Longhorn

American food! How come it gets such a bad rap when there are places like Longhorn Steakhouse?If you have a hard time making decisions, when you eat here dont sit at one of Reginas tables. She says she has eaten almost everything on the menu and likes it all. Shes probably onto something as we followed her advice and had two great meals. We thought wed try their onion specialty appetizer, the Tonion, despite the fact that some study somewhere said onion appetizers were loaded with bad fat calories. But, when Longhorn had the training on how to sell onion appetizers in light of this bad publicity, Regina was paying close attention. She quickly assured us that with their onion appetizer each onion petal was individually fried and there would be no grease in the bottom of the basket. But, when she told us about how much she liked the Texas Cheese Fries, she was so enthusiastic, we gave them a try instead. Texas Cheese Fries are fries with chili sauce, three cheeses, jalapeno pepper slices and hickory bacon. The fries were sprinkled with Prairie Dust a mesquite flavor seasoning. The combination of flavors and textures makes this a must when you visit. We usually dont order ribs when we go to a steakhouse, but once more, Regina was so persuasive we ordered a whole rack. She also recommended the Flos Filet, saying it was the best steak in the house. Sold. The ribs came with a side of Double Jack Baked Beans. Theyre called Double Jack because two of the ingredients are Jack Daniels bourbon and jack cheese. Other ingredients are bacon, onions and chipolte peppers. Jalapeno Coleslaw completed the entree. Everything was outstanding. The ribs had lots of very tender meat that fell off the bone. The sauce was thick and tangy. The baked beans were spicy. Its what you would expect, but often restaurants dont meet your expectations. Longhorn exceeded our expectations. The Flos Filet included a salad. Regina explained that the thousand island and ranch dressings were all made fresh, as was the house dressing, which is a light oil and vinegar. The house oil and vinegar was a very good choice. Ordering a 9-ounce filet (medium well no pink in the center) with baked potato, butter and sour cream is just so American, right? Well, order this steak and you may just swear off the backyard grilling forever. Longhorn prides themselves on the fact that each steak is fresh cut. This was a great piece of meat done to perfection. They dont use tenderizer (I asked) and it almost melts in your mouth. After a hearty appetizer, great ribs and a great steak, what could be more American than apple cobbler with ice cream to top things off? Thats what we thought too, so we ordered it. (Without Reginas help!) But when she served the dessert she explained that each cobbler is made fresh when ordered. Believe it. The cobbler was tasty and made special by drizzling raspberry and caramel glaze on top. Yum. Longhorn Steakhouse is a fun place to eat, too. Obviously, the emphasis is on long horns. Theres a Jack-a-lope just inside the door and look for the longhorn bass hanging from the ceiling. Ropes, spurs, saddles, bridles, lanterns and a couple Longhorn steer heads on the wall makes you want to say Yee-haw!The reviewer is employed at the Daily News. He/she pays for his/her meals and his/her gym fees to maintain his/her figure. New restaurants are given an eight-week grace period before being reviewed. To comment, contact managing editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235.