Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon
Review of Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon
About.com Rating 
Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon - What I Liked
- Adventurous appetizers
- Live western music
- Good steaks
Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon - Be Aware
- Tour bus environment
 T-Bone Steak at Rawhide Steakhouse © Judy Hedding |
Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon - The Bullet Points (2006 - See Update Below)
- Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon is located within Rawhide Western Town.
- For an additional charge, you can enjoy other attractions at Rawhide Western Town.
- There are five entrees for non-beef eaters, and one vegetarian option.
- If you try either the Rocky Mountain Oysters or Rattlesnake, you'll get a certificate to prove it.
- The rattlesnake here is much better than at Rustler's Rooste.
- Appetizers are expensive, starting at $8, but the portions are generous.
- Pass on the western toast, and gobble down those tasty corn muffins.
- A large baked potato with fixin's will set you back $3--didn't it used to be larger?
- The live music is not overwhelming. You can still chat with your table mates. Dancing is encouraged!
- Dinner served 7 days per week. Lunch served October to May; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only.
Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon - The Damages
On our visit to Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon, three of us shared two
large specialty appetizers, each had an entree, and shared two
desserts. Excluding beverages, tax, and tip our bill came to about $46
per person.
My Review of Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon
The Rawhide Steakhouse is bright and clean and a little different than
when it was located up in north Scottsdale. For one thing, all the
equipment is new. I'm sure the chef is pleased! The dining room seems
a bit smaller to me, but is more organized and has a slightly more
upscale feel to it. There are still checkered tablecloths and servers
wearing boots, so don't worry about that.
We knew we were going to have to try the two most exotic appetizers on Rawhides menu. The Roughrider ($20) includes ostrich meat, buffalo meat, and shrimp on skewers, with a sampling of baby back ribs. The Rattlin' Oyster Combo ($20) offers both rattlesnake and Rocky Mountain Oysters. The point here is the adventure of it all. Our favorites? The rattlesnake, the Rocky Mountain Oysters, and the buffalo.
Entrees at Rawhide Steakhouse range from $17 to $32, with most being in the $20 to $24 range. They come with green salad, cowboy beans, a corn cobbette, and western toast. We enjoyed the Half-Rack Baby Back Ribs ($19), 9 oz. Prime Rib ($20), and the T-Bone ($24). They all met our expectations and were properly prepared.
Desserts at Rawhide start at $6. We ordered Gramma's Bread Pudding and the Fresh Apple Pie with Ice Cream. They were huge! The bread pudding wasn't warm, but we took half home and warmed it up the next day--yummm.
UPDATE: 2008
This review was written in 2006, and in 2008 Rawhide introduced its new menu. Not only are the Rocky Mountain Oysters gone (you can still get rattlesnake), but along with that went some of the Steakhouse's traditional cowboy attitude toward dinner. Corn on the cob and cowboy beans have been replaced with grilled asparagus, corn salad and creamy polenta.
 Colorado Lamb Chops with Tomato Caper Relish and Three Cheese Creamy Polenta at Rawhide Steakhouse © Judy Hedding |
You can still get your baby back ribs, a nice prime rib or a 20 oz. rib eye for about the same price as two years ago, but the menu now features items like Grilled Salmon Glazed with Jalapeño-Mango Chutney & Jim Beam Poached Pear ($20.50), Osso Bucco in a Merlot Reduction ($21), and Colorado Lamb Chops served with a Minted Plum-Tomato Caper Relish ($24.50). The change also includes a transition from 'chuck wagon' to 'culinary school' presentation of the meals. That is, unless you are dining at Rawhide with one of those popular bus tours, where the original style of cowboy meal is served. I was sad to see the bread pudding and pie leave the menu, but I gave a hearty welcome to the Chocolate Flourless Cake Layered with Cream Ganache & Baked Hazelnuts, and Finished with a Raspberry Coulis & Chocolate Cigars (really? at Rawhide?) and especially the French Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee Served In a Dark Chocolate Shell.
Our samplings of some of the new offerings left a very positive
impression, although I was left uncertain about where to put Rawhide
now in my mind's category of restaurants. If I want an upscale beef,
lamb or veal dining experience, do I go to the likes of Fleming's or
Mastro's (where I would pay more for that experience) or do I opt to put on my boots and head out to Rawhide where
the servers still dress like they just came off a cattle drive?
Where to Find Rawhide Steakhouse and Saloon:
5700 West North Loop Road
Chandler, AZ 85226
Phone: 480-502-5600
Map to
Rawhide
Visit Rawhide Steakhouse online.
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Rawhide Steakhouse.
Date of review: 2006, updated 2008.
All dates, times, prices and offerings are subject to change without notice.
As is common in the industry, the writer was provided with a complimentary meal for the purpose of the review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
