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Vince Young Steakhouse: Menu and backstory
You might have heard about Vince Young’s day job. On Sundays, he plays quarterback for the Tennessee Titans.
But a man has to eat, and this weekend, Young will debut in his second job as a partner in the Vince Young Steakhouse at 301 San Jacinto Blvd. The Titans are off this week, and Young will be on hand Friday for a private preview. The restaurant opens to the public Saturday at 5 p.m.
The steakhouse’s number is 45-STEAK, and not just by accident. It was fourth down and five (4-5, you see) on the play when Young beat USC in the 2006 BCS Championship game, during his old day job with the Texas Longhorns.
Young is joined by partners Phillip Brown and Laura McIngvale-Brown, who met Young five years ago when he shopped at her father’s Houston furniture store preparing for the move to Tennessee. “We all just became really, really good friends,” McIngvale-Brown said.
“Phillip and I were going to open a restaurant in Austin, and we wanted to do something on a little bit of a larger scale, like we are. And then the idea got bounced around with Vince,” she said. “Vince wanted to come back to Austin. He obviously loves the city. It’s his second home.”
Phillip Brown, an Austin native who trained at Le Cordon Bleu here, will be the steakhouse’s executive chef. From a menu mercifully devoid of football puns, Brown will make pork belly, bison sliders, grilled fish and prime steaks, ranging from a 12-ounce New York Strip to a porterhouse weighing almost a pound and a half.
This being the steakhouse of the man who wears No. 10, the menu also includes “the Perfect 10,” a 10-ounce cut of Strube Ranch Wagyu beef.
Entree prices will go from about $30 to $45, McIngvale Brown said. The restaurant wine list will hit a wide range of price points, she said, and the cocktail menu should feel right at home in a building designed originally for MTV’s “The Real World.”
Until recently, the site was home to the Rio Grande Mexican restaurant, and it’s been repurposed by designer Bill Stubbs, with space for the “10 Room,” with its own football-shaped table.
So how often will No. 10 be at your table, asking if you’re enjoying the short ribs? “It all depends on Vince’s schedule,” McIngvale-Brown said.
He’s a busy man. It’s that pesky day job.
(Vince Young Steakhouse will be open 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 457-8325, www.vinceyoungsteakhouse.com.)
Comments
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By Hank
November 1, 2010 3:27 PM | Link to this
Proud to see an Athlete investing his money, instead of having 25 Mercedes…way to go Vince!
By ATXDem
November 1, 2010 3:35 PM | Link to this
So if this business venture doesn’t go as well as VY anticipates is he going to pout and mope like a child?
By Roger
November 1, 2010 3:39 PM | Link to this
Still cheaper than Memorial Stadium….
By CDM
November 1, 2010 4:25 PM | Link to this
I can’t wait to try it!!
By shamrock
November 1, 2010 8:53 PM | Link to this
Wet aged beef? And at those prices? Nasty.
By DFW Esquire
November 2, 2010 5:19 AM | Link to this
Way to go Vince! Now all you need to do is start a record company and a a car dealership to complete the pro athlete failed business venture trifecta!
By John
November 2, 2010 6:04 AM | Link to this
There are already too many of these uppity type of restaraunts in Austin. I hope it fails.
By timothyrex
November 2, 2010 5:30 PM | Link to this
That’s okay, John. We all hope you fail too. What did VY ever do to you?
By Creeper
November 3, 2010 6:03 PM | Link to this
shamrock - you nailed it. now, if they slap a 45 day dry-aged porterhouse on the menu, i’ll happily check it out.
By Linda Starr
November 6, 2010 11:25 AM | Link to this
At those entre prices you really should be serving dry- aged beef. May want to rethink that… Too many competing steakhouses downtown… Your menu will need to really rock… What about some truffle fries to go with that dry aged beef. …. Suggestion, study the Alexanders steakhouse menu (from Cupertino Ca).
By Veronica
November 16, 2010 12:55 PM | Link to this
We went with a party of 6 on a Saturday night. Can’t even begin to tell you how good this place is - service was impeccable, the food didn’t have a single misstep. I had a 10 ounce cut of wagyu steak (similar to kobe beef), and if you can find a better steak anywhere, I’d like to try it out. The sides and appetizers were incredible as well.
And those hoping for a failure here…wow, that’s so not in the Austin spirit of live and let live. Maybe you’ll never have dinner at Vince’s place, but why knock it for those who would like to enjoy the experience? Above all, why wish them failure? Lighten up, Francis.
By centsible chic
November 23, 2010 5:06 PM | Link to this
Francis, thanks for the positive comment. It really helped me in deciding whether to take my boyfriend for his b-day to the restaurant or not. I will give it a try. Hope we enjoy it as much as you did.