Lonestar Grill & Cantina

Lonestar Grill and Cantina in Fairfield, Texas

On a recent trip to Fairfield, Texas, my brother and I found ourselves looking for a place to eat dinner one night.  For a small town, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Fairfield, but we were looking for a place to sit down, relax, and watch some games.  The Lonestar Grill and Cantina was recommended as a place we could do those things, so we decided to give it a try.

We were both hungry, so we started off with the Grande Fried Cheese Sticks.  When they arrived, I immediately knew why their name started with the word Grande.  They were the same length as your typical cheese stick, but were at least twice as big in diameter.  The cheese sticks had a very crunchy batter as well and the cheese was piping hot with each bite.  For the dipping sauces, I preferred the marinara to the ranch dressing, but the marinara was cold and it would have been better served warm.

Some Chubby Cheese Sticks

For my entree, I chose The Dude, which was a 10 oz. center cut sirloin.  My brother ordered the same steak medium rare and we both chose the same sides: fries and mac & cheese.  I don't generally eat sir sirloins, but I was on a budget and had to forgo my usual ribeye or filet mignon.  The sirloin at Lonestar Grill and Cantina was better than I expected.  It was tender, lightly seasoned, and cooked to specifications.  As good as the steak was, the sides were disappointing.  The mac & cheese lacked any semblance of cheese flavor and the fries were cold.  The meal was also served with a cheese biscuit that had good flavor, but was rather dry.

10 oz. Sirloin with Two Sides

They had several dessert options, but I was stuffed after eating the huge cheese sticks and the sirloin.  The food was hit and miss, but the service was great.  If you are looking for a place to kick back and watch a game on television while you eat, this is a good place to do so.  They have plenty of TVs in the bar area, which is where the majority of patrons were sitting on the night we dined at Lonestar Grill and Cantina.  Maybe next time, I will not be on a budget and I can try one of the ribeyes that I kept eyeing at the table next to us.

Lonestar Grill & Cantina
http://www.lonestargrillandcantina.com/Home_Page.php
Livin the Good Life Rating= 2

Sam's Restaurant

A hunting trip with my brother in early January, found me in Fairfield, Texas.  My brother and I had been drawn for a public hunt at Fairfield Lake State Park.  Although we didn't have any luck getting a deer, we did enjoy our visit to the town and found some good food.  One of the places we tried, Sam's Restaurant, was very impressive.

Great Loaf of Bread

Sam's has a regular menu, but they are best known for their buffet.  The restaurant sits right off I-45 and sees many a hungry traveler in addition to the locals that frequent the restaurant.  We arrived right at 11:00 a.m. and the restaurant was already getting full.  Since we had skipped breakfast, we were starving and elected to get the buffet.

Trip #1

The buffet had a fairly extensive salad bar, but I only had a little salad as I wanted to save room for all the meats and sides.  The thing I remember the most about the salad bar was the fact it had delicious croutons.  I am not sure if they were homemade or not, but they were great.  While we were making our way back from our first trip to the buffet, the waitress delivered a very good loaf of bread to our table.  We ended up making several trips each to the buffet and tried a little bit of everything.

Trip #2

Trip #3

The buffet had fried chicken, chicken-fried steak, meatloaf, brisket, sausage, etc.  They also had an extensive selection of sides.  I usually don't have high expectations for the quality of food at buffets, but Sam's is not your typical buffet.  Most of the food here was actually really good and I particularly liked the fried chicken and chicken-fried steak.  With the exception of the brisket, I was impressed with everything I tried.  Sam's also had an extensive selection of desserts as well.  Even though I was incredibly full, I was able to sample a piece of chocolate sheet cake to top off my meal.  The chocolate icing was really rich and it was liberally topped with chopped pecans.

Trip #4-Chocolate Cake

My first visit to this feed trough was a memorable one and I certainly didn't leave hungry.  The food is excellent and the staff is great.  Next time I am traveling down I-45, I will certainly plan a stop at Sam's.  If you are ever in the Fairfield area, I recommend that you stop by and give Sam's a try.

Sam's Restaurant
http://www.samsoriginal.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3