Who Needs Ruth's Chris -- When You Got Rube's

Iowa.

Home to the Iowa Straw Poll and Iowa Caucuses.

Home of the American House of Gothic.

And home to one of the largest group of welfare recipients in the country -- corn farmers.

Despite that, it's one of my favorite states.

I've spent a decent amount of time in Iowa, but this was my first time that it wasn't during the dead of winter, which often means subzero temperatures and windchills far below that.

And it also means snow -- a lot of it.

But this time, when Suit420 hit the ground, I was wearing a longsleeve polo shirt, some shorts and boat shoes.

Yes, Sperry's -- it's a Southern thing.

Iowa's not southern, but the people are friendly so it reminds me of being in the South.

Another great thing about Iowa -- other than the cornfed midwestern girls -- is the beef.


And on this particular day, Suit420 was driving down the road about 20 minutes outside of Des Moines, in a pretty deserted area.

But I happened to come across a steak house. Rube's Steaks.

Hmmm.

Hungry, and not having eaten any Iowa beef yet, Suit420 decided to pull off the road and give Rube's Steak House a try.

So I finished up my fake, legal clove (I ran out of real one's while in Iowa), whipped into the parking lot and headed in for what would be my best experience ever at a steak house.

You see, Rube's isn't your typical steakhouse.

Like most steakhouses, the place was dimly lit, and there was soft music playing. Country music plays at Rube's, which I happen to like.

But the coolest thing about Rube's steakhouse is that you cook your own food.

I sat down and the waitress came up to take my drink order, and told me that she'd come back with my drink and then take me to pick out my steak.

Yes, I get to pick out my own raw piece of meat. That's cool, I thought.

But at that point I didn't realize I would also get to grill it.

I ordered a massive, 24 ounce Blue Moon, and anxiously waited.  Their beer and wine selection was good. Good drafts like Blue Moon and Boulevard.

And also good domestic bottles.

The waitress came back and led me and some other customers to what looked like a butcher shop counter.


It was full of tasty-looking beef.

Bacon-wrapped filet mignon. All differenct size sirloins. Ribs.

You name it.

The waitress then explained the process.

Each customer would pick out their own meat, along with any sides they wanted such as asparagus or other grillable veggies.

Then, you'd take your plate over to this huge area that contained a pit full of charcoal in the middle.

Sweet.

So I picked out a 26 ounce tenderloin, no veggies -- Suit420 isn't a fan of rabbit food -- and headed over to the grill.

I didn't really know what to think.

Part of me thought "this is great."

But part of me thought, "I could have bought this piece of meat at the grocery store and grilled it myself at home. What a genius idea. They don't even have to pay a cook."

Mixed feeling, I walked up to the grill and put my steak above the coals.


Rube's also has baked potatoes, baked beans, and a whole bunch of texas toast that you can grill and munch on while you cook your steak and sip your beer.

About half way through the grilling process I decided that I did indeed like this concept.

That's because I'm a weird eater. I like my meat burnt.

Not well done. But burnt. And since I was grilling it, I could burn it as much as I wanted.

I struck up a conversation with some folks beside me, threw on some texas toast, kicked back with my beer and chatted with strangers while I cooked the biggest piece of steak I'd ever grilled.

The smell around the grill was amazing.

All the different steaks, personal flavors (Rube's had all types of spices around the grill for you to use), and the veggies simmering smelled really good.


Once my steak got ready, I plopped it on my plate, threw on some baked beans and potatoes, and headed back to my table to chow down.

I was so hungry I wished that I would have tried Rube's special.

Rube's has this 56 ounce steak, and if you eat the entire thing, you get a free t-shirt and get your picture on their wall and on their facebook page.

I sat down, cut into my steak, and damn it was good.

So were the potatoes and baked beans.

That's a good combination. Steak, potatoes and baked beans. Can't get much better than that.

And the meat was as promised.


The girl assured me that even if I burnt mine, which you can see I did, that the meat would still be tender because it was good, grain-fed Iowa beef.

The steak and food were so good that even after eating 5 pieces of texas toast, I finished my entire plate.

My Nana would have told me I was a member of "The Clean Plate Club."

I paid my tab, struggled to get my stuffed self up, and headed out.

Rube's was a great experience, and I definitely plan on going back. Another bonus is that you can order meat from them online and they'll ship it to you.

Perhaps I'll do just that.

Rube's was so good that I had to put one more picture of my steak on the grill. Now, Suit420 is hungry....



Rating:  Seriously Thought About Buying the Shirt.