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.
One Saturday afternoon, Nancy and I jumped into the Dining Duo mini-mobile with the plan to review a Chinese restaurant in Palatine that was recommended by one of our readers. Upon arrival, the parking lot was completely empty and we discovered they were closed for vacation. Time to switch to Plan B: a Mexican restaurant in Elk Grove Village also recommended by one of our loyal readers. Once again, we pulled into an empty parking lot and realized they don’t open their doors until 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Time to switch to Plan C. By this time we were getting “hangry,” and we said, “Screw it, let’s go over to Woodfield. Some restaurant that we haven’t reviewed is bound to be open.” We found ourselves pulling into the Longhorn Steakhouse in Schaumburg. Hallelujah!!!
Longhorn Steakhouse
1901 E. Golf Road
Schaumburg 60173
(847) 995-0107
www.longhornsteakhouse.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 South to I-90 East to Roselle Road South to Golf Road East to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: It would take 33 minutes if you don’t stop at 2 other restaurants beforehand.
To our surprise, the inside looked classier than we expected from a western themed steakhouse. The posh atmosphere was accentuated by the cowboy paraphernalia that was everywhere. Marion Robert Morrison, also known as John Wayne, would be proud walking into this restaurant, “pilgrim.” He’d probably order the 20-ounce Longhorn Porterhouse Steak and love it!
To keep us from dying of starvation, we ordered the Texas Tonion ($8.79), which was crispy onion petals drizzled with sour cream and served with a zesty dip. This is better than the normal “Bloomin’ Onion” since you don’t get the inevitable raw coating in the center. We can’t believe we ate the whole thing. Yes we can, since we drove a half day trying to get lunch.
We have to admit by this time we were in a contrary mood since it’s not nice to mess with the Dining Duo’s tummies. We were sitting in a steakhouse and neither one of us wanted to order a steak. Jim ordered a full slab of Baby Back Ribs ($18.99), which came with one side. The ribs were lean, meaty, and fell off the bone deliciously. The sauce was on the side and not overpowering, just tasty and you could add as much or as little to suit your taste. For his side, being the carnivore that he is, he went with a new item on the menu: the Texas Chili. The chili was meaty and packed a punch. It contained jalapenos that measured about a three on his “sweat head meter.”
Nancy decided to embrace the Texas theme and ordered a Parmesan Crusted Chicken ($11.99 lite portion). This was a boneless chicken breast topped with a cheesy, crusty, Parmesan garlic cheese crust. No matter where Nancy goes, she seems to get her minimum daily requirement of garlic. The hint of smoke gave it another layer of flavor. Her side choice was a salad with honey mustard dressing, hee haw! The salad was really an outstanding salad with cucumber, carrots, red cabbage, red onion, shredded cheddar cheese, and croutons. She also ordered for a $2.99 up charge a loaded baked potato which satisfied her hankering for a baked potato. The chicken was the hit of the afternoon.
We passed on dessert because the portion sizes were huge and we both took home doggie bags. Jim’s going to have some good lunches…
To sum it up, this is a very nice western themed steakhouse with huge entrees. If Nancy’s chicken was the “lite” portion, I hate to see the full one.
FYI: Handicap accessible.
The cost of our “hangry” lunch was $51.24, giddy yup!
Jim’s take: The ribs were really tasty and I like the fact the sauce was on the side. Nancy’s chicken was really delicious even as a leftover lunch.
Nancy’s take: My chicken was unlike any I’ve ever had and was unexpectedly delicious. I enjoyed my loaded baked potato, yum….
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
