If there's one thing that Americans enjoy more than a good steak, it's a good steak served in a Western-themed atmosphere. In fact, two of the nation's largest, most successful steakhouse chains both take their style cues from the top cattle-producing state of Texas. Ironically, neither of them have roots in the Lone Star State.

LongHorn vs. Texas Roadhouse: A Battle of the Steakhouses

Texas Roadhouse, founded in Louisville, Ky., gets most of the attention these days, with its record-setting traffic and rapid growth. But, LongHorn Steakhouse, which first launched in Georgia, has been around, well, longer and boasts a similarly impressive national footprint, with 566 company-owned restaurants and another 18 franchised locations around the country.

LongHorn's Success: A Combination of Simplicity and Hollywood

Like its fellow Texas-themed rival, LongHorn is one of America's top-selling restaurant chains, reporting over $2.6 billion in sales last year. And it continues to stamp its steer-head logo on ever-more buildings across the U.S. LongHorn founder George McKerrow once attributed the chain's success to "the simplicity of the menu," telling the Atlanta Business Chronicle: "I saw the other steakhouse chains get away from their core business model and diversify their menu to try to keep customers." But it got a little help from Hollywood, too. "At the time we opened the original Longhorn it was 1981 and the 'Urban Cowboy' movie was hot," McKerrow said, referring to the romantic Western drama starring John Travolta—a film often cited for making country music popular with mainstream audiences. LongHorn's "Honky Tonk atmosphere came along at the right time," McKerrow noted.

LongHorn vs. Outback: The Cinematic Connection

The cinematic connection is one thing that LongHorn shares with America's other major casual steakhouse chain, Outback Steakhouse, which launched in the wake of the popular Australian-themed 1986 action comedy "Crocodile Dundee."

Ranking the Steaks: From Least Favorite to Most Sumptuous

Ribeye

Fatty and flavorful, the ribeye is a very popular piece of meat. LongHorn offers two versions of this particular cut. One is seared on a flat-top griddle, the other is char-grilled. This one is the lesser of the two.

Fire-Grilled T-Bone

As with the ribeye, LongHorn also serves two versions of t-boned steaks. Conversely, both are cooked the same way: on the grill. The smaller Fire-Grilled T-Bone is still pretty substantial, listed at 18 ounces.

The Renegade Sirloin

The Renegade Sirloin is by far the cheapest steak at LongHorn. The 6-ounce cut cost me $16.79—less than half as much as the chain's biggest-ticket steak, the 22-ounce porterhouse.

Flo's Filet

Filet mignon is unquestionably one of the most beloved steaks across America, even if hard-line meat aficionados tend to turn up their noses at the delicate, mild-flavored cut. LongHorn offers this popular steak in two sizes: 6-ounce and 9-ounce portions.

New York Strip

The classic New York strip is my favorite cut to cook at home, so I'm a little reluctant to order it when I'm dining out. But, LongHorn's version is causing me to reconsider that stance.

The LongHorn Porterhouse

The porterhouse is LongHorn's most massive hunk of meat, weighing about a pound and a half—a good four ounces bigger than the chain's other t-boned steak.

Outlaw Ribeye

The bone-in ribeye has become my go-to order at any steakhouse, thanks to its well-earned reputation for ample marbling and added flavor from that distinctive bone. LongHorn's take, the so-called Outlaw Ribeye, has only strengthened my case.

Why spend $5 more on a puffed-up porterhouse? You'll be equally satisfied, if not more so, by opting for the eminent Outlaw instead.