Definitely Outback.

I eat at both regularly, Roadhouse largely because my in-laws prefer it, but in a head to head comparison, Outback wins on steaks. Many have commented that either the quality, but mostly the size has declined at OB, but I would argue TR has declined significantly more. Whether you order Sirloin, Filet, or Ribeye, Outback's cuts are much better than TR. In my opinion, TR's steak taste like they were purchased at Walmart, where OB would have come from HEB (as an analogy).
And I agree with Raven, in that Outback is like Cheers. Tap and his staff know me by name, know what I typically order and how I like it. That's not a knock against at TR, because I have never had a bad experience with service there. And I will say, a tall Roadhouse Coke right after church on Sunday is like liquid crack.

This is an easy one if you care about quality. Outback serves all CHOICE steaks - Roadhouse only has one CHOICE steak according to their own menu which is the sirloin. The rest of their menu is a lower grade called SELECT which is how they can charge less. You get what you pay for. Outback now also offers flame grilled steaks or the regular seared steaks.

Republic serves Black Angus which is higher than Choice and if you want to drive to Houston, you can get PRIME at Ruth's Chris and Fleming's. Eccel Steakhouse offered a couple prime steaks when they were open.

As far as service and atmosphere, I also pick OUTBACK. You can actually hold a conversation and talk without all the distractions. If do not need dancers while I eat.

Finally - nobody donates more to the community than Outback. They sponsor half the charity events in town so we should support them right back.

I second mgreen. Tap (Proprietor) does great things for the community including being Chairman of the Board for the Chamber for the last year (A extremely involved un-paid position). I also agree on the food quality being better at Outback. Nothing wrong with RH however I do not think they are on the same playing field in this community.

Roadhouse all the way

as others have mentioned outback has gone way down hill. portions are smaller, as others have noticed they have started using smaller plates to make the portions appear bigger.
its not just the CS outback but all of them.

will echo the above, Outback was the place back in the 90's. Tom Kenney was running the joint and it was one of the top outbacks in the country.
the service is not terrible now but the food quality is not near as good, the portions are smaller and the prices have increased.
I used to eat at Outback about once a week and now maybe eat there once every 3-4 months..its sad becasue it used to be very very good.
but now I will take Roadhouse any day of the week over Outback

[This message has been edited by kevmiller (edited 5/28/2011 9:39p).]

black angus=a breed of cattle

black angus can be SELECT, CHOICE, or PRIME.

Several restaurants in town use USDA PRIME, and they have good steaks because of it

Christophers
Cafe Eccell
Veritas
Not sure about Maddens

SELECT, CHOICE and PRIME are all different prices and quality.

U.S. Prime - Highest in quality and intramuscular fat, limited supply. Currently, about 2.9% of carcasses grade as Prime.[8]
U.S. Choice - High quality, widely available in foodservice industry and retail markets. Choice carcasses are 53.7% of the fed cattle total. The difference between Choice and Prime is largely due to the fat content in the beef. Prime typically has a higher fat content (more and well distributed intramuscular "marbling" than Choice.
U.S. Select (formerly Good) - lowest grade commonly sold at retail, acceptable quality, but is less juicy and tender due to leanness.

love all the "experts" that come out on just about any topic

[This message has been edited by australopithecus robustus (edited 5/29/2011 3:01a).]

I'm definitely not an expert, nor do I claim to be. I actually wish that I knew more.

[This message has been edited by australopithecus robustus (edited 5/29/2011 11:05a).]

I'm confused by the thumbs down lol

Roadhouse, hands down

Haven't eaten at The Roadhouse in five years or more. Eat at Outback about every 15 months. They're both OK if you're bored with everything else. I can't remember the last time I ordered a restaurant steak. Haven't had a really good one since the '70s.

A recent vendor lunch @ Outback has availed me to the crappy quality/size/flavor Outback serves. I will not be back.

I am going to choose Roadhouse for this one, but not just on food alone. They have been very generous to College Hills Elementary.