In our good-humored quest to find and write about a good steak, we learned this weekend that you can say “medium rare” to your server, but your ribeye will come to your table well-done! It reminds us of Mark Schatzker’s culinary masterpiece entitled STEAK: ONE MAN’S SEARCH in which he writes, “Why did my father continue to grill it on a near-weekly basis, even though no steak ever measured up to the one he ate in 1963? I suffered from the same disease. Why was the meat all so bland? Like some pale-faced slot-machine addict, I kept exchanging money for steak, hoping to strike gold, but steak after steak said: ‘Better luck next time.’”

We went with a group of Baptists to The Last Frontier Steakhouse in Carbon Hill, Alabama. The building is fairly new and spacious for a Saturday evening crowd, but I've heard real food people say you should beware of any steakhouse with laminated menus and servers who can't answer any questions about the meat on the menu. Last Frontier stumbles on both counts. The preacher in our group and I both ordered a 14 oz ribeye cooked medium-rare. When the food finally arrived (the place was noticeably understaffed for a Saturday night crowd), both my steak and the preacher's steak were really well-done rather than medium-rare. We didn't have another hour to wait on a new steak, so we made the best of it.

When the owner came around asking how the food was, my wife said to me under her breath, "DON'T YOU SAY ANYTHING!! DON'T DO IT!" Well, I didn't say anything, and we all chuckled about it. Better luck next time.

Next month we have a date with two other couples for dinner at Connor's in Huntsville. The other couples SWEAR you can't get a bad steak there.

Connor's cooks a good steak! I am sure you know that Woodpeckers in Detroit steak isn't bad, definitely not Connor's but for a small town its pretty good.

There's a steak place in Detroit? I can't believe that area can support that!

Steak will continue to cook on the plate. If you were in a big group and your steak was done first, it may have been medium when it was removed from the grill, and coasted into med-well on the plate awaiting to be served/consumed. Especially if they heat the serving plates.

I always tell the truth when they ask how it was, I figure if I was the owner I'd want to hear it.

Why did she tell you to not say anything? A medium rare steak takes a grand total of 10 minutes. I can wait that long for a new steak.

Just go to diamond jims

+1 always had good luck there

Conner's servers a good steak & I've always had a good experience there. I wish you the best of luck but given your past, go in with low expectations and/or just order the chicken or ribs.

I'd have told the owner what I thought.

As for Connors, I would not order the ribeye. The ones I've had were too fatty and not cooked how I asked. I usually get shrimp & grits or chicken picatta.

That said, I know a lot of folks like Connors and their steaks so I hope your experience is good there.

You went to Walker Co for a steak? If you need some meth or heroin or a domestic violence charge then yeah............ better go elsewhere for a good steak.

There is not way I would have let me wife control me telling the owner my steak wasn't good and was overcooked. Hell, I wouldn't have waited to be ask. I would have told the server as soon as I cut into it and I would have demanded another steak cooked the way I ordered it.

The Last Frontier is NOT a good steak no matter how it's cooked.

Wasn't at all impressed at Diamond Jim's at the beach.

I've never been to the one at the beach but the one in Livingston is very good

I wouldnt say its known for steak. But its definitely a good place to eat.

Will be trying the one in Livingston soon. Hope it lives up to hype

It will

I lived 10 minutes from carbonhill for the past 8 yrs and I’ve honestly never even heard of that place! So I’d say you picked a bad place for steak to redeem itself.

Since you were in Carbomhill you should have just went to Lacey’s Pizza Bar then you’d have started that annual thread about how good the ham and cheese sandwiches are.

I could eat one or three ham-n-cheeses. YUMMM


Don't forget the pickles, please.