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The Roadhouse Grill Makes Steak Right
Posted Feb 16, 2007 by Clarisa Gerlach
Updated Feb 16, 2007 at 11:41 AM
It would be impossible to be a food critic and not write about steak. Ms. Cuisine is looking for food in all the right places so she has built up her expectations for the new kid on the block, The Roadhouse Grill, which is located off U.S. 27 at the south end of the Lakeshore Mall parking lot.
This is Sebring’s new nod to the steak market and is one of 62 locations for this food chain, with the first one situated in Ft. Lauderdale.
My vision of mesquite-grilled steaks, artistic veggies and creative plate presentations would have to wait as I digress first of all to the lunch menu.
The Roadhouse Grill had been open just a few days. This new addition to Sebring’s food scene looked like it might disappoint.
If you are expecting just more than fast food, you will be OK. Anything too complicated isn’t going to happen here for now. It is the regular “Roadhouse” menu.
It was noon on a Monday. The parking lot was full with only one spot open for our car, however there are lots of spaces across the road in the mall area, which is a plus. We eased inside the door. The decor is typical of the Roadhouse style, peanuts in big barrels and peanuts for the table; open rafters, woodsy with a sort of log cabin feel and noisy.
A blaring microphone announced each new available table making the waiting patrons feel like they were standing in a line for the deli counter at Publix.
Before too long we were seated in a booth with a cheerful server ready to please. Lots of staff were rushing here and there.
I am a soup lover. It can be superb and erotic or watery and bland. Some chefs’ test is a perfect roast chicken. Mine is soup. I chose the daily soup special to start, but was told it was already out of stock, so I picked the chicken tortilla, which turned out to be my best surprise of the day.
The bowl was filled with a chicken/tomato-base stock with corn kernels, veggies, cumin and chicken pieces. It arrived really hot, in a square rimmed bowl topped with crispy multi colored tortilla strips. Marks for flavor and presentation. Good, but not over the top.
My companion decided on the featured appetizer platter containing an assortment of fried chicken tenders, two fried cheese egg-type rolls and grilled potato slices topped with melted cheese and garnish. On the side were three pots of different dips; marinara, sour cream/green onions and a mystery mustard that did not make it taste wise. It was neither spicy nor mustardy. The egg rolls were oily and over fried, but he said the other selections were good. I was ready to send it back, but he said no so we pressed on.
Next I picked a Caesar salad with grilled chicken. I wanted steak but remembered this was lunch. When my salad arrived, it was the house salad with tomatoes, onion rings, etc., not romaine as in a “Caesar” recipe, and surprise, the dressing was on the side, all very weird and wrong; obviously a mistake. We asked about it, but there was a hurried excuse that someone in the kitchen must have mis-read the order. Oh well.
We tried the warm, under-baked doughy rolls, but wait, there was one good point here. The butter came in a nice self-serve pot, so much better than those awful foil packets.
A note about the interesting beverage containers; large 32-ounce glass preserving jars accompanied with a straw, filled to the brim with ice water or other drinks. It was a bit odd but maybe would appeal to some. I’m sure this eliminated any refills by an extra service person.
Dessert choices were several, but one was described as a delicious high chocolate cake. I’ll let you know about that on my dinner visit which follows.
Dinner Delight
Arriving for dinner at 6 p.m., again a busy time, the lot was full and people were waiting inside, snacking on the trademark peanuts. The clientele in Sebring seems to eat on the early side so 7:30 p.m. would miss the first crush. We headed for the bar after giving our name to the receptionist.
Happy hour (two for one) is honored all day, but to qualify, choose the highball drinks or house wine. Martini drinkers will benefit from a special shot of two pours into one glass at $3.95. We were not offered seconds, but I guess you have to know the routine.
We were seated in a comfortable booth, and soon able to relish the steak menu while the same doughy rolls arrived.
I was ready for a 9 ounce tenderloin and my companion tried the huge prime rib cut. Service was efficient, and before too long, my seared, medium rare tenderloin arrived just as ordered, and the prime rib was cooked to medium, juicy and also just as ordered. Both were delicious with accompaniment of perfect fluffy baked potatoes or steamed broccoli for me, and flavorful mushrooms with hints of garlic, lemon and wine adding to the prime rib.
It’s good to see the kitchen staff has the steaks right, as this is definitely their forte. This part of the dinner really succeeded.
The dessert was not as exciting. An imposing wedge of inky black chocolate cake was meant to impress, but failed to please. The cake layers were too dense and heavy while the chocolate filling was too cloyingly sweet, and lacking any melting quality on the tongue.
Maybe there will be upscale touches in the future as the manager and kitchen staff work their magic with the menu from the head office. There is talk of a seasonal special menu once the Roadhouse Grill has been open awhile. Let’s give the people of Sebring something to rave about.
Lunch specials start at $5.99 and dinner entrees can exceed $20.
Open every day 11 a.m.-10 p.m. week days, and 11 a.m.-11 a.m. on week ends. Full bar, (happy hour all day).
Ms. Cuisine is a former executive chef and has been featured in Bon Apetit magazine. She also is a former cooking school owner and worked as a corporate chef before moving to Sebring.
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