The Longhorn - Tombstone

First let me say this: It’s just a matter of time before the Longhorn Restaurant under the existing management goes out of business and is sued for making someone very sick. Regardless of how many generations of family have run this restaurant, they are still far, far away from getting it right. No joke or exaggeration: we’ve eaten better food out of gas stations and truck stops on long roadtrips. The food at the Longhorn is bottom of the barrel prefab from food service companies and poorly prepared. Our experience: We headed to the Longhorn famished and excited for a great meal. Our waitress seemed very distracted and a bit annoyed that a customer showed up to eat. She was far from friendly and it was clear she wanted to have as little intereaction as possible. Perhaps she needs to find a different line of work that doesn’t require contact with people. We ordered the two specials: the prime rib with some kind of sauce (which I later discovered was intended to hide uncooked meat and the ribeye also with a copious amount of sauce to cover a multitude of cooking sins. We both also ordered “genuine golden russet” mashed potatoes. It seems the Longhorn has a history of running out of fresh potatoes – baked or mashed: see Trip Advisor reviews. When we received our meals the waitress came by to ask how things were before we even had the chance to have a single bite. Smart move on her part – I’m sure she knew complaints would soon follow and, thus, we didn’t see her again until we proactively requested a manager. First, the potatoes: from the initial bite it was clear these were cheap boxed potato flakes and either they, the gravy on them, or both ,were atrociously salty. I told my husband I was sure these were boxed potatoes. He went to take a bite of his to try for himself and uncovered a large ball of unmixed potato flakes. And it wasn’t small – about a golfball-sized ball of raw mix. Meanwhile, I am allergic to MSG (which almost no one uses anymore due to severe allergic reactions and know the signs well. After eating a couple bites I immediately became very hot, my neck and face turned bright red, my earlobs were on fire, ringing in my ears and throbbing headache. I am CERTAIN there was MSG in those “homemade” mashed potatoes and/or gravy. The meat: I’d feel safer and healthier eating my own boot. I ordered my prime rib medium. When I took my first bite it seemed cold. The lighting in the restaurant was dim and it looked red but was hard to tell, especially with all the reddish sauce in a thick paste on the meat. So we brought the meat closer to a light for better inspection and it was RAW. Even the fat along the prime rib was absolutely raw – a sign of uncooked meat. At that point, we were done. I went to the ladies room as I was feeling more sick by the moment and my husband called over the manager whose name tag said his name was Guy. Guy said the meat did appear a little undercooked – to which my husband pointed out it was completely raw. Guy also said they must have run out of real mashed potatoes and that he would see what he could do to help the situation. (Incidently, we ate super early that night – the sun hadn’t even set. It was about 5:30 p.m. and supposedly the real potatoes were gone. By the time I came back to the table the bill had arrived with just $12 and change taken off. I asked for the manager to return. He was awful. I explained to him that $12 was hardly good enough. I was not about to pay over $40 for an inedible meal that made me sick. He actually argued with me and simply did not care. He never once apologized for the experience. He did confirm that the kitchen was using fake potatoes but that it wasn’t his fault because he was only manager for what happened in the front of the house. Wow. I talked to him about the MSG and he denied its use. I let him know I’d be sharing my experience on Trip Advisor, Yelp and elsewhere and he said, “Go ahead” and walked away. I realized at that moment that this restaurant banks on the fact that people come to town, in many cases, just once in their lives, or infrequently at best, and chances are the Longhorn can just dupe new tourists tomorrow. Personally, I hold myself to high standards in my own work and can’t understand an establishment who would feel good about operating in this manner. They really should be ashamed of themselves. I should point out he offered me a free dessert – as if I would want to risk having more of their prefab food in my stomach. Eventually, after much argument, he took a little more off the bill. Honestly, we should have just walked out without paying a dime. Still hungry, we ended up across the street at the Crystal Palace, which we do recommend: very friendly service and good food for a fair price. If you want to enjoy yourself and time in Tombstone: stear clear of the Longhorn

Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $10–20 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 4

Great food, ask for Guy, great service. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $20–30 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: Country Fried Steak Skillet, Southern Fried Chicken, Apple Cobbler

Ordered prime rib medium rare. It was well done and very fatty and ridiculously priced at 34.99. Not worth it. My ABC (avocado bacon cheese) burger was good but on a stale bun. Fries were highlight of the meal, but server never offered/brought ketchup. It was so dark in there couldn't see the food. Skip this dinner experience. We went because it was well rated but found it very disappointing. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $30–50 Food: 1 Service: 2 Atmosphere: 2

Ask for Margaret. #BuyLocal Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $10–20 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5