Longhorn Steakhouse Steak Master Series

This is the second year Longhorn has put together the Steak Master Series contest, challenging all of their chefs from the kitchen with a series of test to pass in order to advance to the next round. I was lucky enough to attend the semi-final round for our region and boy let me tell you. These guys know their stuff!

I really loved all of the details of this event. What was even more awesome was seeing these guys in their element in action at the grill. Each of them had a special spark, humble and you could tell they do what they love!

One thing Longhorn Steakhouse has perfected is consistency! Every time I have visited and different locations, they really do perfect what they do and make sure you have the same flavor at each location. I fell in love with the fried okra today and their steakhouse mac and cheese has a nice creaminess to it along with bacon that makes everything better.

After we sampled the steak and sides it was time to get to business and learn who would be moving on to National Finals later in June. (Michael Coates, Mauricio Salazar, Darius Jones)

3^rd Place: Mauricio Salazar, Houston, TX

2^nd Place: Darius Jones, Fort Smith, AR

Champion: Michael Coates, Denver, CO

I’m sad our local boy didn’t win, but I’m proud to have Michael represent us in the West! Congrats to all the entries this year! Be sure to swing by your local Longhorn Steakhouse and taste their amazing steaks grilled to perfection!

Also, be sure to sign up on their website and enjoy a free appetizer sent to your inbox!

Glass Wall

Glass Wall has caught my eye on the Houston Restaurant Week menu, but we never got a chance to try them out. We finally just decided lets just go on a date night. After dinner we decided we’ll be back for sure!

The inside is nice and trendy. They had a few floor heaters going since it was a cold night. We had to slip our jacket on a couple of times because it seemed the cold air was seeping through.

We started out with the Hamachi Poke Tacos $15 (avocado, ginger, wasabi, ponzu). D said he wouldn’t order again, but I liked them. Not at the price point but they where filling.

We also got a flavored butter and nice soft fluffy house made bread while we waited.

I ordered the Hereford Beef Tenderloin $34 (spinach/bone marrow mashers, cabernet demi glaze). This dish was wonderful! I thought the mashers should have had a little more of the bone marrow flavor, but they where really light and perfectly whipped.

D ordered the Coffee Crusted Pork Chop $28 (hericot vert/sweet potato mash, espresso demi jus). He said he should have gone with his gut and picked something else. The saving grace of this dish was the sauce.

Finally for dessert we shared the Espresso Cheesecake $9 (Espresso Chocolate Sauce, Cinnamon Whipped Cream). O…M….G is this good! I found a similar recipe on Pinterest I can’t wait to try. It’s so good and the cinnamon whipped cream makes it!

Smith & Wollensky

We decided to head out to dinner New Year’s Day with friends that had never been to Smith & Wollensky. Honestly it’s been years since we had been to this location, mostly because we don’t live in town anymore, but never the less we really need to make more of an effort to come since the food is amazingly good!

Get your comfy pants on because I’m about to make you hungry looking at all the food pics from dinner!

We started out with an Old Fashion $15 and Manhattan $16. Personally I’m more of a Manhattan fan, but both drinks where well made.

While we looked over the menu, the waiter brought out some rosemary rolls which are hot out of the oven melt in your mouth good.

For appetizers we settled on Beef Bacon $15 (house cured and smoked, bleu cheese dip), Soup of the day $7 (French Onion Soup) and Angry Shrimp $19 (crispy battered shrimp, spicy lobster butter sauce). The bacon was wonderful, I mean it’s bacon how can you go wrong with that? I really liked that it was paired with some creamy blue cheese dip. I may steal this idea for my next cocktail party. The onion soup I literally almost licked the bowl. it was thick and caramelized and so full of flavor, I couldn’t get enough! The angry shrimp, while tasty, I would recommend ordering something else. I do not think this was worth the $19 they charged.

We all ordered some type of steak. The guys each got a Signature USDA Prime Dry-Aged Bone-In 24oz. Rib Eye (simply charbroiled) $65. Both cooked perfectly to order and melt in our mouth good with the added flavor from the bone.

Black Angus Bone-In 16oz Filet $63.00 plus I got the Oscar Style enhancement for $10. Wow was this worth it. The bone adds so much flavor and I just loved the large lump crab in the their Oscar sauce. The sauce itself is so silky smooth you won’t be disappointed.

Our friend got the 10oz. Black Angus Filet Mignon $48. Also cooked perfectly.

We ended up getting 3 sides to share. A Truffled Mac and Cheese $12, Szechuan Green Beans $11 and a :Loaded Baked Potato $10. All sides are a wonderful option and easily enough to share with the 4 of us. We did have a complaint that the bacon on the baked potato was a little on the fatty side which made it more chewy.

As if we where not full enough we had to get 2 desserts to share and take home. They come out with largest slices of cake. Totally worth the $10 a slice! The gigantic chocolate cake is rich without being suck your mouth dry and the coconut cake is just heaven! Highly recommend both!!

We told them we where celebrating an anniversary and they gave us $10 off our meal, which I thought was a really nice touch. The service is top notch as well as the food being spot on. It holds a place in my heart for being one of those memorable steak places we would love to revisit.