ol' steakhouse

the rundown: ah-maz-ing. seriously, this might be the best steakhouse i've ever been to. mesquite-grilled steaks, good ol' fashioned sides, full bar with the best house merlot i've ever had, everything on the menu looked delicious. i would make a day trip from houston just to eat at this place. want more? read on!

from the outside, ol' steakhouse co doesn't look like much, but inside the lighting is subdued, the bar is stocked, and you can see and smell your meat grilling on the open-flame grill. i had their 6 oz usda choice center-cut top sirloin (only $12.39!) topped with their signature rosemary-gorgonzola butter. oh, that butter. i think there was even pecans in it... something so crazy and magical that it just worked.

i ordered their house merlot on a whim and my mother and i agreed it was one of the top merlots we've had. the sides were delicious, this is one of the few places i've found cinnamon apples as a side. talk about southern cuisine...yum! the caesar salad wasn't to my liking, it was more of a vinegar-based than creamy dressing.

seriously, though, that mesquite sear on the steaks... not only did it smell like a delicious fire inside, but i could've been sitting on a log next to a grizzled cowboy, eating a steak freshly cooked on his cobbled campfire, that's how incredible these steaks tasted. if you have a bit more dough, definitely spring for the filet. my stepdad got one and it was to die for.

we decided to order a carrot cake to go. if i haven't said enough good things about this restaurant, i'm going to say more. i'm a dyed-in-the-wool chocoholic, but my stepdad convinced me the carrot cake wasworthit, and man, was he right. this is probably the best carrot cake i've ever had. it was ridiculously moist, with thick layers of cream cheese icing, and the perfect balance of spices, nuts, and raisins. i'm drooling now just thinking about.

you gotta try this place!

the cheese burger is pretty good. it wasworththe 20 minute wait for a table

longhorn steak & ale here is a local place, not to be confused with longhorn steakhouse, which is a national chain. just fyi.

my partner and i arrived on a friday night and had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. yes, this restaurant is very popular and totallyworththe short wait. plan your dining time accordingly.

this place has a great atmosphere with a friendly waitstaff. it did take a little longer for our meals to be served, but when the result was presented on our table, we understood why. quality food requires a little longer to prepare.

for an appetizer, we tried the grilled cheddar stuffed mushrooms. the mushroom caps with herbs and four cheeses were very good.

my partner ordered the outlaw ribeye. it was huge. he said it was grilled perfectly. he also had the loaded baked potato and a mixed green salad. he was pleased with everything.

i decided upon the grilled trout with shrimp and lobster along with seasonal veggies and caesar salad. it was excellent.

longhorn steak & ale provides a great dining experience in cc.

the food was amazing!! the best meal i have ever had. i recommend getting there 15-30 min before you actually want to eat. but it'sworththe wait!!

the best steak and baby ribs ever!!! totallyworththe price. very friendly environment.

not impressed with the steaks. after hearing all the raves about the steaks here, i had to check it out. chicken rolls for appetizers were excellent. the corn and apple side dishes were very good. the steaks, not so much. the flavor/seasoning was excellent. however they were cooked horribly. i haven't had a steak that bad in a long time. i ordered mine medium rare as did my boyfriend. both ours were still tough and chewy, overcooked on the outside, and not tender on the inside at all. that's the first time i can remember not finishing a steak because it just wasn'tworthit. the rest of the food we got was good and i might go back for some of their chicken dishes, they looked really good. but definitely won't be ordering another steak from there, very undeserving of the "best steaks in corpus" awards.