Bent River Cattle Co & Steak House

[Zuplar]

I hear ya there. I like Texas Roadhouse, and contend they have as good a dinner salad as you'll find anywhere right now, but would very much like an alternative that isn't quite so...countrified... for lack of a better word. Kinda loud at times. Heck, I used to like the general quiet atmosphere at the old, defunct Steak 'n Ale, lots of compartmentalized dining areas where a couple or small dinner party could have a nice meal, visit, and not feel challenged by the jukebox or screaming birthday songs or just the general noise inherent with an open-floor format.

Now, that's not to say I'm looking for some uber upscale environment like a Mahogany, just something with the general quality of Texas Roadhouse with a fractionally quieter "ambiance," that's all. Red Rock and Charlestons are just a bit on the high side for us to be anything more than a once-in-a-great-while visit.

I have to say I agree with all points. I think honestly if Roadhouse didn't have good food, which I think they do majority of the time, that I'd hardly ever go there. Like you said it can get pretty loud there and at times it's just as loud as the bar section at BWW. It'd be one thing if there were TV's everywhere and we were watching a game, but for it to just be the dining area it's unfortunate. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that everyone is packed in there and all the tables and booths are really close.

[SoonerDave]

I have to say I agree with all points. I think honestly if Roadhouse didn't have good food, which I think they do majority of the time, that I'd hardly ever go there. Like you said it can get pretty loud there and at times it's just as loud as the bar section at BWW. It'd be one thing if there were TV's everywhere and we were watching a game, but for it to just be the dining area it's unfortunate. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that everyone is packed in there and all the tables and booths are really close.

I realize Roadhouse is a chain, which immediately vilifies them in the eyes of some, but for us they do a good job of providing consistently good food, cooked the way we like it, and they generally bend over backwards to fix anything on the rare occasion something isn't quite right. I can't recall ever having, as an example, a waiter or waitress with an attitude, or that was anything less than attentive. They keep the water glasses filled, the hot rolls rolling, and their cooks manage, somehow to get the steaks to the varying degrees of doneness my family likes - ranging from medium to well and in-between. I think for anyone or any family, the duo of quality and consistency tied to a reasonable price will keep people coming back, and that's the case for us. But, like I said, just wish it wasn't quite as noisy. Ah, the latitude to pick nits