Since 1986, the Longbranch Steakhouse has been serving some good steaks at some good prices. One of the original owners was former major league baseball player and manager Lou Pinella. The Longbranch has since gone through a couple of ownership changes and the two Longbranch's located in suburban Kansas City (Lenexa map - Overland Park map) are now owned by Dan Greet.
From the first time I went into a Longbranch, I always had kind of an affinity to the place. The decor is sort of rustic, yet, sort of "frathouse-ish". There are self-deprecating and rude-to-customers signage and shirts. It's not quite a steak house, but not quite a beer bar. And it could be categorized as a sports bar, but they prefer to be called a steak house.
I will tell you, the burgers at Longbranch are very good - 1/2 pound of fresh ground beef on a toasted bun. I like their Swiss-mushroom burgers the best. Good, lean, yet juicy.
And their chili is very good, too. It's sweet and thick with a little hint of spiciness. I always like to get it topped with onions, jalapenos and cheddar cheese.
I had a dinner meeting scheduled one evening in Kansas City, but late in the afternoon the guy who I was supposed to go out to dinner with begged off - he had the flu. I know that he had to have the flu - the steakhouse we were going to is one of his favorites. And since I was paying, I knew that he had to be really sick to not garner a freebie meal from me.
I was in the mood for steak all day, but I didn't want to go to that steakhouse by myself. So, I decided to head over to the Longbranch in Lenexa. Getting there was a major chore as they were working on the 87th St. overpass over I-35 and there were lane closures, detours and one lane roads. I found my way there, but I thought I needed to get a prize for making it.
Monday thru Thursday, the Longbranch has steak specials. Stupidly, ridiculously, insanely low-priced steak specials. I took the crew from Accent Sound to the one in Overland Park there one night and they had 16 oz KC Strips with steak fries for $8.99 that night. There was nothing wrong with the steaks, either. No major pieces of gristle, they were cut very lean and cooked perfectly.
Tonight, they had an 8 oz. Flatiron steak (to learn more about Flatiron cuts, click here) and steak fries for $6.99. Wow... OK, sign me up.
One thing that I've begun to notice at restaurants lately - especially when you're sitting at the bar alone having diner. The last few places I've been to, the bartender will take my drink order and then ask for my name. They introduce themselves with their name, write my name down on my ticket and then they treat me like we're lifelong friends the rest of the night. I'll tell you, it adds a couple bucks to their tip when they do it to me.
Tonight, the bartender, Mandy, did the same thing. She was very attentive and quick on the spot. I asked her if I could get a cup of chili before the steak and an ice cold Boulevard Irish Ale. She was more than happy to oblige.
I hadn't had the chili for quite sometime, but it was exactly as I remember. Good and thick, sweet and tangy. Add a little Tabasco sauce and it was a spot-hitter.
The Flatiron steak was a tad overcooked for a medium-rare, but for $6.99 it was still very good. I only had about four or five of the thick cut steak fries (I really don't eat french fries that much any longer), but they were good, too.
There are definitely better steakhouses in Kansas City, but there may not be any that are more fun than The Longbranch. And it's tough to beat the weeknight specials. My dinner with the chili, two 22 oz beers and the steak with fries came to just over $22 bucks. With a five dollar tip for Mandy, I was out of there for under $30 bucks.
The Longbranch is a good value for a steakhouse, if anything. Give it a shot if you get to K.C.
(Update 7-22-12 - Got a message from a liquidator that the Longbranch Steakhouse is now closed and they were selling off the fixtures. So much for this place.)
ONLINE ONLY AUCTION - ASSETS OF LONGBRANCH
Equip-Bid auctions is liquidating the assets of Longbranch Ale House.
Longbranch has unfortunately closed, however all the equipment is being offered up for auction ending on July 29th, 2012.
All bidding is Online Only and everything sells to the highest bidders without reserve
Over 600+ lots of equipment - TVs, bar equipment, neons, and much more!!
Posted by: Andy O'Hanlon | July 22, 2012 at 09:07 PM