Surprise Dad this Father's Day with a Set of Longhorn Steak Knives and Dinner Out at Longhorn Steakhouse (Review)

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for LongHorn Steakhouse. I received a gift card to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank-you for participating

"This Father's Day weekend, LongHorn Steakhouse is inviting families to give Dad the "ok" to put down the tongs, take a night off from the grill and be treated to a LongHorn "Steakcation." Best known for fresh, never-frozen, hand-seasoned and expertly grilled steaks, LongHorn Steakhouse will be serving up great meals all weekend long in celebration of Dad. In addition to taking Dad on a "Steakcation" for Father's Day, families can also share the gift of a brand new set of steak knives from LongHorn Steakhouse (for sale in restaurants for a limited time only)."

 My dad and daughter, Savannah at our recent trip to Longhorn Steakhouse.

What are your plans this Father's Day weekend?  Will you be doing a family cookout, with Dad at the grill?  Or, will you be taking that special Dad in your life out for lunch or dinner.  We will be doing both. :-)  We are in the process of opening the pool today, so that the kids can splash around this weekend, while Papa and Nana come to visit on Saturday.  While here, we will grill up steaks, burgers and hot dogs, and well as have a few lobsters on hand (my Dad's favorite food next to steak).  I can see it now -- my husband and Dad will be fighting at the grill to see who will be grilling this year.  I guess it is a man thing, as they both want to assume the role of master griller whenever we have a family cookout.  But, shhh, don't tell my husband -- but, I see my Dad winning again at the grill.  He always finds a way to distract my husband from the grill -- either sending him in the house to grab a fork and knife, or having him run to the store for steak sauce or other items. This happens year after year. :-)  And, now that we have the girls, my Dad plans to use this as a back up, and have my husband change diapers or chase after the girls.

When it comes to steaks, both my husband and father take their steak shopping seriously.  My Dad could spend an after in the meat department or butcher shop checking out the different steaks, just to find the perfect steaks.  I don't know about you, but each member of my family has a different steak preference, which makes the hunt for the perfect steak that much harder for my dad.  My mother and I like Filet Mignon, while my husband is a fan of rib eye steak, and my dad loves his porterhouse steaks.  And, you can't have a steak without sides.  We spare no expense in this department, and usually fill the table with an assortment of sides, including rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, sweet potato fries, steak fries, and veggies.  Oh yeah, we can't forget the onions and mushroom, and mushroom gravy!   Mmm, I am getting hungry just thinking about it.  

Planning a family cookout takes a lot of time as you can imagine, not only when it comes to picking up all the food, but also executing the meal.  My husband and father take to the grill and time their cooking just right, to get the right doneness for the steaks, which varies from medium rare to medium well, depending on which family member they are cooking for.  

Here are some great grilling tips from Longhorn Steakhouse that will make for your next grilling experience that much better:

While we love to get together and have a cookout, I love to be able to take the family out to a nice family-friendly restaurant and have others wait on us.  But, because my husband and father are so picky when it comes to their steaks, we can't just go to any restaurant for a great steak dinner.  After years of searching, we have come to love and trust Longhorn Steakhouse, and find ourselves going here once or twice a month. 

This past Monday, I took the girls up to visit my parents, as my mother was arriving home from a girl's weekend vacation in TN.  I thought it would be nice to surprise them with a visit from the girls, but also bring them dinner.  So, what did I get for dinner?  My dad had been talking all week about craving a good steak...so, I ordered take out from Longhorn Steakhouse.  I don't know about you, but not many restaurants can do good take out.  Either they overcook the food, forget items, or store their food in Styrofoam containers, making the food soggy before we get them home and on our plates.  But, a few years back, while I was undergoing cancer treatment and craving a steak, my parents ordered steaks from Longhorn Steakhouse to go, so that I could enjoy a good steak, without having to sit in the restaurant, as I was not strong enough at that time.  When my dad brought the meals home, we couldn't get over the quality of the food.  Not only did they include everything we ordered in the bags, but they threw in their signature steak sauce (which they make tableside), but the steaks were cooked perfectly.  Longhorn Steakhouse uses plastic to-go containers, so the fries came crisp and tasted like they just came out of the fryer. 

Before heading to my parents house, I stopped by their local Longhorn Steakhouse, which is only five minutes from their house. We all love the convenience of having our favorite restaurant so close to us. And, because of the family friendship environment of the restaurant with coloring sheets for the kids and a great kid's menu, we love taking the girls with us to eat, and they make a fuss. :-)  Here are a few photos of the take out meal I picked up the other night for my family to enjoy.  My mother opted for the salmon, while my dad and I shared the porterhouse steak for 2.  The girls got their homemade potato chips and mac and cheese with bacon, and picked off of everyone's meals.  

Again, we were not disappointed with the quality of the take out meal, and I didn't have to go back and ask for missing items.  When we were done, we were all left with satisfied stomachs and smiles on our faces.  Oh, I forget to mention that we always end out Longhorn Steakhouse meals with their popular chocolate stampede cake.  If you have never dined at the Longhorn Steakhouse, but plan to, make sure you save room for this layer cake with six different types of chocolate, served up with a side of vanilla bean ice cream.  Or, ask for it to go.  You will not be disappointed!  Just be warned, that this cake slice is massive.  It is 2 slices put together, and packed with so much chocolate goodness, you will satisfy your sweet tooth and not want for any other chocolate cake after you try this.  My girls are now fans of this cake, and will not eat any others.  They have good taste when it comes to quality foods! :-)

While we will be cooking steaks out on the grill this weekend, we also plan to pay a visit to Longhorn Steakhouse on Sunday for our annual Father's Day lunch.  I can't wait to see the look on my dad's face when I surprise him with a set of steel Longhorn Steakhouse knives, which are available at your favorite Longhorn Steakhouse, for a limited time only.  I was recently sent a set to review, as part of this post, and my husband loves them.  The first night we had the knives, he ran out to the store to buy steaks to grill up, just so he cook try out the knives.  And, I am expecting my father to be just as excited when he receives his own set. :-)

So, if you are still looking for gift ideas and a place to take your dad or husband this year for Father's Day, why not take him to Longhorn Steakhouse, or get him a gift certificate and set of steak knives as a gift.  Longhorn Steakhouse offer steaks, chicken, seafood and a great kid's menu -- so, every member of the family will find someone they will want to try.  You can check out their extensive menu options here: http://www.longhornsteakhouse.com/menu/default.asp.  And, don't forget to leave room for desert. :-)  See you at Longhorn Steakhouse!

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for LongHorn Steakhouse. I received a gift card to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.