If only you could get a decent steak dinner with sides for about $10.
Oh wait, you can.
At Cadillac Chaparral Steakhouse and Saloon in Pinal County, all steaks cost $15 or less. Chicken and pork chop entrees are only $7 each.
The distance from Tucson makes for a leisurely drive up Oracle Road and a couple of turns until you finally reach the 3,600-square-foot wooden building on Arizona 79, about 30 miles before you get to Florence.
Once you're there, take a moment to gaze at the stark beauty of the desert. If you're lucky, you'll catch a blazing sunset. You might even see a rider on horseback, loping around a corral. In the back, a type of African tortoise makes a home in his own designated area.
Seat yourself at one of the many tables or climb onto a barstool and wait for some friendly, quick service. Televisions, a couple of pool tables, John Wayne photos and other cowboy memorabilia are scattered throughout the room.
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Named after the Cadillac Wash, which it sits just north of, and the former Chaparral bar at Oracle and Magee roads in Tucson, Cadillac Chaparral opened in May 2006. Owner Nancy Kuhlmann, 60, also owns Nancy's Fort Lowell Pub at 746 E. Fort Lowell Road.
Let's revisit one of the Cadillac's best features: Its low prices. The most expensive meal, in this case, a 16-ounce T-bone steak dinner, costs a mere $15. The 12-ounce T-bone costs $12. Like all entrees, a salad, choice of baked potato or fries, dinner roll and bowl of house-made beans accompany each meal.
On special that evening was the top sirloin steak for $8 (normally $10). Out of the three steaks offered, the top sirloin was the thickest and juiciest.
That's not to say the others weren't full of flavor, too. The T-bone's grill marks added a welcome bit of crunchy texture. And the rib-eye ($12) was full of juicy marbling.
All of the steaks were prepared to the exact specified temperature.The slightly spiced beans are mixed with chile powder, tomatoes and Kuhlmann's "sister's secret seasoning." They came in individual bowls and had been baked with bacon.
The only gripe — and it's minor — is that we wished the salad came with mixed greens rather than an iceberg and carrot mix. Four salad dressings and the steak sauces cleverly were served in a cardboard Bud Light six-pack.
If you'd like, wander outside, inhale the mesquite aroma and watch your steaks being cooked on the outdoor grill. You can eat on a patio that has plenty of tables available, too.
Dessert includes sweet choices such as double fudge chocolate cake ($2), lemon cake ($2) or cheesecake ($3.50). Or take your pick from a wall of hanging chips and candy bars (50 to 75 cents).
Lighter appetites can choose among $4.50-$4.95 burgers and sandwiches.
Being that it's a saloon, we would be remiss to not mention the competitive drink prices, including $3.50 small and $6 large pitchers of Budweiser and Bud Light and bottled beer that starts at $2.50.
Cadillac Chaparral Steakhouse and Saloon
• Where: 22861 Arizona 79, north of Oracle Junction, 825-9677.
• Hours: 4-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays; noon-9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
• What: A steakhouse and saloon.
• Parking: No problem — it's on 16 acres.
• Specials: Change occasionally, but often one of the steaks is knocked down $2.
The bill:
Top sirloin dinner — $8.
T-bone dinner — $12.
Two fountain drinks — $2.
Total (before tax and tip) — $22.
