One of our favorite things to do (and something we don't get to do that often) is go out to eat at a family-friendly restaurant -- preferably for a good steak! It's one of the few foods that I find is always better at a restaurant instead of at home. Not to mention, my 6 year old will absolutely THROW DOWN on some steak, just like his Daddy! If he's willing to stray from the 'ol chicken nugget, this Mama is all about it!

In honor of Veteran's Day, I was contacted by Lauren with LongHorn Steakhouse to offer our family a complimentary meal. No strings attached. No sales pitch like 'if you do this for us, we will give you this.' I felt it was just a genuine outreach to a Veteran's family to show appreciation. I'm #TeamLongHorn for life now. I truly wanted to share our experience because of the kindness she showed our family and of course the amazing food!

One of my favorite things about LongHorn is the affordable menu options. With a family of 4, restaurant trips can put a huge dent in the wallet. Our family's entire bill was only $50 - that included their awesome brew pub pretzel sticks as an appetizer, 2 child meals, 2 steak meals for mom and dad and their TO-DIE-FOR chocolate stampede for dessert. The service was great and no one seemed to bat an eye at my occasionally restless and vocal toddler. Overall, it was one of the best meals we've had in a long time and just knowing that LongHorn is an avid supporter of our troops makes for an even better experience. 

A big thank you to Lauren and LongHorn Steakhouse for their amazing generosity. Please allow me to now make your mouth water with a few of their hottest seasonal menu items and some fun facts!

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 Mushroom Truffle Bisque (soup) – Smooth, Creamy, Rich-flavored soup with an earthy mushroom flavor and a sour cream drizzle.


 Apple Cider Baby Back Ribs Fall-off-the-bone ribs coated with a housemade sweet & savory hard cider BBQ glaze.


  Bleu Ridge Wedge Salad – Crisp heart of romaine topped with ripe tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon, crumbled bleu cheese, red onions and bleu cheese dressing.


Harvest Mushroom Filet – Our most tender center-cut filet topped with shiitake, oyster and cremini mushrooms in a hearty red wine bordelaise.

  
 New Potato & Leek Au Gratin (side) – Layered with aged white cheddar & bacon, topped with Parmesan breadcrumbs. 


Pumpkin Spice Lava Cake – Warm pumpkin spice cake, cream cheese icing, Maker’s Mark bourbon caramel sauce and candied pecans.


LongHorn Steakhouse:

·         All of our steaks are fresh, never frozen, hand-seasoned with our secret seasoning blend, expertly grilled and finished with our signature lemon sauce.
·         LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants have donated more than 11 million pounds of food to local food banks across the country over the past decade. 
·         Quality is important to us, so we go the extra mile to ensure our food is fresh. Here are some examples:
o   All of our proteins – chicken, steak and fish – are fresh, never frozen
o   Ribeyes are cut in-house
o   Prime Rib is slow-roasted for six hours with our secret rub
o   Ribs are slow-roasted for four hours until tender and then basted with our homemade BBQ sauce
o   Our salads are hand-chopped
o   Our Wild West Shrimp and Chicken Tenders are hand-battered to order
o   Our baked potatoes and honey-wheat bread are made fresh every 20 minutes

Founded in 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia, LongHorn Steakhouse began with one man's passion for perfect steak but had very few guests to convince. Then a freak snowstorm hit Atlanta in 1982, stranding motorists and drawing them to one of the only hospitable places available - a restaurant then called LongHorn Steaks Restaurant & Saloon. Tales of expertly grilled steaks soon spread like wildfire, and the legend of LongHorn was born