Best of the Chain Steakhouses

What are some favorites for the chain steakhouses across the U.S.? I was at Morton's this past weekend. Used to be my favorite, but not it is hit and miss. Love the cajun ribeye, but hate the hokey presentation, don't love the sides. To be considered a chain, let's say that their must be multiple locations, spread throughout the U.S. I think I'd rank Ruths Chris #1, but also enjoy Capital Grill, Smith and Wollensky, Del Friscos, and the Palm. I heard the Chop House is excellent, but are they just in the midwest? Of course, Luger's is great, but only two NY locations, so let's not include that!

Topic covered

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=834&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16384&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4248&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10952&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7116&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17812&SearchTerms=steakhouse

I think the OP was asking about chain steakhouses. I clicked on the first four links and they seem to be about individual steakhouses, not chains.

JB Dawson's is a great steakhouse chain here in Pennsylvania. A small chain though, they have four locations I think. Here is their web site:

http://www.jbdawsons.com/

Excellent prime rib and rib eyes.

--Jessica

The Keg Steakhouse is one of the best.

http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/

Outback is good/and resonable in price. Quality is there (most of the time)

Outback has a killer rack of Lamb!

quote:

Originally posted by divefl

Topic covered

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=834&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16384&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4248&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10952&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7116&SearchTerms=steakhouse

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17812&SearchTerms=steakhouse

So what ???

Some of these posts are over 5 years old.

No harm in refreshing the conversation. IMO.

Gallagher's, is that a chain? I like that dry aged stuff!
Joe
Whats new, misspelled it! But I fixed it. Took two tries though.

ive had some good steaks from ted's montana grill
outback is okay, pretty consistent

Ruth Chris and Morton's are my two favorite, hands down!

Outback is best, because they have a blimp:



Plus, they keep ketchup on the tables, so you don't have to ask for it.

Does the blimp make the food taste better, or will be look like a blimp after eating the Bloomin Onion, the 12 piece coconut-fried shrimp, baked potato with butter and sour crea, a whole loaf of the brown bread, a salad with extra honey mustard dressing and two or three Mi-Ties (sp)?

quote:

Originally posted by SassyGritsAL

Does the blimp make the food taste better, or will be look like a blimp after eating the Bloomin Onion, the 12 piece coconut-fried shrimp, baked potato with butter and sour crea, a whole loaf of the brown bread, a salad with extra honey mustard dressing and two or three Mi-Ties (sp)?

Wrong...............you look like a blimp after eating their fries which are loaded with fat.

Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing

2,900 calories
182 g fat
240 g carbs

Even if you split these "starters" with three friends, you'll have downed a dinner's worth of calories before your entrée arrives.

We like Steak and Ale. The food is definitely decent and the faux clubby atmosphere is pretty funny. We always refer to it as Tavern on the Green or the Regal Beagle, because it just seems like a place from the 70s that was "upscale" for it's time and now is kind of dated.

I 2nd Steak and Ale. And welcome to Roadfood Milliways!

I really like their salid bar! They once had a stuffed flounder that I loved. I am not a fan of their signature merinated steak. What is that they call it? But the prime rib isn't bad.
Joe
That merinated steak is called a Kinsington Club. It has ben on their menu forever so some folks like it. It's not bad but just not my cup of serloin. "isn't bad" meens I actially like the prime rib.

I 3rd Steak and Ale. IMO, they give you the best bang for the buck. I usually order the Sirloin. They use a good grade of meat and have a excellent salad bar. The whole decor and concept is very dated and they seem to only close S&A's, not open any new ones. You get a great meal for only a few bucks more than Ponderosa. They are no where near as good as Ruth's Chris, Morton's, etc. But they are less than half the price.

One of our favorite restaurants- chain restaurants and otherwise, is Texas Roadhouse. You can get an 8 oz sirloin steak with rolls, a salad, and choice of one other side for only $9.99! The steak and sides are all really good!

I have heard Texas Roadhouse is not bad. We're going to try the one in Palm Bay, FL next month. I'll let you know how it is. Friends we are going with say it's very good....but, we're talking a different price range than a Ruth Chris so I guess I'll be comparing it to Outback?

Can you really compare a place like Outback to Morton's or Ruth Chris? There is no way they can serve you the same type of meat. You are not paying so much more for fancy service in a nicer atmosphere. It's the beef guys. So, it can never be an apples to apples comparison can it?

What's pretty amazing to me is these high end places don't seem to have skipped a beat with the declining economic situation. I wonder what percentage of their sales can be attributed to the business traveler. To corporate accounts? Anyone know?

A steak chain that our family enjoys, when we feel like a good steak or chops, at a very reasonble price, is the Long Horn Steakhouse. The service is much more professional than at the Outback and the children's menu has some great healthy choices.

They have a wonderful shrimp appetizer with cherry peppers in it that is delicious, and I would be happy to go there just for their sweet potatoes. It is a restaurant where all of us can find something that we really enjoy.

We have longhorn and Outback in Brick NJ and I've gotten better steaks at Longhorn!
In Jersey we have a chain called Charlie Brown's and it has very good steaks...and an Awesome salad bar that comes with the meal. A nut bread to die for there!

quote:

Originally posted by bbqjimbob

One of our favorite restaurants- chain restaurants and otherwise, is Texas Roadhouse. You can get an 8 oz sirloin steak with rolls, a salad, and choice of one other side for only $9.99! The steak and sides are all really good!

Texas Roadhouse does has some nice flavorful steaks for the price. The nearest one to my AC, NJ area is in Millville, NJ , a 45 minute drive. Been there about 3 times already. I like the option of picking a custom steak from the case. The cuts and prices are bigger, but I like an impressive steak, and I figure I drove all that way... I espescially like their bone-in ribeye. And their yeast rolls. And the country music they play.

I also took out a burger from there to test it out, and it was real good; nice charbroiled flavor.
I think you'll enjoy the place , Baah Ben.

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

We have longhorn and Outback in Brick NJ and I've gotten better steaks at Longhorn!
In Jersey we have a chain called Charlie Brown's and it has very good steaks...and an Awesome salad bar that comes with the meal. A nut bread to die for there!

I have to respectfully disagree with you about Charlie Brown's.
I feel it is a lot more popular than it deserves to be. I find that their steaks are just mediocre. Same with the burger; the one I had at the Waretown/Forked River location was very bland.
My mom (RIP) , on the other hand, used to love going about every month or so for their prime rib. And she felt real special every year on her B-day when they would send her that postcard for a free queen cut of prime rib. That "handshake club" of theirs.
I DO like their salad bar, however I find that the bread often gets kind of hard from all that exposure, though. I prefer hot roll/bread baskets brought to the table.

Growing up, we used to go to O'Connors Steak House in Watchung. They had a salad bar to die for. Of course, everything seemed better growing up, right? That place did start going downhill , though, and finally closed a few years or so back.

We now have a Longhorn right in AC, and their filet mignon was surprisingly real good and flavorful. I sent the rib-eye back though. I love their hand-battered chicken fingers. (I hate those processed chicken fingers that most places use) And like their homemade rolls and bread basket. The AC location is ironically right next to the Ruth Chris steakhouse.But I enjoyed myself more when I was at Longhorn.
First time I went to Longhorn was in Florida with my aunt and uncle.
Of course, now that I have one right here, I won't do that one in Florida anymore. I like eating at places I can't get here.
And I do try to go to the independants or smaller regional chains, espescially those with a handful of locations..

Ellen,
Charlie Brown's is not consistent..sometimes we get a superb steal...sometimes not. Never got hard bread in the Silverton or Toms River locations. I guess it's a danger with any steakhouse mentioned here. You are always at the mercy of that particular cut of meat served. You mentioned returning a steak. That's also a way I judge a steak place. Sometimes a steak is not the way you want it. Do they make it right,with kind service. That often lets us know whether we should give them another try.
Yes, Lomghorn is pretty good. Like their take on the fried onion,in individual fried pieces...less greasy.

Hi end chain: Capital Grille, a chain based out of Providence, RI. They are already all over the country (including one 10 minutes from my suburban Boston perch).

Lower end chain: I guess Outback, but I am crazy fussy when it comes to steak--they seem to do a pretty good job. I'd like to check out those other places.

Me and my fiance had all u can eat steak at out local Bonanza about a month ago. They served THE best steak that I have EVER tasted....absolutely melt in your mouth and tasty! I do believe these are independently owned and operated, and our local guy Mitch does an OUTSTANDING job up here in God's country!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like The Chop House, a local chain in Knoxville, but I think they have locations in KY and probably a few other states as well.

Good food though.

while in orlando i stopped by a steak and ale hoping to relive some of those '70s good times. i entered the place telling my wife all about the nostalgia...when we entered the foyer it was dirty-filthy and looked down right scary. we left immediately and my wife broke my chops all the way to the next choice....

We used to have Bonanzas but I don't know of any left in Texas.
Joe

Beefsteak Charlie's !