Posted: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 07:38 PM - 9,169 Readers

By: Patrick Brendel

Steiner Ranch Steakhouse offers a dining experience steeped in tradition—fitting for a restaurant that opened a little more than a year ago on land that for decades was home to the Steiner family and their rodeo business.
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Founded about a year ago, Steiner Ranch Steakhouse occupies a three-story building overlooking Lake Travis.

Located atop a hill with panoramic views of Lake Travis and the surrounding landscape, the rustic restaurant’s building looks like a cozy ranch house: a large, three-story house that can host hundreds of guests, has multiple decks and patios, and features complimentary valet parking.

The Steiner family’s “XS” brand is displayed prominently above the restaurant’s front door. The first thing many diners will notice upon entering the foyer is an impressive display of wines, selected by wine steward Robert Crandall. To the left is a pair of hand-worked saddles made in the ’30s and ’40s by The Capitol Saddlery, founded by family patriarch Buck Steiner. An adjacent room is filled with Steiner family memorabilia. Many evenings, members of the Steiner family eat dinner at the restaurant.

Not only is it owned by a local family, the steakhouse is also family-friendly. When I arrived on a Monday night with my wife and 8-month-old daughter, we were offered a kids’ menu. Seated next to a large fireplace, the restaurant’s pianist played “Puff, the Magic Dragon” to our daughter’s approval. Later, our server kindly brought us a bowl of hot water to warm the baby’s bottle.

Throughout the meal, our server was attentive and informative. He had a superb knowledge of the wine list, rotating specials and regular items from Executive Chef Keith Venables.

Our appetizer consisted of a dozen quail hindquarters with buffalo-wing sauce served with bleu cheese dressing ($11.95). The rotating special was superior to any buffalo chicken wings we had ever tried, and without the small bones, thanks to the compact meatiness of the quail.

However, true to the focus of the restaurant, the steak was the star of the meal. The 12-oz. Austin Ribeye ($26) was grilled to medium-rare, enhancing the innate quality of the U.S.D.A. prime beef. A subtle seasoning allowed the steak to speak for itself.

All steaks are served with Texas-style mashed potatoes, which were thick and creamy, and the vegetable of the day, asparagus, was steamed perfectly.

The Chilean sea bass ($32) was a pan-seared filet topped with sun-dried tomato, zucchini and squash, then wrapped in a banana leaf and baked.

The sea bass was accompanied by an orzo rice medley and the vegetable of the day. All entrées come with the option of a side salad for $5.

Entreés also come with the option of side dishes for $4 each. The burgundy mushrooms were exquisite.

For dessert, the crème brûlée ($7) was a proper ending to a heavy meal: airy and sweet custard, with a thin shell of caramel.

One of the biggest surprises was the dinner bill, which totaled about $100 before tax and gratuity, including wine. We left Steiner Ranch Steakhouse feeling like we had feasted like kings, on a budget more in line with that of a cowboy.