Texas Roadhouse - Chantilly, VA Review

My wife and I found ourselves hungry the other day, while in a location that we seldom explore. We ended up at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Chantilly, VA, which is just off Rt. 28 (Sully Road). This is a fun place and I hope we can get back there someday.

What it is

The Texas Roadhouse is a steakhouse chain. As you come in the door, there is a cooler with various cuts of beef, from which you can choose your steak. In addition, there is a menu with other-than-steak items, from burgers to chicken to salads to pork barbeque. Tables are simple wooden slabs with hard wooden benches, not the most comfortable seating but it wasn't bad. The Texas Roadhouse that we went to was a pretty good size and probably seated 150 or so.

The ambiance is ranch/southwestern style, with cowboy posters and ranching artifacts. Pop/rock/country oldies were playing in the background, such as Burning Love from Elvis and The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. One fave I remember hearing was Dumas Walker by the Kentucky Headhunters.

The food

I ordered the chicken critters, which are the Texas Roadhouse's version of chicken fingers. They were battered and crisply fried, but fairly greasy. I got six of them, and only ate three with the meal, although they were tender and tasty. I took the other three home in a doggie bag. In addition, my meal came with two sides. I chose barbeque beans and flavored rice from the list of 10 or so side orders. My wife had the sirloin kabob, which came served on two skewers over a bed of rice.

Once the friendly help learned that we had never been to a Texas Roadhouse before, they brought us two of the restaurant's "fall-off-the-bone" ribs so we could sample them. Ribs are just too fatty for me but there's no question that these ribs were tender and delicious. As a tiny appetizer (one small rib each) it was all that I would want, but it was very good. If you don't mind the fat and sodium in the ribs and sauce, they would make a delicious (and messy!) meal.

As for my chicken and my wife's sirloin kabob, they were also tender and tasty. The kabobs came skewered with onions and green peppers, and all had some seasoning on them. Very good. Likewise the flavored rice was tasty, although it seemed a little heavy on the salt. The barbeque beans were likewise good -- not the best I've had but definitely something I would order again.

Most meals cost in the $9 to $15 range, with some of the beef cuts getting more expensive than that. I washed it down with a Diet Coke and can't comment on the restaurant's beer/wine... or even if it has beer/wine.

The help

The staff at this Texas Roadhouse was young and exceptionally friendly. My waiter was Eric, who looked young enough to be a high school senior. Despite his age, he was attentive, thoughtful and an all-around terrific waiter. From the hostess to the other staff who looked in on us from time to time, everyone was much friendlier than at most restaurants.

Summary

I couldn't make a steady diet of the Texas Roadhouse's high-calorie/high-fat foods but it's a place that I will want to go to again. The food was tasty, the casual atmosphere is just what I like and the help is the friendliest I can recall in a long time. I recommend the Texas Roadhouse in Chantilly, VA.