The Big Steer
Driving 12 hours a day at breakneck speed in a fully loaded quad-cab pickup, eating coffee and salads to keep the calorie intake down and the attention levels up, has a tendency to make one very hungry for a meal of substance. As I write this on the road, I have already covered 1400 miles in the past two days, and felt it was time to treat myself to a “real meal”. Armed with the suggestion of the hotel hostess, a menu and strains of the “Beef – it’s what’s for dinner” music dancing in my head, I decided to check out The Big Steer, owned and operated by Randy and Sherry Fix, and located on Adventureland Drive in Altoona, Iowa. I mean, after all, it IS on the way to
As you can see from the pictures of the exterior, the big steer is a 9-foot tall replica of a corn-fed, Iowa Hereford steer. The restaurant is not anything spectacular from the outside, but inside is a different story. A full-size (20-25 person) function room is on the left as you enter, the fully stocked bar/lounge is on the right, and the main seating area is a combination of comfortable booths on the walls and tables in the center to accommodate 40 – 60 people comfortably. The décor is comprised of barn board-print paneled shoulder-height wainscoting with prints of horses, horsemen, cattle and cattlemen gently highlighted above it. The booths were actually comfortable for high-back restaurant booths, dark-stained, with a saddle-theme flower sconce on the wall. The tables had cowboy/cowgirl boot flower vases. The general color theme was leather and cowhide.
My server, Jody, was a peach. Just being herself, she was personable, friendly, and genuinely appreciative of my being there. This is more the way folks are in the mid-west, but it’s also the way things should be in facilities serving the public. In asking her for her recommendation, without hesitation she suggested the prime rib.
There’s prime rib, then there’s corn-fed Iowan prime rib. More on that in a minute.
The prime rib comes in 10-, 12- and the 16-ounce Cattleman’s cut. The portions are truly generous. I saw one of the Cattleman’s cut come out with mashed potatoes and gravy over the top, and it was enough for a family of 4. I chose the 12-ounce portion, and with it came choice of potato, rice or pasta and fresh salad.
The salad was fresh, but pretty much standard fare, except it did not need to be cut with a knife before it was eaten (a pet peeve). The obligatory bread and whipped butter/margarine was quite a surprise. It was a fresh, warm, tender loaf 3x4x6 on a cutting board. It was scrumptious. The potato, which came with the beef, was a foil-baked
Beverages offered include a modest wine list, bottled beers (yes they have Samuel Adams) and after-dinner digestifs.
The prime rib is prepared to order. I ordered mine medium-well. I think the cook only heard medium, as it was still pink and slightly bloody. This was not a show stopper, as my main concern is that it was cooked enough, not bellowing on the plate. There was ample fat on the edges, but only a small portion was more like a rind, and needed to be removed.
The taste was awe-inspiring. This corn-fed beef displayed the corn flavor in a most delectable way. There is a prime-rib that “melts in your mouth”. You do NOT want this meat to melt in your mouth. You want to chew and savor the balance of juices and flavor with every bite. It was truly an excellent piece of beef. With my two Sam Adams’s, the bill came in at $28, plus or minus. This was worth every penny, and the service worthy of a great tip.
Other items on the menu include sirloin, rib-eye, porterhouse, strip steaks, various pork and poultry dishes, and the obligatory seafood, though just from a practical standpoint, save your money for what the natives specialize in.
