Black Angus Steakhouse

We took my husband out for an early father's day dinner last night and managed to go to what must be the only restaurant in this hyper-sensitive area that is NOT able to or wiling to or capable of accommodating for food sensitivities.... They had a gluten friendly menu, which was nice, but were unable to follow the server's instructions to not coat steamed broccoli in butter (and so on). They were totally overpriced for their complete inability to provide an allergen menu upon request (other places that don't have it will print one or ask the expert or have the expert come talk to you) and inability to follow requests for NO BUTTER on everything! And while the prime rib was good, I've had much better for the same price, at restaurants that are more than happy to accommodate for my family's multiple food sensitivities. To be fair, my husband did seem more than pleased with his meal, but he's the only one of us that isn't going to be miserable for the next several days.....

Ever since I had their steak at the Lynnwood location, I vowed never to go back to Black Angus.  One evening as I drove around looking for something to eat but different from my usual places, I spotted a sign that said they have a prime and mud special.  What you get is a soup or salad, prime rib and two sides plus a mud pie; all for $17.99.  Sure, let's give 'em another try.  Steak sounds good right about now.

Onion Rings (HH order) - perfect onion rings.  Crispy, crunchy with hot onion that isn't overdone.  Comes with a great spicy and tangy dipping sauce.

Bread - warm bread roll that has a slight sweetness and a bran flavor to it.   Spread the butter and off we go.

Caesar Salad - cold, crisp lettuce with plenty of thin slices of cheese.

Prime Rib with a side of au jus sauce, broccoli and baked potato.  I ask them for both the creamy horseradish and the straight up fresh one.  I don't know anyone else that does this but I prefer to put my sour cream and the creamy horseradish in my baked potato along with the bacon, butter and chives.  I reserve the regular horseradish and the au jus for the prime rib.  The rib meat is tender, juicy and much better than I remember any steak during my visit to their Lynnwood location.

Ah don't forget, dessert in the form of a MUD PIE.  At first glance, it looks extremely sweet but it isn't!  The thin layer of creamy frosting, the thicker layer of a coffee (almond mocha) ice cream and a chocolate cookie crust melds together to form a satisfying finale.  

Black Angus should NOT be compared to an El Gaucho, Daniel's Broiler or John Howie type of establishment where one would expect a formal dinner atmosphere and a gut wretching bill at the end.  This is where you expect modest food in a relaxed atmosphere at an affordable price.  By the way, they are currently having that Prime and Mud special on Wednesdays for a limited time only.

I'll start this review by saying that the last time I was here, Ronald Reagan was near the end of his presidency and they were still using the square cow logo. I don't know if my memories of this place are tinged by nostalgia, but my experience was a let down in most ways. I really just went here because I had a free app coupon and gift card to use up, and was kinda curious how the place was ~25 years later. After getting a dirty knife and asking for a replacement, I was served lukewarm, almost hard bread by a sullen waittress who seemed to have been there too long that night. The beer specials were nothing special, so I got a large mug of reasonably good wheat ale instead. My app was a shrimp cocktail-SIX shrimp, for which they normally charge $10. I was taken aback by this as I was expecting 2-3 times that. I don't know if that's the norm or it was the freebie special, but I'm just glad it -was- free, because I would not have eaten or paid for that otherwise. The caesar salad that followed was actually the best part of the meal and was surprisngly good. The NY strip was cooked properly, but was lacking a real flavor of its own and there was a large strip of fat on the side, which should have been trimmed off. The "loaded" potato was a do-it-yourself job, which annoyed me to no end. I can honestly say The Keg was a much better place, but they have all closed down n the area. Sorry, Stuart-this place should be put out to pasture.