfights, cheatin' spouses, and poker games gone wrong played in the background.
That Peppercorn Ribeye she ordered has a sauce or gravy on it that was savory to the point of being ambrosial. Her Peach Bread Pudding had a delectable French toast quality to it that would rival that of any hallowed, venerable diner throughout the Northeastern U.S.
My 8 ounce filet mignon was no slouch, however, but it simply wasn't well-seasoned. Thankfully, the meat was of high enough, medium-rare quality that condiments were almost unnecessary. Nonetheless, I get the feeling that Omaha Steak Company was involved. A dry "loaded" baked potato certainly was and should have been arrested for disturbing the peace.
Like Outback Steakouse, Lone Star has its own "Bloomin' Onion" that they call "The Texas Rose." I have gathered that this too is frozen and shipped in. Far from inedible, I think the places that sell these should take a cue from a late, lamented menu item Outback once had and sever them into "petals." Trying to eat this was awkward and required a knife, but the orange-colored dipping sauce was nicely reminiscent of Russian dressing and made the work almost worth it.
The Chocolate Miracle Cake was my chosen dessert. Built 3 layers high, the wedge came with a raspberry sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. One bite had me thinking of Pepperidge Farms and thawed desserts. My only consolation came in knowing that a portion of the proceeds would be donated to the Children's Miracle Network Hospital. So, buy a mediocre dessert, and you help a sick kid.
With over 150 restaurants, Lone Star's been slingin' out steaks since '89, makin' folks wonder if they're better off getting meat from their local butcher and grillin' 'em at home.
P.S. Apparently, from what I've read, most other Lone Stars have a decidedly "urban" theme. This West Mifflin location is one of the few remaining "roadhouse style" Lone Star restaurants.
P.P.S. Quality service was provided by the adorable Tara.
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