A ride into the Land of the Free

The food we eat is often a reflection of our values and culture. As people migrate and settle in different parts of the world, favourite foods and cooking traditions are brought with them. The United States has a long history of welcoming immigrants from all over the world and the food, including ingredients, holidays and food culture reflects that. Ask ten people to define American food and you will probably get ten different definitions. The first facet of America’s culinary identity stems from the notion of America as a “melting pot”.

When you think about American food, what comes to mind? If you ask Americans, many will say hamburgers, french fries or anything fried, greasy and fast. Some people believe that American food culture is a meat culture. Steak, chicken, bacon — if it’s meat, it can be found on an American plate. But what may surprise you about American food is its diversity.

So we went ahead and tried food from a nation that’s often known as the ‘Land where your dreams come true.’ This time we decided to try a relatively new restaurant in town, located on 18th Nov road called the Cowboy Steakhouse. The decoration reflects the era of American cowboys — with a unique style and reputation of their own, a reminder of old day Texas. We picked two appetisers, two mains and desserts.

HE SAID: For our appetisers, we picked wings and Dynamite shrimp. I was surprised as the starters got to our table exactly 4 minutes after we ordered. The wings were fried and then coated with a thin layer of mildly spiced BBQ sauce, it tasted nice though I don’t like small wings — I guess they forgot about American portions or sizes. On the other hand, the Dynamite shrimp were served on a bed of lettuce. The breaded shrimp wasn’t coated completely in the sauce and I didn’t like it as the shrimps were rubbery.

SHE SAID: When we initially got to looking at the menu, we wanted to try their brisket but that wasn’t available so we picked the wings and shrimp, while the wings were cold yet decently done, the shrimp isn’t something I’d ever order again. The sauce had an aftertaste that I didn’t like. Honestly, the food felt like it had been pre-made as the restaurant was full and we didn’t expect our starters to be out so fast.

HE SAID: For our mains, we picked the Cowboy Melt Burger and the Chateaubriand steak served with mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables and a mushroom sauce. The burger was cooked to perfection, soft bun and melt in the mouth meat. The burger was served with a side of fries. However, the Chateaubriand was a disappointing dish due to the lack of seasoning and salt. The mashed potatoes lacked the buttery, creamy taste and texture. That goes as well to the mushroom sauce. The positive aspect about steak was that the meat was very soft.

SHE SAID: My main was a chateaubriand steak. Truly considered as a decadent dish, this was offered with two sides and your choice of sauce. I picked the mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables. I picked a medium cook but my steak came back more of a medium-rare. However, what bothered me the most was the lack of seasoning on the meat, it tasted like nothing! The mashed potatoes were metallic in taste, and I couldn’t eat more than a bite of that. The only saving grace were the boiled then lightly sautéed vegetables that had a generous sprinkling of cheese that made it palatable. I took a bite out of his Cowboy Melt burger and that stuff was made of dreams. Really well seasoned and flavoured meat and a loaded bun. Even his fries were yummy.

HE SAID: For our dessert, we picked the Brioche French toast, l did not get the chance to taste it as we discovered a small red plastic bottle cover on top of the toast pieces.

SHE SAID: With the disappointment of the steak, I was hoping for a great dessert to end my meal but alas I didn’t get beyond the first bite. Our Brioche French toast looked like a treat but there was a large piece of plastic in my food (a squeeze bottle nozzle cap), it was red like the strawberries atop the toast. The dish was whisked away immediately.

WE SAID: The dining experience can use a few improvements. We hope, in time, the issues we raised will be addressed for the betterment not only of the services but of the overall guest experience.

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Disclaimer: The ORR team reviews anonymously and pays for their own meals. The opinion of the team does not reflect the opinion of the newspaper or its editors.