“We Texans love us some steaks,” said Patricia Sharpe in Texas Monthly. Our steakhouses span the state, from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande, and we’ll visit one “at the drop of a Stetson.” Recently, our tasters “hit the road” to try 75 different restaurants. Lists were kept, notes taken. After the dust settled, they agreed on the state’s best—Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, which has establishments in both Houston and Dallas.
Pappas Bros. “sets the gold standard for urban Texas steakhouses.” Its prime beef is dry-aged in-house, the wine cellar has depth both in European and American vintages, and the wait staff combines genuine affability with “extrasensory perception.” Especially recommended is the charred, 2-inch-thick New York strip, served with colossal onion rings and a “gussied-up” wedge of lettuce topped with a blue cheese dressing. As the Duchess of Windsor might have said, “In Texas, you can’t be too rich or eat too many steaks.” 5839 Westheimer Road, Houston, (713) 780-7352; 10477 Lombardy Lane, Dallas, (214) 366-2000
