Texas restaurant try #1

Cullen says:
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good: The staff greeted us with smiling faces. Their English was good. They repeated my order back to me. I understood everything they said to me, and they understood everything I said. They were polite and friendly. In a word, delightful.

The Bad: We went on a Friday night. They had a special, Ribeye, Filet, or BBQ for ¥150. I picked the Ribeye, medium-rare. It was the worst "Ribeye" that I have ever tried to eat. It was raw on one end, and medium on the other, so I guess that means on the average it was medium-rare. The cut was not that of a Ribeye. I think it was an old Water Buffalo that got hit by a bus. Too bad the bus didn't help tenderize it. As I chewed away, the small hunk of flesh in my mouth grew bigger and bigger, and bigger. I began to wonder, "Will I have to spit it out?" I try not to laugh, as I imagine the elastic-bouncy-ball cud flies around the bar, like a bullet ricochet in an old western, or a cartoon. The "Texaco Marfak Lubrication" sign that hangs on the wall to lend authenticity to the place, also helps me with the bus analogy. My cud (I won't call it a Ribeye anymore) tasted more like wheel-bearing grease than "Pecan" or "Mesquite" smoke. There really is a charred BBQ pit there, but someone should tell them not to burn old tires in it. For Tim to blather on about the amount of trouble he went through to get proper cuts of meat (in many articles easily found on the web), and to brag about his "only the best cuts of meat" on his menu, he really shouldn't serve up old Water Buffalo and call them steak. Tim's either, shouldn't be trusted, or doesn't know where steak comes from.

The Ugly: As I write this, the price advertised at the top of this page is "Price Less than ¥99 per couple." Pshaw! Maybe if you bring your own water. I am not complaining about the prices (the prices are ok), but the advertising, (it's annoying). Expect to pay a minimum of 150-250 ¥ for two entrees and two drinks. Tim's website conveniently provides a menu with prices; if you'd like to check my work. The website's prices are similar to the prices on the menu.

This place is indeed an authentic Texas Road House. It has old Chevy pickup parts nailed to the wall, along with a few other relics. It has a few bras hanging from the rafters, but not enough to imply a really good party. It has a quite reasonable sound system. It has darts, and pool tables (probably purchased secondhand from a Texas roadhouse, or SPJST). And, football on TV (Australian rules, but what the hell.) It has a few regulars who run amok in the place, plugging their ipods (or zunes) into things they shouldn't. It is exactly like dozens of other road houses which could be found around Austin or College Station, whose parking lots are all full of Escalades, Hummers, and perfect brand-new Four-Wheel-Drive Ford Diesels complete with "Truck Nutz" and nary a scratch, nor a spot of dirt. It gets an "A-" in authenticity (it only needs graffiti carved into the tables and woodwork with pocket knives). I am reminded why I avoid them when I am stateside.

For my part:
I Found the staff to be amazingly kind. They tried very hard to treat us as they would in an American restaurant. They brought us the menus after they sat us down, then left us there for a bit. She asked for our drink order then stopped herself from asking us what else we would order, and left us to decide upon our food without doing the customary hovering while we browsed their menu. Their wait staff is amazing and lovely.

The plate of Enchiladas Verdes was not the usual tex-mex variety of enchiladas verdes. I expected and prepared for this. I was a bit let down, but I am aware of the difficulty in finding the ingredients for the sauce. No big deal there... but the quality left something to be desired. The corn tortillas, the essence of any enchilada, were dry, and seemed a bit old. The sauce is used to combat this issue, by coating the enchilada. The sauce was only smattered on top, and though it was a generous coat, it wasn't coupled with any cheese to moisturize the enchilada, making for a dry bite every time. Then there was the rice. Here I have to complain totally. The rice, one of my favorite dishes to cook, is extremely simple, and almost impossible to ruin unless you don't put enough spices. They didn't put enough spices, OR enough tomato. The tomato is the most important ingredient next to the cumin and the bell pepper... Not only was the rice flavorless, but it was dry and chewy in some parts, making me think they reheated it. Reheating rice in CHINA? Really?? There is NO shortage of rice in China. No excuse for reheating rice to the point of making it anything but delightful. None. The bean were ok, but not refried the way I am used to... probably no lard, which is probably good. I like the fact that they put cheese on the beans too. They did have the authentic pickled jalapeños too.

Enough about the food. Though the local crowd was bad, and frustrating because they acted like they owned the place and didn't want us there... and maybe it was true... I think we heard the best Country Western Cover-band I have ever heard. They covered quite a few old/good country songs. I'm not a country music fan, but they certainly made me smile. :D

Enough complaining. Back to the beauty that is Beijing.