Ponderosa Steak House

My wife and I decided to give the Ponderosa one more try. I had been there back in January and the food was terrible. This time all but the «overly» fried chicken was very good. The beans still could be cooked and seasoned more but overall the food was good. The server however was awful. It took her forever just to bring us our first glass of tea. We made a trip to the salad bar, ate and still no refills though she walked past our table at least 3 times. She stopped to talk to the table beside us and socialize for a few minutes but still no refills. I finally went and asked her for refills and she said, «In a few minutes.» Well, needless to say I was not waiting any longer. I asked another server for drinks and she went right away. Our «server» came to the table as the other was coming back and asked us what we were drinking. The price is not bad for the variety of food. If they can get the food and service to an acceptable place then maybe I’ll go back again.

Great place to stop and great food to boot! Our waitress was attentive and pleasant. The restaurant staff all seemed to be very polite and friendly also. I will definitely eat here again. The steaks are very good, and the price is just right!

2.5 stars
So I’m sure I’ve been to one of these in the past, in my childhood– although anything with a buffet and a soft serve machine meshes in my memory.
Obviously this is not a gourmet eatery, but for what it is it does it well. Upon entering you will be greeted very warmly, and you will be given a plethora of options. You can choose to get steak platters alone, or with the buffet. Obviously you get the buffet for 2 – 3 $ more.
I don’t know if it was my memory playing tricks on me, or if it was just this location, but the buffet area was very small. The normal chicken wings, chicken fingers, chocolate pudding, spaghetti, breads, soups, and large bowl of iceberg lettuce greeted me. I was bad and had the mac and cheese, and it was oh so good. Wheat and dairy, oh my!
I got the steak tips, and a baked potato. The potato was molten lava hot, and the tips were a bit on the cooler side. I asked for extra onions with my tips and they came in abundance.
Our server was nice, and I’m not going to call her racist, but my table was not the ‘whitest’ although I appeared to be, and received more attention than anyone else which we really noticed, and found interesting. For instance, I had half a glass of water, and was brought another. But a glass on the table not belonging to me that was empty of sprite but belonging to someone a bit more brown went completely unnoticed. Coincidence, maybe… after all it was West Virginia.
When you’re on the road for a few hours, and need something hearty and consistent over a burger and fries this is a good alternative.