Best Cowboy Steak
STAFF PICK: The Last Territory Steakhouse chef Dan Kennon knows his beef. Kennon's family owned the Lazy KJ Ranch, down in Cochise County near Douglas, and Kennon roped and branded his own cattle, taking his first steaks from his first steer kill at age 4. The steaks you'll have at the Last Territory, 10000 N. Oracle Road (at Sheraton Tucson El Conquistador), undoubtedly never fed on Arizona scrub--beautifully marbled cuts. The filet is outstanding for its silken grain of texture, and far more flavor than ordinarily found in this cut. It's served with a fresh green salad, corn on the cob, thick-cut fried potatoes, an exemplary three-bean mix cooked with mesquite smoke, and rolls with crust and bite. Grilled shrimp are big, fresh crustaceans, just long enough on the grill for their sea-tastes to marry with a bit of mesquite. The Last Territory has more comfort than most cowboy steakhouses. No hard plank benches here. But you still get to throw peanut shells on the floor. A big limestone fireplace under 10-foot longhorns is the centerpiece of the ranchhouse dining room, and a 10-point stag elk head looks off at the dance floor as if shocked by diners doing the two-step. Friday and Saturday nights, the Diamond Rough Dancers, a trio of high-steppers in splendid territorial ruffles and feathers, give Last Territory diners two good-natured, high-energy shows at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Last Territory is simply the best cowboy steakhouse around.
