YEE: Summer Steak-cation at LongHorn Steakhouse Memorial

This was my first ever Unilocal Elite event, and I think now the bar has been set as high as it can go!
I was thinking we would have to choose one appetizer, but no, we got to try all four. The fried green tomatoes were my favorite. The corn fritters and wild west shrimp tied for second place, and the pretzels came in third. They were good, just everything else was better.
I tried the beefsteak tomato and bacon salad. It was delicious and really big. I could eat it for lunch and be satisfied.
I was going to try the parmesan crusted chicken, but after they talked about the steaks and really emphasized this being a steak event, I changed my mind and ordered the smokey garlic outlaw rib eye. I wouldn’t describe it as garlicky, but it was still really good. And with all the other food I maybe finished half my steak. I went against their recommendation of medium and ordered mine medium rare and was completely satisfied.
I thought you;d have to choose between the two desserts, but no, they brought out both, family style. The blueberry lemon cake easily beat the chocolate in my opinion, but they were both delicious and I would eat either of them again and again.
Overall this was an amazing event. We got a lot of food and alcohol, and it was all free! And I won a $ 25 gift card for posting on Instagram, so I will definitely be coming back to use that and my free appetizer coupon!

THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! I can honestly say, «It’s sweet to be Elite.» I have never experienced such a high level of professionalism, and excellent customer service. Longhorn Steakhouse really knows how to make you feel like a superstar. We were greeted by several of the hostesses for our group and led to our table. We started off with one of the two complimentary drinks, and once everyone arrived, a plethora of appetizers filled the tables. Brew Pub Pretzel Sticks, Wild West Shrimp (fried), Sweet Corn Fritters, and Fried Green Tomatoes were positioned so that everyone had their share of each item. This was my first time trying fried green tomatoes. I was hesitant because I don’t like tomatoes, but I can honestly say the green tomatoes taste nothing like the red tomatoes. Those fried green tomatoes gave me life! At first sight, the Wild West Shrimp looks like regular fried shrimp. Oh but when you taste them… umm, umm, good! The seasoning used on those shrimp is like nothing I’ve ever tasted. Those shrimp were absolutely delicious! The corn fritters were just like the name… sweet…and delicious… and left you wanting more. Here’s a tip, don’t eat too many of those tasty pretzel sticks because they will fill you up quickly. You definitely want to leave room for the main course.
I started off with a salad. No bells and whistles. Just a salad with blue cheese dressing, but a nice starting point. I’m not a beef eater, so I had the Grilled Citrus Salmon with fresh steamed asparagus. The citrus flavor was just right. Not too much, but enough to give that salmon a bang. This will definitely be my «go to» dish on my next visit. Others at the table feasted on the different steaks that were available. The consensus was that the steak was delicious. No matter what cut or type of preparation was chosen, everyone enjoyed their steak. The side choices were mashed potatoes, mac-​n-​cheese, fresh steamed broccoli, grilled corn on the cob and a baked potato. Based on the round table discussion, these were the best sides ever! I think the mac-​n-​cheese was a definite winner. For dessert, the choices were Chocolate Stampede cake, and Blueberry Lemon Butter cake. Let’s just say every plate was empty.
A big shout out to Courtney! Girl you did your thing while Farrah was away. Courtney was attentive and made sure we all felt right at home. This event was classy and spectacular! I look forward to the next Elite event. #ItsSweetToBeElite
Oh and a big CONGRATULATIONS to Courtney on her engagement!

Loved my Steak-​cation, like a fat kid loves… steak? It was a good event to meet new Elites, and an opportunity to try out a restaurant I might not otherwise try! When we sat down the staff was super fast at taking our drink orders and getting everyone settled and introducing themselves.
Background: LongHorn Steakhouse is a Georgia steakhouse that has opened a few establishments in Texas in the last few years. Also, I was surprised to learn they have a rotating seasonal menu. Most chains have a menu and that’s it, seasons be damned. This makes my inner food snob happy.
Because I couldn’t partake in trying out the fun drinks, I opted for the non-​alcoholic section. They have a great section of berry iced teas. I picked the unsweetened ones, because in addition to the iced tea, LongHorn adds a berry syrup. I knew the syrup would be more than sweet enough for me. This is a long winded way of saying the unsweetened iced tea was great.
Appetizers: Loved the fried green tomatoes. First time in a long time I’ve had something this good. The tomatoes are about ½″ thick, lightly battered, and hot and crisp. Just everything I want in a fried vegetable. Vegetarians, order like 3 of these, and you have a meal. But, beware this is a seasonal item, so it may or not be available later. The corn fritters, likewise, were hot and crisp – another solid item. The breadsticks, while good, were kinda meh for me. I liked the sauces and the pretzel bread was good, but I wasn’t really wowed. The Wild West Shrimp, a popular menu item, according to our hosts, was kind of a flop for me. While the flavors were really good, the batter on the shrimp was kinda soggy by the time we got it. I suspect these were made ahead of time, because they came out first, and quickly, but they might have sat out a bit too long.
Salad/​Soup: While everyone else opted for the salad, I wanted to try out this tortilla soup. Tortilla soup at a chain steakhouse? Let’s not get crazy. But the soup was pretty good! It was creamy, and loaded with extras, like cheese, avocado, and corn. I could have used about 10% more chicken, and be a little less heavy handed with the extras. It had just the right amount of heat, so it didn’t overwhelm the rest of the ingredients.
Steak: As for the main event, I ordered the Hickory Salt Crusted NY Strip medium rare. My steakhouse litmus test is to order a steak medium rare. I typically order my steaks rare, unless I really trust the cook. How did my steak turn out? Half correct. My steak was in the shape of a comma, so I made multiple cuts to assess its doneness. In the tail part of the steak, it was a solid medium. However, in the thicker (head part of the comma), it was medium rare. It is difficult to cook an unevenly shaped piece of meat uniformly, so it was kinda right, but I would probably order it rare in the future. As for the sauce, I really liked it. It really complimented the steak without being overly salty. However, I think it did throw off my palate for my side.
Side note on the ribeye: I threw immediate side-​eye when the hosts suggested the ribeye be cooked to medium. What. Blasphemy. But, everyone who got a medium ribeye was really pleased with it, and it looked great. So maybe try it out!
Side: Mac and cheese. I think everyone ordered this, and while I wanted to be different… it’s mac and cheese. To me it seemed bland, but I think the sauce on my steak was throwing me off. I had a few sips of water, and tried it again, and the mac and cheese was instantly much better, and I could taste the bacon.
Desserts: Most of us had about 2 bites of each, because we were feeling a little Veruca Salt after she turned into a blueberry in Willy Wonka. The Chocolate Stampe was amazing, but I preferred the Blueberry Lemon Butter Cake (another seasonal item). The lemon and blueberries were the perfect amount of richness to end the meal. I loved that the lemon flavor didn’t overwhelm the moist fluffy cake, but a little lemon zest in the cake never hurt anyone.
Service was also great. Servers were attentive and quick. Although, as the night wore on, some small inconsistencies did pop up. One of my table mates had to ask for her wine twice, before she got it. I think my server forgot that I wanted unsweetened blackberry iced tea, because the third one was sweetened (and confirmed my instincts about it being WAY too sweet for me). Also, there were some mix ups when the steaks were brought out. Some steaks were with the wrong sides and had to be replated with correct side. Nothing that can’t be corrected.
Overall, an amazing event, and I’m happy I was lucky enough to participate. I’ll definitely keep LongHorn in mind the next time I’m craving a steak. Thanks to Farrah and her staff for arranging this event, and thanks to LongHorn for hosting!

A summer steak-​cation is just what I needed
It’s a perfect way to beat the heat, I conceded
Off to LongHorn Steakhouse in Memorial we went
To stuff my face, I would not relent
Service was impeccable, I cannot lie
With so many of us, I thought the servers would cry
Starting us off with 4 appetizers, I thought,
«Holy moly, these all hit the spot!»
Alas, that was just the beginning of our meal
In addition to 2 free drinks, what a steal
Out came big kahuna: an 18 ounce steak
With a side of mac and cheese, my stomach would ache
Not from the taste, but from the capacity of
My stomach, which really showed the food true love
I brought more than half home with me
For I had to have dessert, my final plea
Chocolate cake and ice cream, and lemon butter cake
This was definitely a meal I could not willingly forsake
By the end of the night I had to roll out
Of the restaurant — is there a thing called «food gout?»
My kudos to Farrah and Courtney S
Unilocal sure makes us Elites feel #blessed
This is definitely a summer to remember
I’ll be feeling summer steak-​cation all the way until December

This was the best Elite event I have attended in a long time. The staff was extremely attentive and made us all feel very special. Right away the menu was explained to us and our drink orders were taken. I loved the pretzel appetizer. They were nice and warm and the dipping sauces were right on. The Wild West Shrimp was a favorite as well. The table loved the fried green tomatoes and how crispy they turned out. I ordered the outlaw ribeye with a side of macaroni and cheese. Wow! The steak was cooked perfectly at medium rare and that’s one of the best macaroni and cheese dishes I’ve ever had. Anything with bacon in it is going to be great! I did have to ask twice and ask two people for a second glass of wine but other than that it was a fantastic event!

Loved this steak-​cation Unilocal event. I had the pleasure of attending the fogo event earlier this year and this one was up to par. I couldn’t get over how friendly, accommodating, and informative the hosts were all evening.
When everyone was seated, multiple appetizers were brought to the table to share with fellow elites and my favorites were the shrimp and fried green tomatoes, the breading had me coming back for more (what diet?)! I chose the beefsteak tomato & bacon salad as a starter and it was a massive salad, I could have easily finished it and be done with the meal but uhhh, I’m here for the STEAK. They offered multiple cuts for us to choose from and explained each of them so we could order according to our tastes. I chose the smokey garlic outlaw ribeye — medium rare with a side of asparagus. I do wish I would have gotten the plain ribeye but the tomatoes added a nice acidity to the steak. By the time dessert came around, i could only have a couple bites of the two they brought out — should have taken some to go but I knew I would dig into it once I got home. I only had one drink for the evening, the Montana mule and it had the strong ginger taste I was hoping for!
Another perk about this elite event was that they encouraged elites to post pictures to win gift cards and also had a quiz midway to test our knowledge! The Longhorn steakhouse hosts truly made this event spectacular and I give them two thumbs up for catering to our stomachs!

If the definition of a «Steak-​cation» somehow coincides with having your steak and eating it too, then we hit the nail on the head at LongHorn Steakhouse Monday night! The Summer Steak-​cation event at the Memorial location was definitely a success and I’m sure my fellow Elites can concur. This was my first Unilocal Elite steak event and also my first time at LongHorn Steakhouse. Per Farrah’s instructions we were told to come hungry, so I did just that. By the end of the night, I was absolutely stuffed– but in a «damn that food was good!» type of way!
As soon as we arrived we were able to seat ourselves to a table that was reserved just for us. The Longhorn staff welcomed us with open arms, making us feel right at home. We were allowed to have 2 free alcoholic beverages for the night. My waiter’s name was Stoney (who was excellent by the way) and he was very familiar with the drink menu. After showing me what they had to offer, he suggested the Raspberry Lynchburg Lemonade. I love anything Raspberry so I was game for the suggestion. After taking the first sip, I knew Stoney was alright with me because this drink was everything! I honestly can’t remember what all it consisted of, but it was tasty with just the right mix of liquor. My second drink choice was the Montana Mule. I wasn’t too fond of this one as It tasted like Sprite mixed with Bourbon and I guess I was expecting it to be different. If I could hit the rewind button, I probably would’ve opted for one of the martinis instead.
Moving on to the appetizers. Longhorn is definitely winning in this category! When I first laid eyes on the Brew Pub Pretzel Sticks I couldn’t wait to try one and even warned my peeps around me to hurry and snap any pics they intended to take because ya girl was ready to smash! They were warm and SO good! They came with beer cheese and honey mustard for dipping which made the taste even better. The Wild West Shrimp was another favorite. It came with spicy peppers, garlic butter and ranch dressing. We all had to double back on this one. Definitely two thumbs up for the shrimp! If you love tomatoes and hand-​breaded bites, then the Fried Green Tomatoes is a must! I only had one but wished I would’ve grabbed a second one. But who am I kidding? I still had the Sweet Corn Fritters to try, and they too were addictive. Next was our choice of soup or salad. I went with the Mixed Green Salad. I will say there was nothing spectacular about this salad– it was just average, with your typical greens and vegetables.
Before the main course meal came out one of the LongHorn managers gave us a brief steak lesson, making us aware of the different steaks they offer and how each one differs in appearance and flavor. This would later be useful for a steak quiz that we each had to complete for a chance to win a gift card. By the time the fun and games were done, it was time for the main course! I decided to go with the Hickory Salt Crusted NY Strip and had it prepared Medium Rare. Patting myself on the back for choosing this one because Longhorn perfected it to a tee. Very tender, super juicy, and oh so tasty! My waiter brought me out a side of steak butter to go with it that set off the flavor even more. For my side, I chose the Loaded Idaho Baked Potato which was on point as well. At this point, ya girl was feeling like a true fat ass because my mind was saying «Yesssss» while my stomach was saying «Really? Chile please!» So of course after seeing that it was a done deal for the kid, Stoney (my waiter) knew I was going to need a to go bag because I had reached my stopping point.
But then the dessert plates were being placed. Yep, more food! There were 2 different dessert options in which we were served both. I tried the Blueberry Lemon Butter Cake first and it was my favorite. It was warm and very moist, filled with fresh blueberries and a vanilla cream sauce. It tasted as if it was homemade– super satisfying! The second dessert choice was the Chocolate Stampede. This was a mix of layered chocolates served with vanilla ice cream. The presentation of this dessert was pretty fancy and definitely had us anxious to dig in! The portions were huge and was easily enough for 2 to 3 people. I enjoyed it and can truly say I got my chocolate fix for the week.
I must say, this event was da bomb! Good food, excellent drinks, great people– what more can you ask for? Kudos to Longhorn Steakhouse for hosting us here and for giving us free appetizer cards to use on our next visit. I definitely plan to come back and will be ready to put that coupon to use. A huge THANK YOU to Farrah A. for putting this event together and allowing us to have yet another great Unilocal Elite experience. Also to Courtney S. for making sure the event was a success in Farrah’s absence– thanks for the Unilocal Elite phone chargers! Unilocal Houston rocks and I can truly say it’s sooooo damn neat to be elite AND get to eat!!!

This really was a great event, and I wish more elite events could be like this. We got to try a bunch of dishes and really get to know the offerings at LongHorn. I had actually been to this LongHorn once before about two years ago. I remember enjoying it, but just never ending up back there for no real reason… this event gave me an opportunity to give them another try.
I really enjoyed all the appetizers, more so that I expected in regards to the fried green tomatoes. A little info about each would have been nice just to know what I’m eating, but I figured it out by the names. During this first course I had a perfect margarita… it was probably the best margarita I ever had. I’ll also echo Daniel in saying that you get quite a good sized drink! Later when I ordered a second, it tasted nothing like the first. This second one was quite average, so I guess this makes the margaritas hit or miss. I went with the beefsteak tomato and bacon salad, not really having much of a clue what that was, but deciding things with bacon are usually better than things without. The best part of this was the cornbread croutons. Totally unique item that they should stress more. Heck, I’d just like a side of those as an appetizer! Then came the steaks… we got a nice little info session on them. It was strongly stressed if we went with the ribeye we should go medium to avoid having it under-​cooked. I went medium rare anyways… despite this it seemed closer to a medium to me. The steak was nice but not amazing. Quite flavorful and large, but a little fatty for my tastes. I knew this going in based on the cut, but they strongly recommended the ribeye. This came with a side of mac & cheese which was amazing. The deserts were pretty big. I can only assume that’s the size if you order them, which means they are designed to share. The chocolate stampede cake was wonderful… but I was so stuffed by that point I could hardly manage that second serving I took.
In the end it was a great event. As far as the food/​price/​service I stand by the four I gave them two years ago. However, this event itself was outstanding. One for the Unilocal Memories Scrapbook and to brag about. I’m sure it will entice my friends due to posting pictures on Twitter. Thanks to the staff and management at LongHorn it was a great event! I’m looking forward to going back again sometime.

This was my first STEAK-​cation event and my fellow Elites and I were treated ROYALLY! Seriously, I’m still STUFFED as I write this. Unfortunately, Elites couldn’t share this experience with any +1s, but since my inner fatty lives within me, Bertha most definitely crashed the party.
I hadn’t been to a LongHorn Steakhouse, but knowing it was acquired by the Darden Restaurants family (think The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Yard House, etc.), I figured we would be in good hands. From our gracious hosts, I learned that LongHorn is fairly new to the Houston scene — about three years or so (five years in Texas). However, that hasn’t stopped them from cementing a top spot for «great steaks done right.» LongHorn offers up seven cuts of meat, including its popular Flo’s filet. My favorite cut is the ribeye, which I’ll get to later.
Elites were urged to come hungry and we quickly learned why. This was a full, four course dining experience complete with shared appetizers, starters, steak (of course) and family-​style dessert. They were kind enough to provide us lushes with two adult beverages each. LongHorn might be known for its margaritas, but chile, that Raspberry Lynchburg Lemonade will change your life! I can only describe it as a sweeter take on a Long Island with the infusion of liquors and flavor. I was less impressed by the Montana Mule, as it’s nothing like its distant cousin over in Moscow. The presentation was nice, but it pretty much tasted like soda.
All of the appetizers were good, BUT hands down, the Wild West shrimp blew the other appetizers out of the water! It’s priced just under $ 10 and large enough to share, but trust me, you won’t. If you enjoy battered shrimp and a hint of spice, you’ll appreciate the cherry peppers and pepperoncinis that accompany it. The sweet corn fritters were a golden ball of sweet, oozing goodness — ’nuff said. The brew pub pretzel sticks MUST be tried with the Sam Adams beer cheese. (Otherwise, there’s no point. Make those carbs worth it, boo). And though I’m not a fan of fried green tomatoes overall, I’ve got to hand it to LongHorn for mastering their take on this delicacy: thick-​cut slices that are hand-​breaded and served with crumbled goat cheese and a Sriracha remoulade. I was very impressed! These are offered on the Peak Season menu, so try them when you can.
Next up, I chose the grilled chicken tortilla soup, which ate like a meal within itself. Like the fried green tomatoes, it’s a Peak Season menu offering, so I definitely wanted to try it. I’m glad I did. The broth is thick and rich like a chili. It comes topped with cheese, sour cream, guacamole and the tortilla strips.
And for the main course, Bertha and I chose the smoky garlic outlaw ribeye. Normally priced around $ 26, this 18 oz. beauty is really enough for two people to indulge in. I LOVE garlic so the garlic vinaigrette and roasted grape tomatoes that topped the fire-​grilled steak was absolutely the bee’s knees! Mouth-​watering, succulent, juicy — what else can I use to describe it? This is a Chef Showcase special, y’all so you need to try this ASAP. Thank me later. I chose the steakhouse mac n’ cheese as my side dish. Another example of pure, creamy goodness with a light topping of breaded delightfulness. Inside, Bertha was doing cartwheels…
By the time dessert came around, I barely had any room left. But, I figured that I owed it to my fellow Unilocalers to give them a try. If you’re a fan of chocolate (even just a little), go with the chocolate stampede. It’s HUGE and can possibly accommodate three people (two for sure). It features six chocolate layers and two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. We all know vanilla bean makes ANY dessert that much better. For my non-​chocolate peeps, the blueberry lemon butter cake (Peak Season menu) was also amazing with the blueberry and lemon flavors providing a balanced blend of tart and sweet. The butter cake was moist and the lemon custard melted in my mouth. I don’t usually go crazy over desserts, but I was really happy about trying this.
We truly got steak-​wasted (no offense to any of my vegetarian/​vegan peeps, but this girl loves her red meat)! I would like to thank Courtney S. for holding down the fort in Farrah’s absence (dahling, you were missed, but Courtney took great care of us); the LongHorn staff and servers for treating us so graciously and providing us with a memorable dining experience; and my buddy, Shawn S. — you da’ real MVP for helping me win my gift card!
We were given free appetizer coupons (to use with the purchase of an entrée) and since I was the winner of a LongHorn gift card, OF COURSE, I’ll be back. I guess I’ll invite Shawn.
UYE, anyone…

I missed last year’s incarnation of the steak-​cation events whilst traveling. I made sure that I was going to be in town this year. Memorial was my jam, even though it was a schlep out here from Greenway since rush «hour» had not quite settled down yet. Farrah put us on prior notice that she was going to be absent, so this was Courtney’s rodeo. In Courtney we trust. While I missed last year’s steak-​cation we did have a YEE at Fogo de Chao last year I attended so I am mostly going to compare this to that since they are relatively similar in making me steak-​happy.
Booze: At Fogo we were given two drink tickets but the caipirinha was unremarkable so I didn’t use my second drink ticket there since it was a buffet style challenge to cram as much steak into me as the gauchos would allow or until I collapsed the chair underneath me like in Shallow Hal. Here we had the king’s choice of adult bevs but I went with the strawberry margarita on the rocks served with a watermelon rock candy swizzle stick since I had done my research beforehand reading Cherry A’s (the other Daniel L.) review of the prior week’s steak-​cation event up in Humble. On the regular menu this drink runs $ 8.49. Very sugary but rock candy, so win. My second drink was the «perfect» margarita since Alan let me sample his, and he sampled my strawberry one earlier. The «perfect» was a more traditional marg experience, but it came with no rock candy and had a strong undertone of «mix» flavor that was apparent since the tequila game was not as strong as it could have been in the marg. When you order a marg (any marg) they leave the strainer with you so each «drink» is actually two drinks so you can consider the possibilities over two cups of marg per order of drink.
Apps: All of them were winners. But like children, some of them you just like a little better than the others. My absolute fave was the brew pub pretzel sticks with the Sam Adams beer cheese and bacon honey mustard, $ 6.49 regularly, and the one I will use my «free app» coupon on when I return here. I also had quite an interest in the fried green tomatoes (cuz I love that film) with the goat cheese and Sriracha remoulade, $ 6.99 regularly. Those two were God-​tier apps. Our other apps were sweet corn fritters, $ 3 regularly, and Wild West shrimp, $ 9.49 regularly. Good, but paled in comparison to the pretzel sticks and fried green tomatoes.
Salad: At Fogo we had the unlimited salad bar which was divine for their mushrooms, potato salad, and asparagus. Here we had one serving size of salad. I belong to #TeamBacon so of course I went with the beefsteak tomato and bacon salad cuz of dat glistening bacon. On the regular menu it is $ 5.49. This is one fabulous salad because of the bacon but it just gets better and better as you eat through the cornbread croutons and the smoky tomato ranch. The cornbread croutons were such a strange and tasty surprise since it was cornbread! But in croûton form. Nice.
Steak: Of course Fogo is all you can eat. Here we just got the one steak, a huge cut though so even if you are hungry you are still getting more than you can eat. I went with the smoky garlic outlaw ribeye, regularly $ 25.49, for 18oz of steak. This was a good steak to enjoy and I had plenty to bring home; the garlic was not that strong surprisingly, it was just a nice overtone. The tomatoes were melt in your mouth juicy; on and poppin’ as my kids say. The mac and cheese side was just amazing if I can take a moment of your time to spread the good word. I want to fill up my bathtub with multiple orders of their mac and cheese and then I will splash around in it and eat my way out. This mac and cheese would be my last meal on death row.
Dessert: Fogo gave us one-​of-​each dessert to share family style with our surrounding neighbors. Here we got chocolate stampede cake, $ 8.49 regularly, and blueberry lemon butter cake, $ 6.99 regularly. Choc stampede is six types of choc with vanilla bean ice cream. The butter cake was filled with lemon custard, vanilla cream sauce, and fresh blueberries. Very sensible desserts if you have any room left after the margs and Mac and cheese and whatnot. The choc stampede is huge, so that extra money gets you a lot more zert than the butter cake. But the butter cake has blueberries. So, Sophie’s Choice!
A huge thanks to Farrah for setting this up, and to Courtney for making sure this ran smoothly in Farrah’s absence — and bringing me my phone charger that I was unable to obtain at the Montrose pub crawl a few weeks ago! Now my phone baby can survive on energy, as well as love.
A big thanks to Longhorn for accommodating us for the eve. This was my first experience with Longhorn ever (my sister loves them but I have never been.) They treated me like royalty throughout the dinner.
I might have to come back as a paying customer — especially if I Lucille Bluth-​wink at the bartender and get two watermelon rock candy swizzle sticks next time instead of just the one.