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Chilis in Lindale Texas

April 22nd, 2010

Chilis
3210 S Main St
Lindale
Tx 75771
903 882 3227

For those that don’t know – Chilis is an American and once-upon-a-time vaguely Mexican restaurant with a bar. They have burgers, Tex-mex , chicken, ribs, the odd salad (not as healthy an option as you might think) steaks, plus monstrous desserts and margaritas.

I am a fairly easy-to-please foodie but Chilis in Lindale is quite frankly, horrible. I have simply NO idea why American families would subject themselves to this extremely high calorie, often pre-cooked, junk. I can only assume that with so many locations nationwide, that there is some comfort in eating somewhere familiar. Or perhaps the bar makes it popular (not many of those in Lindale). Maybe it is because at Chili’s the prices are reasonable for a family of four or for those sharing a meal. Maybe it’s just because it’s near Walmart and the I20 and the coloring on the menu keeps the children quiet. There must be reasons, because it can’t be the food!

The place itself is dark and smoky. The bar is always busy and loud and the large amount of smokers mean that the smoke penetrates everywhere. Chilis in Lindale is also very busy. Consequently, service is poor, the servers are overworked and if you go there in the evening, expect a poor meal from the overwhelmed kitchen staff too.

We had cheese and brocoli soup to start which was more like a thick cheese sauce than soup, and crispy onions with ranch. These seemed very fatty so I looked up the nutritional information afterwards and found to my horror – that this appetizer contained more calories than a woman my size should have for the whole day!

We also ate chicken crispers (dry and nasty) fajitas (more greasy than you could imagine) and the kids shared grilled cheese and corn dogs. Vegetable options were available but poorly cooked and unappetizing. From my observation of the steaks going to other tables, I would say, don’t waste your money. I did like the idea of the sweet shots – small sized desserts but don’t be tempted by a brownie sundae, they are around 1300 calories too! The choice of Margaritas is pretty large but they are quite expensive. Beer comes in frosted mugs which is good on a hot day.

All in all, Chili’s is a poor choice for a meal out. I would seriously say – for your healths sake and for your mood, don’t do it! Try Posados across the road for TexMex or the Cracker Barrel for country fare.

I’m sure that somewhere in the US the Chili’s Grill must have a good reputation – but not Lindale Chili’s! There is also a Chilis in Tyler on the West SW loop. Perhaps that one is better!

Sacred Spur Ranch – A rustic authentic Cowboy ranch restaurant.

January 17th, 2010

Barbecue GrillWe went to Sacred Spur Ranch on Friday with relatives in town from Canada to give them a Texas experience. Sacred Spur is unlike anything you may have encountered such as a Texas Roadhouse experience. This place is like a barn in the middle of a real Ranch.

Call for reservations: 903-295-4364
Address:
117 Michel Rd
Gladewater, TX 75647

When we walked in we were greeted with live entertainment. The singer was singing some very good country western music. For a Friday the place was about a quarter of the way full.

The steaks are cooked on a gigantic homemade grill made out of a lot of welded metal. The grill on top of the fire hangs from a chain and seems to do a good job. Sacred Spur Ranch

I ordered the Ribeye steak because they were out of T-Bones and it came with a baked potato. The steak and potato were very good. I was sitting next to the metal barn wall so I started to get a little cold in there. As you can see this was an authentic barn ranch style experience. If you are wanting cookie cutter Texas Roadhouse than this is not it.

Sacred Spur Ranch is only open Friday and Saturday’s and is located in East Mountain, population 500. It will take you close to 45 minutes to an hour to get here. Plan on making this an all evening event and prepare for authentic, rustic or whatever you want to call it.

The Texas Roadhouse

January 14th, 2010

Texas Roadhouse in Tyler TX

The Texas Roadhouse

2101 Southeast Loop 323
Tyler
TX 75701
903 509 0053

Opening hours M-T 4pm-10pm
Friday 4-11pm
Sat and Sun 11am-11pm

If you’ve lived in Texas for long you will have tried the steaks at the Texas Roadhouse, in fact, you’re probably a regular customer. The Texas Roadhouse is known for it’s hand-cut steaks, cooked to your specifications and it’s delicious ribs – all priced very reasonably. The Tyler Roadhouse keeps up this reputation; in fact, it probably adds further credit to this chain of restaurants.

If you have visitors to Texas, an evening at the Texas Roadhouse is a must, part of the cultural experience. Our family from England LOVED it.

First, there is the whole shelling the peanuts and throwing them on the floor thing. Then there is the atmosphere –loud and fun, our waitresses even did a short line dance while waiting for the food to be ready for them to serve. And last but not least, there is the food. We tried a cactus blossom which sounded very Texan. It was! Deep fried, of course, it was a huge battered onion with a spicy dip. There was plenty to share. The salads were good, as was the baked potatoes ‘loaded’ literally with sour cream, bacon and spring onion shavings. We enjoyed our steaks – cutting into my fillet was like cutting butter – and the ribs were a hit too. One criticism – the fries were way too salty. Perhaps it is to encourage you to drink more ice cold beer or maybe a margarita. We did have to re-order fries for the children without seasoning.

There is more than enough food for every size of appetite – The Texas Roadhouse in Tyler must have to buy a lot of ‘take home’ boxes for it’s customers. I had the pleasure of eating steak two days in a row – the second time reheated in my microwave, but still very tasty! I can’t comment on the desserts – I have never been with anyone who has room to order one, but I know that they do have a selection of traditionally southern sweets.

One great thing about the Roadhouse is that it is family friendly. On Tuesdays children eat free and sometimes they have a visiting ‘Andy Armidillo’ or a balloon modeller. Consequently, the place is PACKED, so if you don’t have kids, Tuesday might be a night to avoid. It is certainly good for a family budget too as the food is great but inexpensive. You can make a further saving by eating between 4 and 6pm with their Early Dine menu.

On the downside – you cannot make reservations at this restaurant. ‘Call ahead seating’ is the best they will do and it often still involves quite a wait in the lobby before you are seated. I guess that’s just a symptom of it’s popularity. However, once inside, the service is speedy and the servers are efficient and friendly.

All in all I recommend an evening at the Texas Roadhouse and give it a thumbs up!

Outback Steakhouse, Service and Food

December 1st, 2009

Outback Steakhouse Tyler TX
In the past few visits to Outback Steakhouse I have noticed a dramatic improvement in service and food quality. The deserts actually taste better and the steaks have been cooked right. Consistency is a big deal to me and Outback has really been getting it right. A few years ago something was off and I imagine Outback may have had a bad manager or something because the service was always terrible, the food didn’t come out cooked correctly or even tasting right. I am so glad that Outback in Tyler TX is back on track and has their service, food, and steak temperatures down. I know that for every negative thing that happens to you it takes about 5 good things to evenly balance your assessment of a restaurant. Taking that into consideration I truly believe that Outback management is back on top of what goes on there.

One minor pet peeve of mine is I wish that Outback would rinse out their beer mugs and glasses a little better. The edible sanitizer in the glasses can be tasted very well in beer and it really ruins the beer taste. This sanitizer taste in beer mugs and glasses seems to be the case in almost every Outback franchise I walk into whether it be in Houston, Dallas, or Tyler.
Outback in Tyler TX
Regarding the Outback deserts I would say that the hot fudge brownie icecream thing is much better than what you get at Chili’s. I would still prefer to head over to Marble Slab for some of their icecream but the fudge brownie thing is very good. The recent holiday addition of the gingerbread cookie martini however looks very disgusting and I am not sure why anyone would buy it. The Martini has cookie crumbs on the rim and a gingerbread cookie floating in the alcoholic beverage. I just don’t get it and I am not sure enough people would understand this combination to buy it. I may be wrong but I just had to mention the martini because it was very weird.

My recommendation when ordering from Outback steakhouse is to go with their 7 ounce filet and maybe even add a lobster tail. I would have the steak cooked medium and I think you will really enjoy that dinner. I always get their house salad and a loaded baked potato although their ceasar salad and sweet potato are also very good choices.