Howdya like your steak?

What comes to your mind when you hear the word Texas? Cowboys! Barbecues! Steaks! And that’s what you’ll definitely get at Texas Roadhouse Grill, the newest steakhouse in the metro.

The Texas ambience isn’t all put on. If you stroll into the restaurant’s branch at Bonifacio High Street — there’s another one at El Pueblo, Ortigas Center, freshly opened last Monday — it’s like you found yourself at the Lone Star State. I swear, you can hear a cowboy hollering out in the back a welcome howdy when you enter the restaurant.

Seats and tables are in solid wood, and the servers are dressed in jeans and gingham shirts, some even sporting a sheriff’s badge on their chests for added authenticity. If you opt for a booth, the seats are so cozy, you’ll find yourself slipping down into the seats. If you look up, buckets have been improvised into quaint lamp shades that up the saloon ambience here.

And yes, the restaurant takes the word service to heart. When you get to your table, your server will automatically serve you a basket of peanuts and plunk down a mini aluminum bucket before you to catch the shells.

And since this is a grill, surely you came for the meat. Don’t be shy and do order Texas’ signature The Great Rib Eye (P850), a 10-ounce US rib eye steak that is seasoned with herb and garlic butter. Texas takes its steak so seriously that serious diners and meat lovers literally wipe out the resto’s supply of rib eye by the end of the day. You can have your steak any way you want — medium rare or well done — and you can even approach the grill area and watch the chef cook up your order.

Apart from the rib eye, Texas also has a 10-ounce New York cut steak (P895) that is also seasoned with an herb and garlic butter; its Trailboss herb steak (P425), US top blade that is rubbed with a signature herb jus before grilling; Open Range beef tips (P360), melt-in-your-mouth steak cubes that are marinated and grilled to perfection; and surf and turf (P500), a combo platter of an eight-ounce center-cut tenderloin and citrus-grilled shrimps. If you really love shrimps, all steak orders may be served with shrimps for an extra P125. All steaks are served with fresh veggies and mashed potatoes.

If the place runs out of steak, you can opt for some ribs and chops instead. The Wrangler’s pork steak (P270) is another popular order, two grilled pork steaks topped with melted Swiss cheese and served au jus. There are also baby back ribs (full rack, P570; half rack, P385) that are double basted with Texas barbecue sauce and served with corn on the cobs and fries; and grilled pork chops (P255), two five-ounce chops that are marinated, grilled, and served with Texas rice and fresh veggies.

If you’re wondering why the restaurant’s steaks are reasonably priced, it’s because the restaurant is operated by the supplier of most steaks to restaurants in Metro Manila. Since he has enough inventory for a steak house, he decided to open a steak house himself. And we’re all the better for it.

Man does not live on steaks alone; that’s why Texas also has a variety of non-steak items on its menu. Popular starters include crispy calamari, Buffalo wings, baked mussels, loaded Texas chips (tortilla chips layered with melted cheese, ground beef, bacon and jalapeños with sour cream on the side), and more. Yes, they also serve salads such as the Roadhouse lite salad (romaine and iceberg lettuce in red wine Dijon dressing with mangoes, grapes, walnuts and blue cheese), Caesar salad, oriental chicken salad (char-grilled chicken breast with mandarin oranges, water chestnuts, and rice noodles in a ginger-sesame dressing), and Rodeo steak salad (grilled steak strips with five spices served on mixed greens).

Non-steak entrees include grilled salmon, shrimp and salmon skewer, Outlaw’s tuna belly (tuna belly steak marinated in oriental teriyaki sauce), Ma Barker’s chicken platter (grilled marinated chicken breast), and Range Rattlers chicken (grilled marinated chicken breast with BBQ sauce). There are also a variety of pasta dishes, tacos and, of course, fajitas.

Of course, any steak meal won’t be complete without desserts. Specials include the Mighty Oreo mud pie (layers of coffee and chocolate ice cream with Snickers candy pieces on a crushed Oreo cookie crust), apple cobbler, and Cowboy chocolate cake (decadent chocolate steak).

And if you want to share your love for steaks and all things cowboy with your friends, Texas has set menu and buffet packages for parties. Now, ain’t that just swell?

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Texas Roadhouse Grill has branches at Bldg. 1, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, with tel. nos. 856-1547 to 48, and at El Pueblo, Ortigas Center, with tel. nos. 635-6715 to 16.