"We ordered the Rustler for Two, which includes three meat choices and four individual sides. The available meats are sausage, chicken, ribs, and brisket; you pay extra for the last two, but since we weren't in the mood for sausage, we opted for chicken, ribs, and brisket. The sides are each about half a cup, which is truly a single serving, and we chose coleslaw, mac and cheese, garlic mashed potatoes, and a house salad. We were also given two sauces: one spicy and one sweet. Personally, I preferred the spicy sauce, although it wasn't very hot. The sweet sauce was quite syrupy, but I suppose it was acceptable.
Now, onto the meats. The chicken was lightly seasoned and a bit dry. It consisted of two thighs with backbone and two drumsticks, all from pretty small chickens. However, it was alright when dipped in one of the sauces. The ribs were cooked well but lacked any smoky flavor, so once again, the sauce was essential for flavor. The fatty brisket was by far the best of the meats, and if I were to order from Longhorn again, I would definitely go for that.
As for the sides, they were rather disappointing. We could have lived with the small portions if they had been tasty, but unfortunately, the mashed potatoes (which came with a couple of tablespoons of gravy) were really the only side that had any flavor. The mac and cheese tasted overwhelmingly of cheese powder; the salad was just a cup of iceberg lettuce, two tomato wedges, a teaspoon of grated carrot, and a small serving of bland dressing. And then there was the coleslaw, which was utterly flavorless—just plain grated cabbage that didn’t deliver any taste at all. We ended up having to add some ranch dressing from the fridge to make it somewhat palatable.
Perhaps frequent diners might consider the food acceptable, but for us, dining out is still a treat, and we believe it should ultimately be a pleasurable experience. Even though Longhorn is relatively affordable for a barbecue place, we expect the food to at least be enjoyable. Honestly, I’m a fan of good old-fashioned barbeque, so I think I’ll stick to places like Let’s Just Smoke, Lil Red, or Jones, where I can really indulge in flavorful and hearty meals."
