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http://www.sundayindependent.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=2528450&fSectio nId=1041 Beefing up the local stake By Mary Corrigal Young children skip up mountains and dance around tepees in American Indian garb. That is the TV advert but what is Spur's food actually like? Echoing the ad, the inside of the steakhouse is festooned in a plastic rendition of Native American artefacts: PVC cowhide seat covers, artificial cactus plants, plywood totem poles, feathered headgear and dream-catchers holding pictures of a "tribal chief". Despite the themed décor, Spur restaurants are essentially steakhouses. Before the influx of Asian, French and Italian cuisine to South Africa and the rise of meat-bashing vegetarians, steakhouses were almost the only restaurants one could find in this country. They are as much a part of the South African culinary tradition as the braai. As South African taste buds have become more refined, steakhouses - excluding such grand institutions as the Meat Co and Butcher's Grill - do not attract clientele expecting an unforgettable dining experience. As the title infers, steakhouses cater for those who wish to tuck into some good old-fashioned meat. It's a primordial gastronomic desire that many can't ignore. However, these days, fine diners tend to turn their noses up at steakhouses. Let's face it, no diners worth their salt actually admit to eating at Spur. It's the kind of restaurant that you take your children to or drop in at while visiting a small dorp on the way to the Cape. Yet most children's first introduction to the eating and drinking world outside of mum's kitchen is the steakhouse because it is viewed as a relatively safe public dining environment to let the little ones loose. The first eatery that had the pleasure of welcoming my critical palate was a Longhorn steakhouse. I arrived decked out in my pyjamas, clutching my father's hand. Perhaps it is because of these fine memories that I find myself, despite my fussy eating habits, at the Golden Creek Spur for dinner. Before I have even looked at the menu I know exactly what I am going to order; it has to be BBQ spare ribs with chips and Spur's signature deep fried onions. That is one of the joys of eating at a budget steakhouse; you know what's on the menu before you get there. Excluding the traditional salad bar, almost everything else on the menu is decadently deep fried. This is not a restaurant that caters for calorie counters. To surprise people like me, who think they know what's on the menu, Spur have introduced a starter menu that offers smaller deep fried options. We settled for the deep fried mushrooms with tartar sauce (R27,45) and cheese quesadillas (R18,95). The deep fried mushrooms were palatable, but the tartar sauce was grim; the mayonnaise watered down to a thin tasteless consistency. The quesadillas were a real disappointment. There were no jalapenos in sight and it came with a measly spoonful of guacamole. Although the food appears briskly - leaving one with no time to kill in between meals - there is an array of entertainment to be had. If you worry that you might be missing out on your night's TV viewing Spur is tailor-made for you. There are TV screens dotted around the restaurant. And if there is nothing on TV that takes your fancy you can read the yarn on your placemat, which tells the story of "A young chief from flat mountain", who cooks up some steaks for his tribe. Before I found out what happened on the young chief's adventure my BBQ hickory smoked ribs (R46,95) had arrived. The ribs were tasty, succulent and delicious. They reminded me of my first eating-out experience as a child. Although I don't have a taste for Fanta Grape ice-cream floats anymore, BBQ ribs still hit the spot. My partner became noticeably silent when his T-bone steak (R49,95) with pepper sauce (R10,95) arrived - signalling his approval. The main courses are quite filling; we could have easily skipped the sub-standard starters. Therefore we didn't have room to squeeze in dessert. But if you want to take a trip down memory lane you can order the ice cream with hot chocolate sauce. The service was swift and efficient and the manager did pop by to check on our food, proving that budget food doesn't necessarily mean budget service. This steakhouse may be the perfect spot to bring the kids - there is a jungle gym outside and a playroom inside - but when you don't feel like all the pomp of a five-star restaurant and crave something meaty and fried, Spur fares well for adults too. # Spur restaurants are to be found nationwide Published on the web by Sunday Independent on May 21, 2005. © Sunday Independent 2005. All rights reserved. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nat-International/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
