What happens when you hand your entire dinner order over to the person taking it? Food reviewer @s_johnson_voiceovers tried exactly that at Texas Roadhouse as part of his “Surprise Me” series, letting his waitress pick his appetizer, entree and dessert. His verdict on the steak, the one thing a steakhouse is supposed to nail, was not kind.
A quick note up front: this is one diner’s opinion of one visit, shared about a month after the meal. Restaurant experiences can vary a lot from kitchen to kitchen and night to night, so take it as a single data point, not a final ruling on the chain.
The Appetizer Trio
The waitress started him off with an appetizer trio, and the reviewer went item by item.
- Fried cheese spirals: Nothing to write home about, he says, though the marinara sauce impressed him. He said it tasted as if the tomatoes had been crushed that morning.
- More fried cheese: This one earned better marks. He called it creamy and gooey.
- Chicken bites: Fine, in his view, but without a wow factor.
- Shrimp toast: Cute, he says, but it falls apart, and he compared the texture to seafood jelly. He mentions he is a big texture guy, so that one did not land.
The Steak That Was Supposed to Be the Star
The entree is where things went downhill for him. By his account, the steak looked promising when it arrived, but that is where the appeal ended. He described it as tough enough that he had to work hard at chewing before he could get each bite down. In the caption, he called the steak, “their one job,” abysmal.
The sides fared a little better. He said the green beans had a lot of flavor and that he enjoyed them. The baked potato, in his words, simply existed. His overall complaint was that the waitress went with a lot of safe options, and in his opinion those safe picks did not work in the restaurant’s favor.
The Surprise Pick That Saved Dinner
Dessert turned out to be the hero. He said the brownie might be the highlight of the entire meal: crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, served with what he called generic vanilla ice cream. What lifted it, he said, was the caramel sauce, which he described as having body and purpose. A good ending, in his view, did not completely rescue the night, but it came close.
He ended the video by asking viewers whether the restaurant was robbed or whether it earned the backlash. Some commenters took the chance to joke about the experience, and a few teased that the waitress may have been playing a trick on him. There is nothing in the video to suggest that, so we will leave those jokes where they belong, in the comments.
How to Get the Steak You Actually Want at a Steakhouse
Letting someone else order is a fun experiment for a video, but if you want a great steak dinner without the gamble, a few simple habits can help. These are general tips that many diners and servers recommend, not rules tied to any one restaurant.
- Pick the cut on purpose. Different cuts have very different textures. Leaner cuts tend to be firmer, while well marbled cuts are often more tender. Ask your server which cuts are most popular and which are most tender.
- Say your temperature clearly. Rare, medium rare, medium and well done mean different things to different people. If you are unsure, medium rare to medium is a common middle ground, and you can always ask what the kitchen means by each term.
- Ask how thick the cut is. Thicker steaks can be harder to cook evenly, so it helps to know what you are getting before it hits the grill.
- Speak up politely, and early. If the steak arrives and it is not what you ordered, tell your server within the first few bites. Most restaurants would rather fix it than have you leave unhappy. Something like, “This is a little more done than I asked for, could the kitchen take another look?” goes a long way.
- Do not be shy about sauces and sides. If a steak is on the chewy side, a good sauce or a favorite side can help round out the plate.
And if you ever want to try your own version of a “Surprise Me” dinner, consider giving your server a few guardrails, such as foods you love and foods you avoid. That way the surprise stays fun, and the steak stays the star.
More from Cultivated Comfort
- She Got A $600 Tip On A $600 Tab, Cried, Left Early, And Picked Up A Monday Shift Hoping Her Luck Would Continue
- Her Restaurant Bill Had A 4 Percent Health Charge, Supposedly To Cover Staff Health Insurance, And She Is Not Buying It
- Central Pennsylvania Barbecue Owner Says His Food Costs Are Up About 20 Percent Amid Higher Diesel Costs And Fuel Surcharges, And Your Plate Could Be Next
