Doc’s Steak House has been a Wichita institution since 1952; my journey’s took me to Wichita in October of last year and it seemed like fate; I arrived in Wichita a week prior to Doc’s closing its doors for good. The restaurant had, in recent years, started to lose money quite substantially and the efforts to find a new buyer hadn’t panned out. I arrived in town on a Saturday; the following Saturday was to be the final day the restaurant was open. This is always a risk on this food journey. One of the foundational sources for this project was the book 500 Things to Eat Before It’s Too Late. I’ve already bumped up against a couple of restaurants that had shut down; non-chain restaurants are closing down every day and America is losing a huge portion of its food heritage. If you support food as an art form or as an important cultural marker, then support your local small restaurants.
So, it seemed fate had smiled on me, given me the chance to check Doc’s off my list before the chance was lost forever. In retrospect, I’d say fate hadn’t so much smiled as decided to have a good laugh. The first item I tried was one of the biggest sellers, their basic Sirloin steak. And it was just dreadful. It was painfully tough and basically flavorless. It didn’t seem to have been spiced at all and, while I don’t expect steak to melt in the mouth, this steak was so tough that my jaw actually began to hurt from just how hard I was having to chew it. It was totally dry, not a hint of juice. It’s the worst steak I’ve ever had in my life. Well, anyone can have an off night. I went back to Doc’s later to try some other famous menu items; more about those later, but for now, as far as their Top Sirloin? I’d hate to try the bottom. 0 stars.
tl;dr – iconic, famous steak house features the worst steak I’ve ever tasted. 0 stars.