Katherine O.
Yelp
This no-frills locale is the oldest steakhouse in Austin, dating back to 1932. You can tell from the outside, that it has a rustic charm. While inside, isn't as rustic, it certainly is reminiscent of older times. On the walls, there are black and white canvas photos of the original restaurant owner and workers. The tables only seat enough for 30 people, and seem like the original Formica!
We went to dinner at 6:30 on a Saturday, and I was a little nervous about dinner since there were only a few tables occupied. When we walked in, we just stood there, waiting to figure out what to do while a couple waitresses chatted at the bar. They then told us to sit wherever we liked, and so we picked a spot near the window.
While we gazed around, we were wondering about the menu. As the waitress approached, we asked her for the menu, which she pointed to in a clear frame on the table. She asked if we wanted to start with a drink, to which we also asked for a menu. She simply pointed to the bar and said they had a full one. However, my husband likes beer, so she rattled off a list, none of which my husband really cared for or knew of, so he asked for their hoppiest IPA. I ordered the house Chardonnay, hoping for the best.
The waitress went to get our drinks, and we perused the menu, which consisted of about 6 different cuts of steak, small or large. And that's it! I don't typically love a small menu, but we decided to carpe diem and go for it. I ordered the small tenderloin at $21.95 and my husband got the small New York strip for $20.95. Each entree is grilled with a garlic-lemon butter sauce and comes with two automatic sides: potato wedges and a simple salad. The waitress served the salads first, and brought over a plate of white bread and Saltines, which are supposed to be used for sopping up either the oil from the salad dressing or the melted butter from the steak. Or both!
The salad. Oh boy! I have never had anything like it. The closest thing I can compare it to is a salad in Spain. Typically in Spain, salads are dredged in olive oil, and this salad was the same! But, it also had a very heavy garlic taste, too. It came with iceberg lettuce, and one grape tomato and was served on a small plate. It should have come in a bowl, because every time I dug in, lettuce fell all over the table.
So I wasn't overly impressed with the salad or white bread to start, and then the steaks came. Upon first appearance, it wasn't much to look at. But they tasted phenomenal! We both ordered them medium, and even though they looked a little overdone, they still tasted delicious. The waitress brought out crispy potato wedges to accompany the steaks.
For $20 each, you can expect a simple meal, with a very tasty steak. Enjoy!