Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
There’s a new restaurant in town, pardner, and it’s name is Texas Roadhouse. All you hungry cowpokes better watch out, Crystal Lake will never be the same.
While enduring the recent ice age, cabin fever got the best of us. Nancy and I needed to get out and let loose before the homicide detectives showed up at our door. As luck would have it, we found just the place.
The restaurant is Texas-sized and looks just like the typical roadhouse you see in movies. High-top tables corral the bar at the center of the restaurant, with regular tables and booths aplenty. The western theme continues with critter heads adorning the rough-cut cedar walls.
On our way to the table, the hostess grabbed a basket of warm Parker House rolls with delicious honey cinnamon butter. This accompanied a bucket of peanuts waiting at our table.
To appease our hearty appetites this evening, we decided to start with the fried pickles ($4.49). They come with ranch dip or Cajun horseradish sauce. We had both, but take a “dip” from us, ask for the Cajun sauce, it has a bite to it.
Jim and I both opted for the combo dinners. Jim had the 8-ounce sirloin and a half slab of ribs ($17.99), and I had the 8-ounce sirloin and grilled shrimp (two skewers) for $16.99. We had a choice of two sides, we both went for baked potatoes, and for 99 cents more, we loaded them up with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. Jim went for the house salad, and I went with the Caesar. Jim won.
I ordered my steak medium, and Nancy, being the trained professional she is, ordered hers well done. They were both cooked exactly to our liking, and believe it or not, Nancy’s steak was as tender as mine.
The atmosphere is loud, raucous, and fun. From time to time, when the music gets louder, the waitstaff will bust out into spontaneous line dancing. You can’t help but tap your boots to the rhythm of the music!
Birthday warning: If your server finds out it’s your birthday, they will wheel up a wooden sawhorse with a saddle on it, which you’re required to straddle, while waving a napkin above your head, and yelling “yee-haw!” It seemed to us that there was a suspiciously large number of birthdays that evening.
FYI: Check out their “early bird” specials – Monday–Thursday for $8.99 until 6 p.m. You can cut your wait time if you call ahead. The restaurant is handicap accessible.
To roundup this Texas adventure, our bill was $49.81, yipee!
He said/she said:
Jim’s take: The fried pickles were salty fried goodness. The ribs were lean and fell off the bone and were not very messy. Nancy’s shrimp didn’t do anything for me. It is an action-packed restaurant with good food to boot.
Nancy’s take: My shrimp were really good (Jim doesn’t know what he’s talking about) and the rolls and butter were sinful. I agree with him, a fun time was had by all, and you won’t see any homicide detectives at our house!
Texas Roadhouse
835 Cog Circle
Crystal Lake 60014
(815)356-7427
www.texasroadhouse.com
Directions: 47 North to Algonquin Road East to Pyott (turn left) to Northwest Highway East
Estimated Travel Time: 25 minutes
• Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
