The Pointer Sisters extolled the virtues of a lover with a slow hand, however I have to say this crooning shouldn't extend to serving staff or back of house chef staff. I try to be easy going, I try to ensure the benefit of the doubt, a restaurant is comprised of people and people have a bad day.
But I won't be back to Lone Star in Albany so my review will have to be based on how they were on Sunday evening. We went in and waited 5 minute or so for someone to arrive at the front desk and seat us, the decor is standard pseudo-texan (or what New Zealand thinks Texan is) and made up of dark lacquered wood with various route 66 symbols and a steer head.
Sitting down to eat with my wife (who IS Texan .. fun fact) we waited and nothing but tumbleweed rolled towards us, over half the establishment was empty so it wasn't like they were teeming with customers, but low and behind a lonely cowgirl did mosey up to our table and take our order. Let me stop here and say that hot buttered bread is one of the best things ever, so after a lone star loaf we were feeling a little more sated and a little more critical of the food that followed.
I pride myself on my predicability and ordered the steak, and after an excessive wait I saw our steaks on the metal table in the kitchen, sitting there ... and I looked back after 5 minutes, and they were still sitting there, another 5 minutes and ... you guessed it, sitting there. When the steak arrived we cut into them and immediately send both of them back for being barely luke warm.
After a brief heating up, they were .. errr ... well, a few degrees over luke warm and fairly tasteless, the potatoes were delicious but alas could not save the overall quality of the meal or the experience.
We left shortly afterward, never to return, either at high noon or any other time. read more