After Bagging On It, I Tried A To-Go Steak

I almost made it all the way through the weekend without trying something new. I'm a simple guy that loves my routines. I the type of guy that eats the same supper every night for months, and when I deviate that menu, I'll eat the new thing for months on end until something new or old pops back into my fridge. That being said, Sunday was a day for firsts.

My cousin is making his home more enjoyable for his other half. They put in a pool, and what good is a pool for the heat without a hot tub for the cold? So naturally, he found a hot tub. The only catch was, he and I needed to go pick it up in Wichita Falls. While I'll say it wasn't nearly as heavy or hard as we anticipated, that's a story best left for another time. Against my will, since he's from a very small town way out in the middle of nowhere, we decided to do a little shopping among the mask-less here in town. Atwood's was a quick in/out, can't believe how much that store has changed in the last few months... but Sam's Club was a longer journey. It was full of people trying to score deals on necessities just like us. That's not really the story of this either, but it leads up to our regular tradition of having Texas Roadhouse when he comes to town.

We absolutely love Texas Roadhouse. I can only think of a single time in my 14 years here than they didn't deliver a perfect meal to my table. I've had to argue that I can order two salads to fill both meal side dishes a time or two, but only once have I ever had a bad steak there. I've even tried made the hour drive to the "Best Steak In SWOK" place, and while good, it wasn't even in the running... but here's the rub.

Whether or not you remember hearing me say it, throughout this pandemic, I've held the opinion that ordering a steak to-go was just about the dumbest waste of money on the planet. Come on... Odds are it'll be cold by the time you get home and the microwave is carnal sin when it comes to such a meal. Who in their right mind would do such a disservice to a cut of meat that gave its life to be your meal? And I get it, some people think steak is steak, but if that were true, Santa Fe and Sirloin Stockade might still be around.

As both of us are just slightly on the germophobe side of the spectrum, neither of us wanted to go inside and eat at Texas Roadhouse... but my cousin insisted on having that for dinner. Not one to rain on a parade, I agreed and we ordered off the website. A quick trip over there at the right time, they pop out with our food, and we set sail back to Casa de la Kelso to try to enjoy what we ended up with off some make-shift TV trays.

Side Bar: While I know rollaway tool boxes aren't considered "decor," they sure do make it great mobile dining tables at perfect recliner height.

Here's the thing, my hopes for a solid meal were very low. Joe Pesci made the case for drive thru's in one of those Lethal Weapon movies, I'm just not a fan... but I will admit, as I cut into that steak expecting a well-done waste of beef, it was absolutely perfect. A very warm pink center, perfectly cooked shrimp, a deliciously ice cold house salad, and their chili is among the best a restaurant can manage to serve with regularity.  I would have a picture of it to share with you, but my cousin and I have a kill-pact with each other in the event we become food-picture people.

I was floored.

For six months I've been avoiding ordering my favorite dine-out meal because I didn't have faith they could pull it off. I've never been so happy to be wrong. Of all of the things I've said about take-out steak, I take it all back. It was amazing.