Giddy Up Cowboy!: 18 Years of Marriage, Four Kids, and One Bullride Later, This Texan Couple Know What It Takes to Make It Work!

When we heard that there was a Texan restaurant that serves large portions and combines down to earth comfort food and good old fashioned fun with the Beijing city view, we just had to put it to the test. Tagging along for their date night, we joined Texan couple Tom and Clare Starobynski for a night of good food, drinks, relationship advice, and bull riding! Yeehaw!

At first glance, you get a mixed vibe walking into Rodeo Connection. On one hand, its location on the 26th floor of Junhao Central Park Plaza means you can enjoy the posh Beijing skyline above all the hustle and bustle. But on the other hand, the centerpiece of the restaurant, which you notice the moment you walk in is the giant mechanical bull standing smack dab in the middle. It’s clearly a restaurant created by people who love to drink and party, for people who love to drink and party.

Seated by the window overlooking the city all the way to Sanlitun, the Starobynskis dished on their 18-year marriage while digging into some BBQ favorites. Starting off the night was Rodeo’s snack selection (RMB 198), whose name doesn’t do it justice. They say everything’s bigger in Texas, well, this is one starter that doesn’t disappoint. The “plate” is essentially a long wooden plank filled with onion rings, spicy chicken wings, fish fillet, shrimp, nachos, potato wedges, a bit of salad, and, according to Tom, the best calamari he’s ever had in China.

Next, the Starobynski’s date night took a fiery turn with a Rodeo Connection classic, the flaming Roasted Pork Ribs (RMB 388), a whole roasted rack of fall-off-the-bone tender pork ribs, topped with mozzarella cheese, and set ablaze at your table with a lashing of Rum151. While the ribs are finger-lickin’ good and ever so cool to photograph, don’t get too close, because nothing will ruin a date night faster than singed eyebrows.

The Starobynskis finish off their date night with a nightcap drink, sort of. The latest addition to the Rodeo Connection menu is known as the Food Safari (RMB 298) and the wild name should have been an indication of what was to come. What arrived at the table was one gigantic glass of rum and Coke garnished with an entire roast chicken, a full-size pulled pork burger, a mini slider, a hot dog, a kebab, onion rings, fried shrimp, and buffalo wings. Is it a drink or is it a meal for two? We’re still not 100% sure. But we are sure that this is definitely one for the food pic album and a very fun addition to the evening.

After 18 years of marriage and four children together, the Starobynskis have a lot of relationship knowledge up their sleeves, and their “how we met” story is like the plot of a Hallmark movie. The two caught each other’s eye at a Christmas party back when they were just 14 years old and decades of friendship, love, marriage, and children later, their relationship is as strong as ever. Their secrets? “Always, always have each others’ backs, never put your partner down to others,” Tom tells us. No matter where you are, whether living in your hometown or venturing across the world and settling in Beijing, your partner is your best companion and you need to tackle life together, as a team.

“Always date your husband or wife,” says Clare. Even after you’ve been married for years. And one of the most true-to-life pieces of advice that every mature relationship should take note of is to “learn to love the things you don’t like about your partner. As long as your partner has the most important quality to you, that is what matters.” You’ll never find a person who’s perfect in every way, who’ll never annoy you, and never ever say the wrong thing. But Disney princes don’t exist in real life, and even if they did, I’m sure Prince Charming’s bound to leave the toilet seat up every now and then. As long as your partner has the qualities you value most, the rest is easy peasy.

Before heading home, the Starobynskis took on one more of life’s challenges together as a team – their first (and possibly last) mechanical bull ride! Rodeo Connection is all about having a great time, so if you’re amped up on liquid courage, or finally giving in to sheer curiosity, their mechanical bull is ready to give you a ride of a lifetime and one heck of an evening to remember.