Saddle Ranch Chop House
1000 Universal Studies Blvd.
When I was in fifth grade, going to Universal Studios was the most exciting thing ever. (OK, not as cool as the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, but pretty awesome.)
The studio tour where we were attacked by Jaws and drove by the Bates Motel was drop-dead scary; the “E.T.” ride was awe-inspiring. All in all, it was a great place to spend my birthday.
And apparently, things haven’t changed. I went to the Saddle Ranch Chop House on Universal CityWalk this weekend for my friend’s 23rd birthday. Turns out the place is a real hot spot. Despite CityWalk’s out-of-the-way location off the 101 Freeway and the $10 parking, it was packed with people when I arrived and it only got more crowded as I headed into Saddle Ranch.
The Chop House can be most politely described as “rambunctious.” Hosted by young, unshaven waiters and waitresses in Urban Outfitters-like apparel, the restaurant serves up a scruffy, faux-Western brand of cool along with its steaks and drinks.
The TVs lining the ceilings and the multiple bars blare the latest club-worthy pop hits; if you’re looking to take your grandma out to dinner, this is not the place. Unless she likes music videos featuring Timbaland.
That said, I did take my girlfriend here for our two-year anniversary in 2006. The food lives up to its expensive prices in both taste and portion size; everything from the prime rib to the mammoth “slab of chocolate cake” is large and delicious.
But on Saturday night, the sizeable crowd wasn’t there to chow down. They were there to get really drunk and ride the mechanical bull.
Yes, Saddle Ranch boasts a mechanical bull (two, in fact) that for the cost of one drink ($15), you can ride for a round or two.
As the night wore on, progressively more intoxicated people (my friend the birthday boy included) stumbled out into the ring only to get thrown to the padded ground moments later.
If this sounds dangerous, it is. To ride the bull, you have to sign a waiver. There were no broken noses on Saturday, but it was only blind luck and low centers of gravity that kept several heftier, would-be cowgirls from smashing their faces into the bull’s plastic horns.
While a steak house next to a theme park might not be your No. 1 place to party on a Saturday night, the Saddle Ranch Chop House might surprise you. Just make sure to bring your wallet ““ and a cowboy hat.