What Is The Texas Roadhouse In Duluth?

	A darn fine restaurant, THAT’S what it is! Blackie and I ate at The Texas Roadhouse today, and we had a good time!
photo by dmolsen

We were a bit skeptical at first, as there is a huge barrel of peanuts sitting next to the front door, and a bucket of peanuts on every table. As we have a fatal allergy to peanuts, that usually means we need to run out the door.

But, the air was fairly peanut-dust free, so we thought we’d give it a shot. And I’m glad we did!

I had a half-rack of ribs, and then the fried catfish with a sweet potato.

I was really impressed with the ribs. They were real ribs, as in, from a hog. Most places serve the little 2 inch pseudo-rib-but-mostly-fat kinda things. These were huge, and had plenty of meat on them, with the meat tender enough to fall off the bone.

The catfish was a skosh over-fried; a bit too crunchy. But the cool part was there was a ton of it, and it was cornmeal-dusted, instead of breaded (gluten-free).

The sweet potato was also very big. It could have used a couple more minutes in the oven, but that’s only because I like them soft. It was cooked adequately, just not mushy. I also had the option “loading” the sweet potato with a honey and marshmallow sauce, but I declined. I like the taste natural.

Blackie ate the sirloin tips, a garden salad, and also a sweet potato.

The sirloin tips were done exactly as ordered, and very tender. They were also cut into genuinely bite-sized pieces. Nearly all meat, with very little gristle.

The garden salad was mixed greens, all fresh, and it didn’t have the sitting-in-the-fridge-all-day taste. Also, the ranch dressing was homemade.

Our waitress was Randi, and she was awesome. Ask for her when you go in!

Once they started to sweep the floor, a lot of the peanut dust kicked up, so it was time for us to go.

All in all, very good. The music was fairly loud at times, so it’s not really a place for casual conversation. Also, you know how some places do the birthday thing where all the waitstaff come out and clap and cheer? Well, at Texas Roadhouse, they started with a saddle on a sawhorse, and made you get on it. I had to avert my eyes at that point due to my delicate sensibilities.

I recommend Texas Roadhouse to my friends. I’m definitely going back for the ribs, and the steaks looked mighty fine too. If anyone wants to go with me, just let me know!