Stuart’s Steakhouse
406 Main St.
Sheridan, IN 46069
Open Thursday-Saturday
http://stuartssteakhouse.com/
One of my best friends lives in Sheridan and my wife, mini-wibia and I had a chance to visit them on a Saturday night. Sheridan is home to about 3,000 people. When my friend told me there was a steakhouse in town and “its not all that bad,” I had to give it a try.
The restaurant holds about sixty people and I would guess there are twenty tables. It was Saturday night and it was packed, I am pretty sure the wait was around an hour.
What I Ate: Delmonico, 16 oz $19.95.
Choice of two sides; I picked the salad wedge and garlic mashed potatoes.
Initially, I was impressed by the prices, but Ponderosa is cheap too. Lettuce wedge arrived and all the salad toppings were separated on the plate. I didn’t love the bleu cheese dressing, the bacon was a little overcooked for my taste and I would’ve liked the plate to be chilled. At times, a salad or a starter can be a good precursor to the rest of the meal. In this case, I couldn’t gauge the rest of the meal.
The Delmonico arrived and it was cooked perfectly. I would put the quality of the steak at the same level as major chains like Outback. The steak could’ve used a little salt/seasoning, but it really wasn’t all that bad…my friend was right. The garlic mashed potatoes needed more garlic and the consistency was too thick for my taste.
Would I Buy It Again? Geez…um….
Yes: Based on local competition, Stuart’s is the best thing going.
The prices and the portions were honest.
Good alternative to the chains.
Relatively kid friendly.
Smoked Prime Rib was great (my wife had that).
No: The wine list is limited.
It’s not a true steakhouse experience.
Scatted service issues, but nothing major though.
All in all, we had a great time at Stuart’s. The bar was set pretty low, but I walked away having a good time. I learned a valuable lesson, there is nothing like a true top of the line steakhouse meal – it is worth the extra money.
-wibia
P.S. It was too dark for food pictures. This is the only one that remotely came out.
Tags: delmonico, Food, prime rib, sheridan, stuart's steakhouse
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a salad wedge served like that. I suspect that in Indianapolis, this place might have a hard time surviving, but in a small town with limited options, it’ll probably do well.
But a small town location doesn’t guarantee success.
I live in Cicero which, based on its Morse Lake location, probably has more affluent residents than Sheridan. Yet, in the last two or three years, a number of restaurants have shuttered up: The Anvil Inn, Bleeker Street, Annie’s Cove and a carry-out Chinese joint.
Local yokels (like me) demand value. The Anvil Inn and Bleeker Street had great food but it was priced too high for “ordinary folk.” The other two were cheap but you could barely choke down the slop they served. It sounds like this place may have struck the right balance between quality and price to succeed in its market.
@Ed: I would tend to agree, the captive audience is not always a good thing. The price point needs to be low enough so they can have repeat customers. I like the idea of the small town destination restaurant as well. Bonges, Bijou, and Fletcher’s (closed) come to mind. However, Stuarts will never fall into that category.
I think that they missed the mark with lower price items, like a great beef stew, burger etc… Not sure if they have struck the right balance yet…but I have had meals in a million small towns like this and can only find bar food or fast food.
The salad wedge is lame – what the hell is it supposed to be – make your own salad????
“Initially, I was impressed by the prices, but Ponderosa is cheap too.” – So $19.95 is CHEAP? It probably is for a Delmonico (which I don’t think I’ve ever had, cause I’m WAY to cheap to pay $19.95 for a steak. LOL I cringe at $14.95.)
As far as the wedge salad goes, I agree it looks lame. Try the Caesar for a better salad. And as far the steaks, what you’re not seeing is a 1 LB Prime Rib meal for $19.95. It’s HUGE! The half-pound rib (w/meal) goes for $9.95. Baby back ribs are great as well. And the Amish-recipe bread is a simple thing, but it is soft and mouthwatering. Try it all yourself before you dis on it.
My family went to Stuart’s Steakhouse for the first time last weekend for my oldest son’s birthday dinner – I had purchased a $50 Restaurant.com gift certificate for only $3 to use that evening for our dinner party of 6.
The prices are impressive when you consider that the price for the entree or steaks includes a choice of 2 sides – any combination of one of their several salad choices (the spring mix salad was very good, as well as the caesar), one of three soup choices, or one of their side vegetable dishes. Several of us ordered the chicken breast, which was delicious. The smoked prime rib was superb! The shrimp and scallops were both delicious, as well.
We had an enjoyable time, and our service was excellent. We have already decided that we will go back another time.