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I've taken my family to 5 major steakhouse chains in the US. We enjoyed most, but one is the best by a landslide.

Author Terri Peters smiling outside of a Texas Roadhouse
My family has been to many steakhouse chains, including Texas Roadhouse.

Terri Peters

  • I've visited many major US steakhouse chains with my husband and two teenagers.
  • From a value standpoint, we liked Outback Steakhouse best β€” we got lots of food (and wine) for $165.
  • The most memorable steakhouse was The Capital Grille, where our extravagant meal cost nearly $500.

My family never ate at chain restaurants until recently when we started trying ones my teens had heard about on TikTok or from friends.

We've now eaten everywhere from Olive Garden to Bahama Breeze, but our favorite chains to try have been steakhouses.

Forever a fan of a great glass of cabernet with a steak and some classic sides, I've taken my husband and kids to places like LongHorn Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Outback Steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse, and The Capital Grille.

Although one has been a clear favorite for me so far, almost every meal has been top-notch and has made me a believer in the consistency and predictability of a good steakhouse chain.

We felt we got the best bang for our buck at Outback Steakhouse.
Outback menus on wood table
Outback had some crowd-favorite offerings.

Terri Peters

Chains like Texas Roadhouse, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Outback Steakhouse felt similar in price point.

On average, it cost my party of four around $160 to eat at each, but the food at Outback was the hands-down favorite for everyone in my party.

Its complimentary brown bread was the best we've had, our steaks were melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and we loved the classic Bloomin' Onion appetizer.

My family of four got an appetizer, entreΓ©s, two glasses of wine, and two desserts for $165. At the time, we ordered more than we'd normally eat, so I know we could return and spend even less while still getting a really good meal.

Ruth's Chris had the best classic steakhouse sides.
bowls of mushrooms, creamed spinach, and mashed potatoes on white table cloth
We loved trying a range of side dishes at Ruth's Chris.

Terri Peters

Although Ruth's Chris was one of the more pricey steakhouses we've visited, our $500 meal felt worth it for the classy atmosphere, delicious food, and impressive wine list.

The chain's side dishes were particularly impressive. My favorite steakhouse side dish is creamed spinach, and the tasty version at Ruth's Chris was everything I could hope for.

The mashed potatoes we had there were also superb, as were the sauteΓ©d mushrooms β€” another steakhouse staple.

We'd absolutely return here for a special occasion.

Eating at LongHorn Steakhouse changed the way we order ribeye.
outlaw ribeye with brocoli at longhorn steakhouse
LongHorn Steakhouse impressed us with its Outlaw Ribeye.

Terri Peters

Our dinner at LongHorn felt like a great value because we enjoyed our generously-portioned meals so much β€” but a highlight of our dinner was a valuable tip.

LongHorn serves a $30 ribeye, and when my husband ordered his medium rare, the server took a moment to educate us about that particular cut of meat.

Because of the fat in a ribeye, he explained, the meat becomes more buttery and tender when it's cooked to a medium temperature.

My husband switched his order, and the resulting ribeye was delicious. Although we still order cuts like filet cooked medium rare, his tip stuck with us and we now cook and order our ribeyes medium.

I think Texas Roadhouse would be best for loud groups or families with young kids.
Hand holding Texas Roadhouse menu in front of wood paneling in restaurant
Texas Roadhouse seems like a good spot for families.

Terri Peters

Of the steakhouse chains I've been to, Texas Roadhouse had my least-favorite overall atmosphere. When we visited, it felt loud, crowded, and chaotic.

Several times during our meal, our conversation was interrupted by servers loudly clapping and singing to people who were there for a birthday dinner. We were also surrounded by many families with young children, who could understandably get a bit noisy.

Texas Roadhouse doesn't have a high-end atmosphere like Ruth's Chris or The Capital Grille, but I'd go a step further and say it's in a class below Outback and LongHorn.

Although the chain had a nicely varied menu, our group found the food to be just OK.

Overall, I think Texas Roadhouse is better suited for families with kids and groups who don't mind a noisier dining experience.

The Capital Grille is the steakhouse I'd visit every weekend if I could.
Terri Peters and her family smiling at Capital Grille
We had a great experience at The Capital Grille.

Terri Peters

Of all the steakhouse chains I've visited, The Capital Grille was my favorite with its delicious food, extremely attentive staff, and relaxing-but-elegant ambiance.

From the moment we walked into the restaurant, my family felt relaxed and taken care of.

Through several courses β€” which included some of the best calamari I've ever eaten and a few perfect wine pairings β€” we kept chatting about what a wonderful experience we were having.

The service and atmosphere alone made this steakhouse my favorite, and the food only sealed the deal.

We tried everything from surf and turf to filet au poivre and loved every bite. My son, who always orders burgers at steakhouses, said The Capital Grille served the best he's had.

Our meal cost over $500 after tax and tip, so going here wouldn't fit into our weekly dining out budget. Still, I'd request dinner at The Capital Grille for a special occasion or return for date night with just my husband to save a few hundred dollars.

Read the original article on Business Insider

I paid $600,000 for a skinny house built out of spite. Passersby may stare and comment, but it's a good investment.

An aerial view of a skinny house in Florida.
Mike Cavanagh's 10-foot-wide skinny house in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, attracts stares and comments from some passersby.

Open House Optics

  • Mike Cavanagh bought a 10-foot-wide skinny house in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, in 2024
  • It's a spite house because its developer decided to build what he could given city restrictions.
  • Cavanagh said he's glad he bought the skinny house even though it attracts some curious onlookers.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mike Cavanagh, a 51-year-old regional manager for a medical device company, who purchased a skinny house built out of spite in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, in 2024. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I realized it was time to downsize once my kids got older and moved out.

In 2020, I sold my 3,700-square-foot home and moved into a townhouse. I spent about four years renting, hoping the market would adjust, but it never did. I eventually decided it was time to buy something.

In June, I called a real-estate agent friend in Jacksonville Beach and said, "Hey, I'd like to see a few properties." We toured three homes β€” one was a townhouse, and the other two were three-bedroom houses. None of them felt right.

The exterior of a skinny house and the backyard.
The home is just 10 feet wide and 1,547 square feet.

Open House Optics

Later, they called and said, "I've got something you need to see. It's really unique."

The moment I walked into the house, I turned to my real-estate agent and said, "I'll take it."

The home is 10 feet wide and 1,547 square feet, with two bedrooms and 2Β½ baths. Despite its narrow layout, the exterior has great curb appeal. Inside, it has a modern feel, with beautiful flooring and tile work throughout.

The same day I toured the home, I made an offer. It was accepted, and we closed in just 30 days. I purchased it in early June for just over $600,000.

The home feels like the right size for me

At first, I didn't know much about the home's history. What drew me in was the neighborhood β€” it was quiet and peaceful, which I liked. The house is also the perfect size for me since I'm single. If I were 40 with young kids, it wouldn't have worked.

Eventually, I met with the home's builder. He explained that he had owned the lot for a long time, and while neighbors wanted to buy it, he wasn't willing to sell.

Originally, he wanted to build a 15-foot-wide home, but the city said no. So, he decided to do it his way and make the home 10 feet wide. That's how its unique design came to be.

A bedroom and closet in a skinny house.
The master bedroom features a built-in platform that can be used as a bed frame.

Open House Optics

I've definitely acclimated to the home. It doesn't feel small; its bumped-out walls give the house an almost container-like feel, reminiscent of an RV from the outside.

One of the home's unique features is its built-in nooks. The upstairs bedroom has a built-in platform where my mattress sits, so I don't need a bed frame.

Another important feature of the home is its natural light. The builder did an excellent job positioning the windows to create a bright, inviting atmosphere.

Cavanagh's living room with built-in couch
Cavanagh hired an interior designer to help decorate the space. Features of the furnished home included a built-in couch in the living room.

Courtesy of Mike Cavanagh

I hired a local designer, and together we developed a vision for the space.

I do entertain sometimes, but I don't have massive dinner parties. I just wanted to create a great environment for working from home.

We added a built-in white oak couch in the living room with custom cushions. It was a bit pricey but totally worth it because it's incredibly comfortable and has an artsy vibe. By the TV, we also installed built-in shelving and cabinets made from white oak.

I think the skinny house is a good investment

I think the fact that my home was featured on Zillow Gone Wild and that there used to be a "For Sale" sign in the yard both drew a lot of attention.

It's more subdued now, but I occasionally notice random people driving by or walking past and making comments.

I still get jokes, too. Some friends introduce me socially as "the guy who bought the skinny house."

A very narrow garage.
The home's narrow garage.

Open House Optics

Sometimes, when I meet my neighbors, they mention that they thought the house would be bought and turned into an Airbnb since there are plenty around Jacksonville Beach.

Compared to other cities in Florida, Jacksonville Beach has been slow to develop, which helps keep it affordable β€” especially relative to other beach towns.

As more people discover it's a fantastic place to live, there's been an influx of movers from the Northeast, some from California, and many from the Midwest.

My real-estate agent and I agreed that the house wouldn't lose equity with Jacksonville Beach's population growing.

An oceanfront picture of Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

felixmizioznikov/Getty Images/iStockphoto

If I change jobs or decide to move, I'm confident my home will attract enough interest to sell quickly. I could also rent it out on Airbnb. So I have plenty of options for the home in the long term.

But I plan to continue living in the home. It's my only property, and my job is based in the area, for now at least.

Overall, I do think buying the home was a good decision. Smart people just don't buy real estate to make money; they buy to have a great place to live β€” and to avoid losing money.

This home was definitely a solid investment.

Read the original article on Business Insider

We traded Seattle's nightmarish traffic and expensive housing for quiet streets and a big yard just an hour away

Author Erin Sanchez smiling with husband in Maple Valley
I love the tranquility and connection I've found living in the Seattle suburbs.

Erin Sanchez

  • My husband and I left our stresses of living in Seattle behind by moving to the suburbs.
  • The tech boom raised Seattle's cost of living, making it hard for us to afford a home in the city.
  • Now we enjoy having a close-knit community β€” and easy access to the city.

Growing up in a small town, I always thought the city was where I belonged. I moved to Seattle for college and loved the energy, the culture, and the endless entertainment opportunities.

But after a few years of struggling with some realities of city living β€” constant traffic, astronomical rent, and the never-ending search for a parking spot β€” I started to feel burned out.

Although I enjoyed living in Seattle, I decided to move about an hour away to the suburbs of Washington.

Now, I have the best of both worlds: I'm close enough to enjoy the perks of the city but far enough to escape its headaches.

Seattle's tech boom has made it even more expensive to live there

Traffic-filled roads in Seattle surrounded by trees
Seattle is beautiful, but its traffic and high housing costs were tough to deal with.

Erin Sanchez

Seattle's population has grown by about 20% in the past decade, in part thanks to companies like Amazon and Microsoft setting up headquarters in the area.

Unfortunately, the influx of high-paying tech jobs has also driven up the cost of living.

When I lived in Seattle, rental costs ate up a lot of my income β€” sometimes up to 50%. Plus, online rental marketplace Apartments.com suggests the average rent in Seattle is about 30% higher than the national average.

Since renting in Seattle was already expensive, buying a house in the city felt like a far-off dream for me and my husband.

One of the biggest advantages of moving an hour away from Seattle has been our ability to find nice places to live within our budget.

Once we left, we were able to buy a renovated single-family home on almost half an acre outside the city for about half the price something similar might have cost in Seattle.

I love dealing with less traffic β€” and finding parking is much easier now

The Seattle metro area has some of the worst congestion in the US β€” and the busy, crowded streets made living in the city stressful for me.

I regularly spent hours of my day creeping down the freeway at 5 mph.

Sometimes, I'd lose track of time circling the block to find a parking spot near my destination β€” and if I had to park in a garage or lot, I'd pay upward of $20 for just a couple of hours.

In my town east of the city, I can pull right into my driveway, and I never worry about finding a spot at the grocery store, which is only 10 minutes from my house during rush hour.

Life outside the city offered tranquility my younger self didn't know I'd need

Dog on leash near body of water in Maple Valley
Our neighbors have been pretty friendly and welcoming.

Erin Sanchez

My gripes with living in Seattle may seem small, but they've had a big impact on my life.

Now, we live on a quiet street where the towns of Covington and Maple Valley meet, and suburban life blends with nature. We have ample space for a garden and hiking and biking trails minutes away.

The sound of nonstop city traffic has been replaced by birds and the occasional neighbor mowing their lawn. When we take our dogs for a walk, we cross paths with more families and fellow dog walkers than cars.

Our close-knit community is a welcome change from the anonymity I often felt in Seattle. I like that we know our neighbors and often chat with each other, which felt tough to do in a big city.

Although we don't have as many restaurants and events in the burbs, I'm still close enough to Seattle to attend concerts and sporting events, visit museums, or meet up with friends for dinner and a show.

I miss the city sometimes, but I'm happy I've found what matters to me most at this stage of my life.

Read the original article on Business Insider

They bought an abandoned house in rural Japan for $6,500. Now, they're renting it out on Airbnb for $130 a night.

The exterior of the akiya.
The Benton's akiya has been transformed into a guesthouse.

Dani Benton.

  • Dani and Evan Benton moved to Japan on a startup business visa in 2023.
  • They bought an abandoned house for $6,500 and turned it into a guesthouse.
  • The couple has also started a homestead with a farm and a beekeeping business.

After six years of running an urban farm and renting an Airbnb in New Orleans, followed by 15 months of travel and house-sitting around Mexico, Dani and Evan Benton were ready for their next adventure.

They knew they wanted to live a simple, rural life but still have access to modern amenities. Ideally, they would also be in an area with a nice climate where they could grow as much of their own food as possible.

A couple sitting cross-legged on a tatami mat in the house.
Dani and Evan Benton bought an akiya in Japan and turned it into a guesthouse.

Dani Benton.

Their goal had always been to start a homestead similar to what they had back in the US, and doing this in Japan seemed feasible, especially considering that the country has 8.5 million akiya, or abandoned houses, in rural areas for sale.

It helped that Evan also speaks Japanese, having studied the language in college.

Since they always loved old homes and were keen on the idea of renovating an akiya, they decided to take the plunge.

The exterior of the akiya.
The akiya hadn't been lived in for a decade, ever since the previous owners died.

Dani Benton.

Applying for the startup business visa

In early 2023, the couple started working toward getting a startup business visa in Japan.

Their visa application required them to submit a proposal detailing their business plans.

In addition to their homestead β€” which would include honey production and a small-scale farming business β€” the couple also wanted to open a guesthouse. On the side, Dani, 40, was also planning to offer photography services.

They were drawn to Omishima island, which is over an hour away from Hiroshima airport, partially because it's one of the few areas where the startup business visa is offered.

A room filled with leftover junk from the previous owner.
There were still furniture items left behind in the akiya.

Dani Benton.

"What the startup visa does is it encourages foreign people to move to Japan specifically to start small businesses," Dani, a professional photographer, told Business Insider. "You get residency, and you have six months to do things like open your bank account, incorporate your business, get everything funded, and obtain whatever licenses you may need."

One of the main visa requirements is that the couple invest at least 5 million Japanese yen, or around $32,450, into their business bank account or hire a minimum of two employees.

Their proposal was approved after a few revisions, and they were granted their startup business visas by the end of June 2023.

Transforming an akiya into a guesthouse

A sitting room.
A real-estate agent had shown them the property.

Dani Benton.

While they were sorting out their visa applications, the couple also purchased their first akiya, which would be turned into the guesthouse.

Their property-hunting process was smooth because they had been looking at listings even before they left the US. Their eventual plan was to have two akiya β€” one for the guesthouse and one as their own residence.

"We had a list of houses on Omishima that we wanted to check out in person when we finally made it here," Evan, 41, told BI.

While viewing an akiya β€” which they would eventually purchase as their residence β€” their real-estate agent showed them another akiya nearby that hadn't been listed online yet.

One of the rooms in the akiya.
The couple paid 1 million Japanese yen for the akiya.

Dani Benton.

The latter was owned by a 75-year-old Japanese man who still lived in the neighborhood. His parents used to live in the house, but they died a decade ago. The house has been untouched ever since, and there were even pieces of furniture left behind.

"That ended up being the guesthouse that we bought," Evan, a former massage therapist, said. "We found our house first, but then we bought the guesthouse first."

They paid 1 million Japanese yen, or about $6,500, for their guesthouse.

"It's like the ultimate recycling project," Dani said. "It's literally saving a whole house and as much of the contents as we could."

The bedroom.
The two-story home was built in the 1950s.

Dani Benton.

Thankfully, the akiya was in pretty good condition, and they were able to live in it during the renovation.

"It was mainly cosmetic, so it was just a lot of things that took so much time to clean," Evan said.

The akiya even had a modern toilet that was already connected to the city sewage system.

"But we didn't have hot water for a long time, so while we were doing the renovation, we would have to go down to the public bath," Dani said.

The kitchen and dining area.
The couple lived in the akiya during renovation.

Dani Benton.

The couple did the bulk of the work themselves and even documented the renovation process on their YouTube channel.

However, they did hire some contractors for assistance since they had a six-month deadline to get their guesthouse up and running.

"If we had had a whole year to do it, we could have done it ourselves," Dani said.

The couple says they spent about $19,000 on the akiya renovation and $5,000 on furniture, appliances, and other household items.

Guesthouse for rent on Airbnb

Dani and Evan aren't alone in being drawn to these old, vacant homes in the Japanese countryside. Due to the shrinking population and internal migration, Japan has millions of unoccupied houses in rural areas.

However, thanks to the low prices and the lack of restrictions on foreigners purchasing property, more and more foreigners are choosing to buy these old homes and breathe new life into them.

The study.
The guesthouse is available for rent on Airbnb.

Dani Benton.

The couple's guesthouse is available for rent on Airbnb from 20,000 Japanese yen a night.

They hosted their first guests in November last year, and when their six-month startup business visa was due the following month, the couple obtained a business manager visa.

Omishima is in the middle of a series of six islands that are connected by a long suspension bridge known as the Shimanami Kaido, a famous biking route and tourist attraction.

There is a grocery store and a few local restaurants nearby, as well as a popular shrine and a samurai museum on the island, Dani said.

A woman standing in the fields.
The couple also have a farm where they're growing vegetables.

Dani Benton.

Like many places in Japan, Omishima is also very safe, Dani said: "We never lock our doors."

Now that the couple has gotten their guesthouse up and running, they'll be focusing their energy on turning the other akiya they bought β€” which is two minutes away β€” into their home.

"It was abandoned for 40 years, so it has a lot of work needed," Dani said.

In addition, they're working to establish their farm and honey production business.

A man harvesting honey.
The couple are working as beekeepers and a part of their business includes honey production.

Dani Benton.

"We enjoyed Mexican food and really missed it in Japan, so essentially, we're focusing on Mexican vegetables, growing tomatoes, tomatillos, and all kinds of hot peppers," Evan said.

As for honey production, the couple just harvested their first batch of honey from their 12 bee colonies, he added.

The couple has been living in Japan for almost two years, and the biggest lifestyle change they've noticed is that they're more connected with their local community than they were back in the US.

Not only do they know more of their neighbors, the couple also has closer relationships with them.

A man and a woman posing in front of an abandoned house in Japan.
The couple say they feel more connected to the local community in Japan.

Dani Benton.

"Everyone lives in the same sort of concentrated area, and then they all go out to their fields and meet each other on the way," Evan said. "So we're always having saying hi to people in the street."

Have you recently relocated to a new country and found your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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