Saltgrass Steakhouse - Austin

We were feeling mildly adventurous tonight.  Translation:  We were not too exhausted to go through the gluten questions at a new place.  It was decided that we needed a steak so I consulted Urbanspoon.  We were going for not pricey, not downtown and casual.  I came up with Saltgrass Steakhouse.  I thought it amazing that there was a steak house in an area of town I know well and I hadn't even heard of it.  Off we went to give it a try.

I was a little skeptical at first. The inside was a combination of early bird diners and daycare center.  Surprisingly,  it wasn't too loud or crazy though.  The menu reminded me of a chain.  Similar to Applebee's, Outback or Chili's.  Our waitress was very nice, and prompt.  She did freely admit that she had no idea what this gluten thing I spoke of was but kindly listened.  She quickly told me not to worry that the manager knew every ingredient in every meal and would help me out.  He did in fact show up to our table just as I was ordering and answered all of my questions.

I ordered a filet mignon (no seasoning just in case) and a loaded baked potato.  I started with a house salad with oil and vinegar dressing.  I was delighted at how helpful they were until my main dish showed up.  My steak was covered with onion rings. Fie!!! The person that brought it to us immediately saw my face and asked what the problem was.  The meal never actually got placed in front of me before it was whisked off to be remade.  Not one person rolled an eye when I said I needed a completely new one.  The manager brought a replacement over in just a few minutes.  Concerned with how quickly they cooked a brand new steak I questioned the manager.  Is this a new steak?  How could you have recooked it so quickly?  He looked me in the eye and assured me it was new and had not touched the onion rings.  He said that it was already on the grill for another customer but I had ordered first so he gave it to me.  Nice.

The steak was good, not the best, but good.  Equal to Outback.  The potato was fantastic.  I don't know what made this one potato better than another but it was.

Would I go back here?  Perhaps, though it was just not my style. The staff did a great job, considering their limited gluten knowledge.  Most impressive was their sincerity.  No one acted as though they knew something they didn't or like I was being difficult or crazy.  I have had all of those experiences in the past. I would certainly stop here if I was passing through on the highway (it is on the 183 bypass) or if my family wanted to go somewhere for a cheap steak.  The food was good and the service was great.  I wouldn't call it "gluten-friendly" but it was certainly not gluten-mean!  It was a nice tittle adventure and no tummy ache.