Perini Ranch Steakhouse
Steak house · Buffalo Gap ·
Mesquite-grilled beef, Southern comfort food in a converted barn
Mesquite-grilled beef, Southern comfort food in a converted barn
"Perini Ranch out in Buffalo Gap is about three hours on the highway from Dallas — and it’ll be the best steakhouse and ranch experience of any road tripper’s life. The menu is genuinely Texan, from the quail legs to the Cowboy Potatoes (skin-on red potatoes with butter, salt, and pepper) and every cut of steak in between, all raised on the ranch. Tom and Lisa Perini have a lot of friends in Dallas fine dining, including Dean Fearing and Stephen Pyles, and take a lot of cues and inspiration from them — so the plate might look familiar, while the setting is extraordinary." - Courtney E. Smith
"This year marks the 40th anniversary of our steakhouse out in Buffalo Gap, Texas, set on 640 acres about three hours west of Dallas and a half hour outside of Abilene; one of the state’s most notable steakhouses, notable Dallas food lovers and chefs travel there to eat Perini’s beef. To celebrate, Tom and Lisa released a book, Perini Ranch Steakhouse: Celebrating Forty Years with Tom and Lisa, featuring Tom’s photography of the steakhouse and its famous visitors, and launched a podcast, Meet Me at the Wagon, with interviews from famous fans including Reba McEntire, actor Rex Linn, and Dallas culinary giants Dean Fearing and Stephen Pyles. Our daughter Caroline also runs a beefy business in Dallas, tying our Texas roots to the city." - Courtney E. Smith
"Love a great burger? Neiman Marcus is ready to deliver that — and so much more. This year, the department store is offering customers the chance to meet Tom Perini, a rancher and chef who happens to own the James Beard Award-winning Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, Texas. Guest will fly to meet with Perini and learn about the ranching industry's 'commitment to renewable energy and sustainable, ethical ranching practices.' As a bonus, the receivers of this gift will also get a year's supply of signature beef tenderloin as an extra tasty treat." - Travel + Leisure Editors
"WHAT: The state’s best (and most humble) country steakhouse with a pretty fancy pedigree. WHY: Lifelong cattle rancher and chuck-wagon cook Tom Perini turned an old barn into Texas’s most popular steak destination 35 years ago. He’s since claimed the James Beard Foundation’s America’s Classics award and is the Beard House’s most frequently featured Texan. This is partly because his pepper-crusted, mesquite-grilled strip; bone-in cowboy ribeye; his spicy-fried quail legs; hominy laced with green chiles and bacon; and sourdough bread pudding with pecans and whiskey sauce can’t be beaten. It’s helped along by sommelier Lisa — also his wife — who hones a smart wine list with intriguing choices from the West Coast as well as Europe and South America. But the fame — and a guest list that often includes presidents, governors, musicians, and movie stars — is mostly due to Tom himself, who treats every customer like a welcome friend at his kitchen table. — June Naylor" - Bill Addison
"A widely beloved country steakhouse founded by a rancher-cook that excels at mesquite-grilled, pepper-crusted strips and bone-in cowboy ribeyes, spicy-fried quail, hominy with green chiles and bacon, and a signature sourdough bread pudding with pecans and whiskey sauce—anchored by a personable host and a thoughtfully curated wine list." - Bill Addison
