We keep going back and forth on Austin Land & Cattle, and we think we’ve found the secret to a successful meal there. We’re pulling for it because it’s Austin-owned, and the value here is certainly better than at the big chains. Plus, it’s our favorite steakhouse vibe in town: an undulating old terra-cotta floor, low ceilings, and dim lighting. We’re less excited by the wine list from the Dark Ages, with predictable names and confidence-wilting categories such as “Interesting Reds.” (You can find a decent Bordeaux in here.) Beware the bar; somehow even a dry martini manages to be sweet.

The deal is: stick with steak. It’s simply expertly cooked, beautifully marbled, wet-aged, corn-fed Texas beef. Sauces are fun; we like the ALC, like a less tinny A-1, and roasted garlic. (The occasional New York strip on special, we’re told, is dry-aged—to make the most of its great, concentrated-beef flavor, go sauceless on it.) Skip most appetizers. “Oysters Tex’efeller” drowns out any desired brininess with bacon and cheese. Buffalo-wing-style lamb chops have recently been delightful—crispy, and with the slight lamby flavor beneath the judicious sauce adding character instead of being muted by the preparation. Veggies are pathetic, however: salads are overdressed to a glistening, fatty extreme; loaded potatoes include everything in the world but chives; and carrots and spinach seem blandly steamed. Again: get right to the steak.