“When we go to Abilene, I want us to go to Perini Ranch.”

I cannot tell you how many times Betty said those words to us.  Maybe a bazillion times.  Betty and Robert raved about Perini Ranch, but … it never happened until now.  On our latest journey to Abilene, Betty made sure we had reservations, and I am so glad she did.

Sweet Mother of Pearl.  A humongous armadillo stood watch in front of Perini Ranch.  It was a sight to behold.

Welcome to Perini Ranch.  This is it folks.  Nothing fancy – a wooden shack with a metal roof.  But, as we stepped out of the van, the aroma of grilling steaks filled our nostrils.  Oh my, oh my!  

You might have heard some of the accolades that have been awarded to this steakhouse.  In 2002, then President George Bush invited Tom Perini to cater a dinner at his Crawford ranch for Russian president Vladimir Putin..  Well, Mr. Putin declared the steak the best steak he had ever eaten, and later that year, Ton Perini went to Russia to teach Russian chefs how to cook steak.  How about that?

Perine Ranch might have cornered the market on steer heads.  The decor is Texas chic or maybe you could just call it Perini Ranch style.  On the TV show Daytripper, Tom Perini said that one man flew from Japan just to eat steak at Perini Ranch.  He had his steak, and flew back to Japan the next day.  When I say this restaurant is world-famous, I am not kidding.

Inside the restaurant, the decor is nothing fancy.  To go to one of the best steakhouses in Texas, it is not necessary to dress-up.  We did meet one young couple who were celebrating their first wedding anniversary.  She had on a gold dress, and he was wearing jeans and a nice western shirt.  That’s the way it is done in Texas – at least at Perini Ranch.

I never pass up the opportunity to photograph a jackalope – especially one that has the red glow of a neon beer sign illuminating it.

While waiting for our food, I went exploring.

A garden is flourishing just beyond the door to the restaurant.

The Texas-size patio out back looked inviting.

I returned to the table  just as my salad was served.  The salad was okay.  Not great, but certainly not bad.  The greens were crisp, and I loved that they served the dressing on the side.

The sourdough rolls were served with basil butter.  The rolls were delicious, and the butter was wonderful. I won’t name names, but I think one person at our table almost licked the butter bowl clean.

Betty and Ever-Lovin’ wimped out (in my opinion.)  They come to a world famous steakhouse and ordered the Hamburger Patty.  Do not get me wrong.  It was delicious with the grilled onions, mushrooms, and green chilies.  It even had cheese on top.

But on that evening, I was the winner at our table.  I do declare.  This was one of the best steaks I have ever put in my mouth.  The Ribeye is Tom’s choice, so I chose it.  Upon seeing my steak, Ever-Lovin’ mentioned that he ordered the Hamburger Patty because he knew I would share.  I did, and we still had steak to take back to the hotel.  There was no way on God’s green earth that I was going to leave a morsel of that goodness.

BTW:  You get a choice of a side to accompany your order.  Ever-Lovin’s potatoes were good, but my Green Chili Hominy Casserole was wonderful.  Betty has the Perini Ranch Cookbook, and she has the recipe.  She brought it to our July 4th celebration.  I like it.  I love it.  Maybe I will be able to share the recipe with you.

For the sake of Lanabird, we ordered a dessert to taste.  Now, I know this sounds strange – Jalapeño Cheesecake.  But it was very good.  A sweet slice of rich cheesecake was drizzled with savory jalapeño jelly.  The sweet and spicy combination was very tasty.  Next time I would like to order Perini Ranch Bread Pudding.  I hear good things about their bread pudding.

Just the idea that Buffalo Gap, Texas is home to such a fine steakhouse is hard to comprehend.  For food this good, it is understandable why people come from near and far to eat at Perini Ranch.

I hear the Sunday Brunch is beyond wonderful.  I have it figured out.  We could leave right after Sunday School, and be in Buffalo Gap in time for lunch.  Sounds like a plan to me.   (Did I just tell you that I would skip church for a Perini Ranch steak? – On my – I do need to get my priorities straight.)

Blessings to you and yours,