Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop
“Contemporary American cuisine with a western flare.” Cowboy Star is a modern steak house with a fine-dining experience. The cattleman’s cut ribeye is a visual feast with its perfectly Frenched rib bone. Or, indulge in the Hokkaido Wagyu New York steak, flown in from Japan, aged 23 days and served alongside a saffron poached honey onion, a sauce with house-cured coppa and black truffle, and sautéed asparagus.
A Sunday Supper features a weekly rotating menu, served only in the bar, that includes bacon-wrapped, gruyere-stuffed, truffle-gravied meatloaf, prime rib, short ribs, bourbon-glazed pork chops or my favorite, buttermilk fried chicken. The deeply browned, pebbly crust shatters perfectly bite after bite, revealing the sweet, juicy meat underneath. Do save room for warm, buttery chocolate chip bread pudding, bathed in a pool of golden butterscotch and accompanied by a scoop of scrumptious dark chocolate ice cream.
Additional Info
Hours
| Sunday | 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Monday | 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Thursday | 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| Thursday | 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Friday | 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| Friday | 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. |
| Saturday | 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. |
Restaurants details
| Cuisine | Burgers California Cuisine Charcuterie Dessert Fine Dining Happy Hour Steak Steakhouse Wine |
| Delivery | No |
| Outdoor seating | No |
| Party room | Yes |
| Reservations accepted | Yes |
| Kids menu | No |
| Occasional live music | No |
| Payment options | Accepts credit cards |
I was very disappointed with the Cowboy Star....I read all the reviews in the Reader about how this place was supposed to be better than Ruth's Chris. The food and service was decent at best. It felt like all the service staff was fresh out of high school or college.....they had good personalities but seem to lack general fine dining knowledge. The quality of my steak (NY Strip) was closer to a steak that I would find at Outback than a steak at Ruth's Chris or Flemings. I feel that you do not need to put a sauce on a steak to make it taste better, the steak should be able to stand alone....it was a little like window dressing the steak. 2 of the 3 desserts were over cooked and left a bad taste in our mouth. The vibe in the restaurant was okay, I just would play some different music (they are trying to be fine dining restaurant, not a country bar). I would not go back....maybe worth a try if you go out to eat a lot but I would not spend my money here again. I will stick to the other steak houses downtown.
Wearing country garb and playing Patsy Cline doesn't make Cowboy Star any more of a "theme restaurant" than Laurel is for having a pianist and black aprons. I hate to see Cowboy Star be put in a box -- this place is a true original. Cowboy Star is fantastic, from the crab cakes to the rib-eye bison steak to the delish drinks (I know they didn't have gimlets this good in the Old West!). Love the staff too. I always feel welcome and comfortable here, and never bored!
Oh, and be sure to check out the impressive meat counter next time you want to grill your own!
THE GOOD THINGS: This place is finely decorated with every aspect true to the name and theme of the restuarant from the staff's western style uniforms, to the oldies country ballads. It was a fun experience because it felt like I was taking a trip to another place and time. The menu boast a list of free range, grass fed steaks. I highly recommend the bison sirloin and the aged bone in ribeye. Service was extraordinary and the staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. The wine list is well assembled. THE BAD THINGS: The location made finding decent parking a difficult challenge. If you happen to be in a smaller party, then chances are you will be seated in the arrangement where you'll have to share a booth-bench with another table. This could seem a bit intrusive if you are trying to go for that "intimately quiet and private" dining experience. The portions of the steaks and appitizers could be a bit larger considering the prices.