We were in Frostburg for the day and ate at Sand Springs Saloon & Steakhouse for dinner. They have…read morea small parking lot next door and we were able to snag a spot. Service was pleasant, but not above and beyond. My biggest knock is that if you're calling yourself a steakhouse, I would expect that you would be able to cook a steak to the proper temperature.
We were able to be seated right away. It's a big menu ranging from steaks to burgers and sandwiches, pasta, seafood, barbecue, etc. The menu boasted lots of crabby offerings. We started with the crab dip appetizer. The crab dip was brought out quickly and it was creamy, cheesy, and crabby - what more could you want in a crab dip?!?! It was served with ciabatta bread (you can also substitute the bread with a soft pretzel upon request).
For my entree, I ordered the filet mignon medium rare. It comes with two sides (typically a starch and a veg/salad, but they're flexible) plus cornbread. When I ordered "medium rare," the waitress joked that I liked it bloody. Well, said bloodiness was nowhere to be found. My steak came out medium/medium well. A true steakhouse has you cut into the meat when you get it to check the temperature. Aside from the generic "how is everything?", there was little concern about how the steak was cooked. We weren't even brought real steak knives (granted, the filet was tender enough to cut with the generic silverware, but good thing I didn't wait for a steak knife to be brought out because it wasn't coming). The steak was still tender and juicy, and had good presentation with the grill marks, but unfortunately, they spent too much time perfecting the grill marks and overcooking my steak (though I didn't raise it as an issue). In the world of steakhouses, my understanding is that it's better to undercook than overcook (you can always cook longer, but once it's too far gone, there's no going back). They even have a steak ordering guide on the table... perhaps they need a refresher themselves. For that, I can't give higher than three stars.
As for the sides, the cornbread was good, topping it with the melty butter is perfection. The mac and cheese was nothing special. I think I'm used to seeing mac and cheese as a premium side. This version is the basic. I enjoyed the onion rings - nice crunchy batter and the onion rings were easy to bite into without sliding out of the batter. Portions are generous and prices are reasonable - you get a full dinner plate, so we left full (with no room for dessert). We had a nice dinner overall, but execution was average.
Ambiance was fun. As a saloon, there's a western theme for decor. There isn't any historical significance to the place, it's just a family-owned restaurant. I'd say Cracker Barrel vibes, minus the gift shop.
Note: They do tack on a 2.5% credit card processing fee, so bring cash if you want to avoid the upcharge.
