Walking into a steak house with a vegetarian can be a little dangerous. However, a pescatarian is a completely different story! Especially if you are going to dine at the LongHorn Steakhouse in Chesterfield Commons!
Upon entry, the place looked like a ghost town, empty, and I expected tumbleweeds to roll by. But when we were escorted to the dining area we could see several other tables filled with other diners conversing over their food, with country music playing in the background.
We were seated in a comfortable booth by a window and greeted by our waitress almost immediately. She took our drink orders and answered all of my questions about steak types and textures (since I haven't had one in years!)
My pescatarian had come with only one thing on her mind... Salmon. Although a little disappointed that they had run out of spaghetti squash, she thoroughly enjoyed the sweet potato with butter, cinnamon and sugar and steamed asparagus instead.
After trying to remember what kind of steak I used to eat, I ended up having Baby Back Ribs with a loaded baked potato. As any rib lover knows, ask about the sauce before you commit. Usually, a server will bring you a taste of the sauce so you aren't sorry about your choice. Their signature sauce was what I would classify as a tangy sweet. It wasn't like a honey sweet sauce, so keep that in mind. I wasn't sorry for picking the ribs! They were literally falling off the bones and delicious!
Now, there are servers that are working to get through their shift and take home some cash. There are servers that are working to make their customer's experience stand out in their memories, so they come back and ask for them again. Sabrina will definitely be remembered for her great serving! The difference is in getting the 'just right' amount of attention during your meal. Those server's tips will reflect how well they make that customer feel like they were served, and not just waited on. It's an art to make a customer feel like they just came home after a long trip and can finally relax, because they are being taken care of for the meal. Sabrina is an artist...
The restaurant is under new management from what I was told, and it appears that the staff are happy with the change. We were so well taken care of that I almost kicked off my boots and fell asleep after we finished eating. (Not really, but the atmosphere was very comfortable!) We were able to talk with our server throughout the meal, she was very personable and a great addition to an amazing meal. I love to hear people's stories about life in general, so I tend to ask lots of questions. Not all restaurants will allow a server to be personable, pushing to keep them moving from table to table. There was no feeling of pressure emulating from the management. Of course, when it's more of a busy time of day, there isn't much you can do but run from table to booth, but you never have to make your customer think they are inconveniencing you.
We didn't even realize that we were the only ones there after the other customers had gone, all the staff were done with their cleaning, and were hanging out in the bar area. They never once rushed us or said anything about the time (but they probably should have! I had no idea what time they closed and I was sitting with my back to the door. I didn't see that it had emptied out...) This did allow us the opportunity to thank our chef in person, and again thank our server. We apologized for making them stay late and rushed out as soon as we realized what had happened. Not one second did the manager, bartender, chef, or server give us any grief for making it a little bit of a late night for them. They were gracious hosts and we will be going back (but now I know what time to get out!)
