STEINER RANCH STEAK HOUSE

By Gail Woerner
Posted Tuesday, March 31, 2009

A NEW TRADITION FOR A WELL-KNOWN RODEO FAMILY

After making their mark in the rodeo world for four generations, the Steiner family, of Austin, Texas, has started a new endeavor with the same excellence they had in rodeo. The Steiner Ranch Steak House, on Lake Travis, opened during the holidays and has all ready been considered a ‘must’ in seeking a great meal, whether it is their superb variety of steaks, Chilean sea bass, or other fare.

The history of the Steiner clan is well known in rodeo. When Buck Steiner, born in Cedar Creek, Texas, on December 2, 1899, was a youngster he rode mules with a loose rope and was paid $25 for riding bulls backwards. He changed his name from Thomas Casper Steiner to Buck when he left home at age 12 and didn’t want to be found. He did a myriad of jobs including working with Wild West shows across the country. Eventually he married and had two children, Tommy and Myrtle Irene. Myrtle died in an accident in 1942. Buck began building houses in Austin, continued to also invest in a variety of businesses, and soon got in to the cattle business. His businesses were varied but he eventually had a saddle shop. Once the Association Saddle was established in the 1920s Buck began producing them for major catalog sales. Buck could be found every working day in Capitol Saddlery until he died at 101 in 2001.

Buck and Tommy produced rodeos for over thirty years. Their events were held all over the country and were well known for being a colorful and entertaining rodeo. When Tommy married Beverly she immediately got involved and added to the quality of the performances. Their success in the world of rodeo was honored by Governor John Connelly who appointed them as Goodwill Ambassadors of Texas. They even held a rodeo in Cuba, which was just as Castro began to take charge of the country. Leaving the country became a serious concern for the cowboys and cowgirls who had joined them on the island. Fortunately the Steiners made sure all the cowboys and cowgirls made it home safely. Tommy and Beverly are both deceased.

Tommy and Beverly had three boys, Bobby, Blake & Bill. Bill and Bobby competed as youngsters at Steiner rodeos, but Bobby was the only son to pursue rodeo full time. When Bobby finished high school he left a note for his parents that he was off to rodeo. He chose the bull riding event in which to make his mark. In 1970, at age 19, Bobby qualified for the National Finals Rodeo. This meant he was one of the top fifteen bull riders in the nation. He finished 8th and returned to NFR the following year to end up being 3rd. Although the travel necessary when competing was not to Bobby’s liking, he wanted to become a world champion. He sat at home the following year and watched the NFR on television, but made up his mind he would go on the’rodeo road’ to try and become the world champion. 1973 Bobby did indeed qualify for the National Finals and went in to the ten day event $162 a head of Donny Gay. The winner was not determined until the tenth round. Bobby finished the year as World Champion with $1,231 ahead of Gay. Joleen Hurst, a barrel racer from Fort Supply, Oklahoma, who became Bobby’s wife, also competed in the 1970 and 1971 National Finals. She finished 3rd in barrel racing in 1971. Bobby retired from competition shortly after his win. He and Joleen became partners with Tommy & Beverly in the production of rodeos until they sold the company in 1982. Later he went in to the family cattle ranching business, and built one of the largest and most respected Brangus herds in the world.

Bobby & Joleen’s two sons, Tommy Shane and Sid, were raised on the shores of Lake Travis and Lake Austin, and were as adept at Little League, water sports and football, as rodeo. Tommy Shane made his way in to country music and has performed across the country, including the Grand Old Opry and Las Vegas, at numerous venues. He actually followed in his dad’s footsteps, as Bobby made a record album singing and playing guitar in Nashville back in 1973. He borrowed his dad’s guitar, learned to play, and was coerced in to singing in front of family and friends. He was so well received, the rest is history. One of his major hits was “What if She’s an Angel”, by RCA Records. Today Tommy Shane spends time being daddy to daughter, Bella, and is a partner in TechFX, an audio-video security systems company, in addition to the restaurant.

Sid also knew, like his dad, he had what it took to be a world champion in the rodeo arena. Although he is not the typical cowboy, and there is no question about that, he certainly could hold his own in any rodeo arena. His competitive nature mirrored his dad’s in determination. Sid became world champion steer wrestler in 2002. His times steer wrestling at the Wrangler National Finals that year were amazingly consistent; 4.1 seconds, 4.4, 4.0, 4.2, 4.3, 4.9, 5.0, 3.6 4.0 and 3.3 seconds in the final round. It was evident his total focus and concentration were on winning. Sid’s total monies earned for the year was $162,516. His nearest competitor, Cash Myers, had a total for the year of $145,813, $16,703 less than the champ. Sid has been called lots of things, including “One of the 25 Toughest Guys in America” by Men’s Journal magazine in 2004, “Sid Rock”, “The Outlaw” and many more interesting titles. But in truth, despite his tattoos and interesting choices of clothing he wore while competing as a steer wrestler, he is one of the nicest guys around. Sid felt the same about the travel necessary in going down the ‘rodeo road’, and being away from family, as his dad, and retired from rodeo after winning the world title. Presently he operates a shop called Archery Country, in Austin, in addition to the restaurant. He is married to Jamie Richards, a former barrel racer from Kennewick, Washington, and they have two children, Steely Jayd and Rocker Shane.

Meanwhile the Steiner Ranch Steak House, that sits atop the tallest hill, in what was once the Steiner ranch, overlooking sixty mile long Lake Travis to the west and downtown Austin glows in the distance against the night sky to the east. The Steiners have partnered with Don Burdett, restaurateur extraordinaire, and Kelly Gray in this endeavor. The restaurant is done in first class western style. The décor is purely rodeo and includes Steiner memorabilia, including Joleen’s western outfit, outlined in lights, which she wore when she led the Grand Entry and carried the American flag at the Steiner Rodeos. Photographs from the world of rodeo line the walls. The showcase off the entrance encases mementos of honors and world championships of the Steiner family. Buck, Tommy, Beverly, Bobby & Sid have all been inducted in to various rodeo Halls of Fame. If you are anywhere near central Texas, and Austin, make the Steiner Ranch Steak House your epicurean destination. The tastes, presentation and service is tops. You’ll be glad you did. For reservations call 512-381-0800