We’ve already rounded up 15 things steak enthusiasts should know about LongHorn Steakhouse. Now, we’re back with Number 16: Skip the Fire-Grilled T-bone Steak. In Tasting Table’s taste-test of five steaks from LongHorn, we ranked the Fire-Grilled T-bone as the chain’s worst. Don’t get us wrong, it’s not that the T-bone was a flop. This isn’t a bad steak. It’s simply not as good as the other four steaks we tried.
This large, bone-in, 18-ounce beauty filled the entire dinner plate. However, what it offered in terms of size, it lacked in overall appeal. As we mentioned in our review, “It chewed and tasted like a typical piece of steak … The filet side was pretty tender but the strip side — not so much … The T-bone also lacked any kind of fat cap, which is where a lot of the flavor and moisture come from.” The T-Bone steak comes from the front short loin of the steer, significantly leaner than the tenderloin’s strip side. It can be notoriously easy to over-grill this tender, low-fat cut, especially with the bone kept in.
LongHorn’s official website promises “bold flavor” on the T-bone, but we’re still waiting on the boldness factor. For the taste test, we ordered all five steaks cooked medium-rare, and the Fire-Grilled T-bone came “covered in LongHorn’s signature char seasoning before being flame-grilled.” Unfortunately, even that coating of char seasoning wasn’t enough to make this “meh” T-bone stand out from the pack.
LongHorn’s Fire-Grilled T-Bone left us underwhelmed
In the long, unappetizing shadow of rampant and unwavering inflation, consumers’ tightly-stretched discretionary budgets might mean steakhouse dinners are fewer and farther between. So, every time foodies shell out for a sit-down meal, it should be a 10/10 knockout. LongHorn Steakhouse’s Fire-Grilled T-bone steak delivers, but it simply doesn’t perform as well as other candidates on the restaurant’s menu. Word to the wise: There are more than a few insider hacks for getting the most out of your steakhouse dining experience when you do decide to go out.
One impassioned Reddit thread on r/Steak notes, “LongHorns is about the only chain restaurant I will order a steak from. I prefer my own otherwise and just get mad at the price. But LongHorns does it well, and I hate chains.” Multiple comments praise LongHorn’s affordable value for the quality of the meal compared to other steakhouses. At a LongHorn Steakhouse location in Elmhurst, New York, the Fire-Grilled T-bone costs $32.49 and comes with two side dishes, so foodies certainly won’t leave hungry. Still, if you want our advice, skip LongHorn’s T-bone and order Flo’s Filet ($27.49), which topped our ranking, next time you visit. Or, check out these tips for cooking the perfect steak at home.
