My father-in-law and his wife were in town between Christmas and new year's eve, and he wanted to take us all out to dinner.  We chose Texas Roadhouse as a viable option, partially just for its proximity to our house (about 10 minutes away).  We had been there once before and enjoyed it.

Despite the fact that the wait was a little longer than we had anticipated for a Monday night, and the country music was louder than we would have preferred, it was a great night. 

Our waitress was enthusiastic and friendly, and our kids were treated to tableside balloon animals (lady bug and turtle for the girls, monkey for my son).  The guy doing the balloon art was raising money for a church youth ministry.  Clearly, he scored the mother lode at our table - I think we probably paid about $8/animal or thereabouts.

The food was excellent, based on the mini-reviews that I heard from our party of seven.  My father-in-law was so enthused about the green beans that he actually asked for the recipe.  I had the catfish, which was a LOT of food.  My wife had the veggie plate, and we ended up bringing about half of it home with us.

The atmosphere is fun and a little eclectic, with pictures of Willie Nelson and charicatures of Nascar drivers adorning the knotty pine walls.  There were at least five or six TV's on showing football games when we visited.  Additionally, they give you a small bucket of unshelled peanuts as a snack (just throw the shells on the floor if you like), along with warm yeasty rolls and cinnamon butter. 

The aforementioned volume of the music would be my sole complaint.  When I mentioned it to the waitress, they did turn it down for us.

Texas Roadhouse is a chain restaurant apparently, with locations around the U.S.  This is the first one to open near us, and I would highly recommend it.  It's not overly expensive, nor would I call it "affordable" for every budget.  I didn't see our bill the other night, but I'm guessing that my family of five would likely pay $60 or so including tip.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: My seven-year-old daughter was very excited about this place.  She said, "I liked it there.  We got balloon animals!  I also got to eat peanuts and act like a statue!"

In order to understand the last part of her quote, check out the photo of her and my son near the statue in the waiting area.  ------------------->

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