Texas T-Bone for a Celebration

Kayla Says “I’d love to wait on you guys but don’t tell me that it’s you! Haha. Happy New Years, happy dining!”

Living Hutch got a form submission from Kayla, inviting us to visit and review the experience. This invite showed up directly after the Roma’s review so I was certain to keep Kayla’s form to the side and Texas T-Bone at the top of mind.

The day was March 31, 2024 and we were out to celebrate the day with extended family. We were tempted to head to Wichita, but Kayla’s invite to come in was still on the table – so to speak. It was early in the day which gives us a great chance to see how the work flows.

We (Heidi, Haydon and I) arrived ahead of the others and grabbed a slot at the sparsely populated bar. The couple that was previously seated at the bar heard we were waiting for friends and jumped into the conversation, offering to move before our guests even arrived. See… that is that Kansas thing I keep writing about.

The kicker was no one else talked to us for about 15 minutes. This was the extreme of low-pressure sales. My son managed to find the restroom and I found some nuts in a barrel, then we were greeted at the bar. The barmaid, once she engaged, was great. Like I said – we were early in the day and daydrinkers all over the planet will tell you afternoon service can be delayed. They are usually setting up for what they hope will be a rush.

When our guests arrived, the service was on-spot and more frosty mugs of beer hit the bar with a couple of drinks for the ladies – root beer for the boy.

Here comes my beer snobbery. The service? Great. The frozen mug? Classy. The beer selection? While not horrible, there are a couple of micro brews here in town that would be well-received in this space. I was hoping for a hoppy IPA with a weird name. If you look at the picture, the selection gets the job done, but there isn’t “fun” in making the selection. Still – served with a smile in a super cold mug goes a long way.

We were seated at a larger table near the bar area and the barmaid became our server. The dining room was filling up and a quick look around showed me an audience of happy families enjoying the afternoon.

While I ordered the sampler of fried foods, we all ordered something different from the menu. The food was well prepared, hot when it arrived at the table and served with a fantastic attitude. I know I am going to see comments come flooding in about this restaurant or that restaurant and people’s favorites… and that is totally welcome.

In the end, I realized that I was so impressed with the company I shared a meal with, the service from behind the bar, and my meal that I forgot to take pictures after the appetizer was dropped off.

We had a great time, and when I think about the restaurants I visit — isn’t that the point? Having a great time with friends, family, and enjoying the services of people who recognize this is the case.

I think Texas T-Bone gets it.

We started our visit feeling ignored at the bar waiting on guests, only to be amplified when my spoiled beer palate didn’t see a beer making me excited to order it. This all changed when the barmaid made her magical appearance and got the party started.

With the image, I snapped here of the dining room. You can see it was starting to fill up. And if you look closely, you can see the server smiling delivering a basket of food.

The Price of Satisfaction

This is an odd one. When I wrote the piece on Roma’s there was a little kick back, as if I had been hard on them. I loved the food. It’s just for the cost of a meal in Hutchinson – your expectations should rise a bit. Texas T-Bone rose to the level right above their cost of entry. It was a great meal with great service at a fair price.

Is it Ruth Chris? Is it Gordon Ramsay’s in Vegas? No. Was it hundreds of dollars a plate? No. Haydon once had a meal at Gordon Ramsay’s that was nearly $600.00!!! No, I did not pay for that. But if I ask Haydon if he would go back to Texas T-bone… the answer is “Sure”. That is a screamingly good endorsement from a 16-year-old.

If you like fried foods… try the sampler.