I forgot how bad Outback sucks

[Brian Tuite]

Until we went last night. It was the Birthday Girls' request to eat there so we brought her.
Menu in small print with poor lighting made it impossible to read. I should have stopped while I was ahead. Mai Tai was horrible and maybe 4oz with the rest ice. Rib Eye was overcooked and flavorless. How does one manage to remove the flavor from a Rib Eye? Also, how do you grill a steak and not leave grill marks on the meat? I could have sworn it was broiled. The baked potato had a nice salty crust on it. Should have rubbed it on the steak.
Does anyone really enjoy eating here?

[Joel W]

I saw the title of this thread and I started busting up....

How often have we all went into some crappy restaurant for WHATEVER reason and thought the same thing.

My mom and brother insisted on going to the Olive Garden a few months ago. Oh Christ.... I remembered t was bad, but forgot just how bad it really was.

... to answer your question, I'm sure there are people that enjoy Outback, but not me.

Nice laugh to start off the day

[Kenny H (Online)]

Idiots at corporate take us there sometimes. If they don't have a vegetarian option, I tell them to just hold the fish. That is how much I like them.

[Randy Bowman]

Brain,

Outback, Denny's, Lyon's, IHOP, Black Angus, TGI Friday's, etc., were just fine for you all those years until you became a wine snob. Now you've developed expectations, a sense of taste and an appreciation for fine food.

[Brian Tuite]

Brain,

Outback, Denny's, Lyon's, IHOP, Black Angus, TGI Friday's, etc., were just fine for you all those years until you became a wine snob. Now you've developed expectations, a sense of taste and an appreciation for fine food.

Not so fast now Randy. Those places were fine when I was a weekend warrior barhopping and getting loaded. But that was many many moons ago BC (before children). Now they're the ones barhopping and eating nasty chain food. I've always enjoyed fine food though.

I've only become a snob since meeting you all here.

[Jorge Henriquez (Online)]

Did you have the bloomin' onion???

[C. Grimm]

A great client that I meet with every month or two always prefers that we have lunch at Olive Garden. Maybe twice in twenty years have I gotten him to allow me to take him to really nice restaurants and he just doesn't care for them. I guess I'll try again in another ten years.

[Bob Wood]

I'll never forget being taken to Red Lobster for lunch and being shown the plastic dessert replicas. Mmmm . . . appetizing.

[Mark Golodetz]

I went to one a few months ago, and it wasn't that bad. The steak was nothing special, but had some flavor, the Ceasar salad was actually very good, and I had some fresh fruit for dessert. in my hierarchy of bad food,Burger King and White Castle win easily followed by Applebys.

[Brian Tuite]

Brain,

Outback, Denny's, Lyon's, IHOP, Black Angus, TGI Friday's, etc., were just fine for you all those years until you became a wine snob.

Freudian.....

No, inside joke.

[Brian Tuite]

Did you have the bloomin' onion???

IBS? Not this time thank goodness.

[Roberto Rogness]

In Rio de Janeiro there are joints on almost every corner where they will try to stuff a whole cow (deliciously seasoned and grilled rare) down your throat for less than $15 including all the salad, pasta, rice and beans and many other sides you can handle. Yet, in every nice shopping center, there is an Outback with a line out the door as they have successfully marketed themselves as the chic and imported alternative (and it is MORE expensive than the local joints by a good bit).

[Frank Deis]

What I think is remarkable is -- there is an Outback just off Route 1, near where I live. Any time you drive past it between, say, 5:30 and 11:30 PM, there is a LINE OF PEOPLE WAITING OUTSIDE. Young people, just dying to get in and eat their bloomin' onion.

Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste (or I suppose the intelligence) of the American people!

(And -- Happy Fourth of July!)

[C. Grimm]

I've never been to Outback - isn't there a thread on here about how good they are (for yuppy bar food), too? That they bend over backwards for customers? cg

[gene keenan]

I have never had the pleasure of eating at Outback. But, I have eaten at what I am sure is the equally delicious Rain Forest Cafe and a few other chains.

[CWun]

I used to be a food snob and turned up my nose to all the chain restaurants, but I've come to appreciate that they serve a purpose and they serve a consistent product which makes people feel comfortable.
I never seek out chain restaurants, but I don't make fun of people who enjoy them.

[Linda Baehr]

In Rio de Janeiro there are joints on almost every corner where they will try to stuff a whole cow (deliciously seasoned and grilled rare) down your throat for less than $15 including all the salad, pasta, rice and beans and many other sides you can handle. Yet, in every nice shopping center, there is an Outback with a line out the door as they have successfully marketed themselves as the chic and imported alternative (and it is MORE expensive than the local joints by a good bit).

Same happens here too.
When I lived in the SJ Valley, my ex-bf used to eat regularly at a mom and pop Italian joint. They were usually pretty busy on weekend nights, but the line for the Olive Garden was out the door. Needless to say, mom and pop were actually Italian- and were really good cooks!

[Victor Hong]

I used to be a food snob and turned up my nose to all the chain restaurants, but I've come to appreciate that they serve a purpose and they serve a consistent product which makes people feel comfortable.
I never seek out chain restaurants, but I don't make fun of people who enjoy them.

Agreed. Just think about how people used to disdain screw-top bottles.

[dteng]

I used to be a food snob and turned up my nose to all the chain restaurants, but I've come to appreciate that they serve a purpose and they serve a consistent product which makes people feel comfortable.
I never seek out chain restaurants, but I don't make fun of people who enjoy them.

Oh come on.
Point your finger and laugh a little.

[Z. Hu]

I had a company function a couple years ago in Palm Springs. We ended up eating at Outback and then drove back to San Diego. Had to stop like 3 times...Brings back horrible memories

[Chris Blum]

I think it's a pretty good chain restaurant.
The trick is not to order the steak. Great burgers that you can get as rare as you want, French dip sandwich, good shrimp, steamed veg, and consistently great salads. And the molassesy brown bread is highly addictive. Again...stay away from the chewy flavorless steaks and you'll be happier.
Oh and one bloomin' onion is enough to last me the rest of my life - yuck.

[Joe Dulworth (Online)]

I think it's a pretty good chain restaurant.
The trick is not to order the steak.

+1

[Brian Tuite]

I think it's a pretty good chain restaurant.
The trick is not to order the steak.

+1

Is that like going to Red Lobster and avoiding the fish?

[Les Huisman]

The trick is not to order the steak.

Yes. This is the trick to any of the mid-tier chain restaurants. If I have to eat at one, which sometimes you just can't avoid, I always stick with burgers or sandwiches. It keeps my disappointment to a minimum.

[Chris Blum]

I think it's a pretty good chain restaurant.
The trick is not to order the steak.

+1

Is that like going to Red Lobster and avoiding the fish?

Cheddar Bay biscuits, baby!!!

[Brian Tuite]

Is that like going to Red Lobster and avoiding the fish?

Cheddar Bay biscuits, baby!!!

Make them yourself. My ex worked there 20+ years ago. It's Bisquick and cheddar cheese.

[Ted Erfer]

Bloomin Onion --- a cardiologist's nightmare:

A whole Bloomin' Onion with an average serving of dipping sauce contains about 2210 calories. Ouch, ouch, ouch! (Comparable fried onion appetizers at other restaurants will have comparable calorie totals.) Most likely you'll share this appetizer with one to three other people, but the calorie total is still likely to be nearly 1000 calories per person, and that's before you've even started your meal. Not to mention that the total fat content is 134 grams, meaning that if you ate one half of the onion you'd have consumed more than your daily recommended fat intake for the entire day!

There was a local news report here in Philly about the UPenn dining hall when they started putting in much healthier selections of food. The most popular item on their menu remained the fried onion! A good start for all those whiz kid Wharton MBAs.

[Larry P (Online)]

I think it's a pretty good chain restaurant.
The trick is not to order the steak.

+1

Is that like going to Red Lobster and avoiding the fish?

Reductive argument, but... yes.

[brianmcbrearty]

You're all correct.
My wife and I were once in a rain storm so unreal that we ducked into Appleby's five blocks from our apartment out of sheer survivalist necessity. I was flabbergasted at how bad it was despite thinking the worst, I thought, going in -- much like Brian, the OP.
But these places do serve a purpose AND you can order well and do okay. I defend Cheesecake Factory like crazy and wonder why it gets so much grief. But I get a cheeseburger and a salad and a beer. So what do I know? I don't get the cold vegetable medley, nor the gloppy mashed potatoes, nor the gloppy cheesecake. Those do indeed suck.

[Charlie Fu]

Is that like going to Red Lobster and avoiding the fish?

Cheddar Bay biscuits, baby!!!

Make them yourself. My ex worked there 20+ years ago. It's Bisquick and cheddar cheese.

O__________________________O

Man srsly the only reason to go there are those biscuits

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix


Chef's Table: Jerk Grilled Lobster Watch Video
¾ cup cold whole milk

4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

Bush on Top:

2 tablespoons butter, melted

¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes

½ teaspoon garlic powder

pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

[Roberto Rogness]

If you want to se WHY these sort of places suck so bad, get someone in the biz to show you a trade magazine or two and maybe a Sysco catalog.

Chock full of "cost reducing alternatives" to actual normal food: fish "filets" made of liquified fish and thickeners for precise portion control, scores of things you think you should eat fresh that are frozen, freeze dried or worse then reconstituted to order and that have "waste reducing shelf lives" of months.

[brianmcbrearty]

If you want to se WHY these sort of places suck so bad, get someone in the biz to show you a trade magazine or two and maybe a Sysco catalog.

Chock full of "cost reducing alternatives" to actual normal food: fish "filets" made of liquified fish and thickeners for precise portion control, scores of things you think you should eat fresh that are frozen, freeze dried or worse then reconstituted to order and that have "waste reducing shelf lives" of months.

Way back I used to play cocktail piano type gigs and during breaks I'd browse those catalogs at the bar or back in the kitchen. It was depressing. Places good enough to have live piano, but every steak dinner was frozen solid when it hit the grill and lots of stuff was coming out of those catalogs with sales pitches like Roberto is describing. The opposite of cooking as we like to think about it.

edit: I can't believe I typed "good enough to have live piano." Please let that go by. Pretty please.

[Joel W]

Friday evening I drove by the Outback in Lakewood, CA

There was a HUGE line of people outside... I slowed down, stuck my blackberry out the window and snapped a photo with the intention of posting it here... but it came out all blurry. sorry. I suck.

There were SO many people waiting to eat there.

[Brian Tuite]

There were SO many people waiting to eat there.

Boggles the mind don't it?

[CWun]

You're all correct.
My wife and I were once in a rain storm so unreal that we ducked into Appleby's five blocks from our apartment out of sheer survivalist necessity. I was flabbergasted at how bad it was despite thinking the worst, I thought, going in -- much like Brian, the OP.
But these places do serve a purpose AND you can order well and do okay. I defend Cheesecake Factory like crazy and wonder why it gets so much grief. But I get a cheeseburger and a salad and a beer. So what do I know? I don't get the cold vegetable medley, nor the gloppy mashed potatoes, nor the gloppy cheesecake. Those do indeed suck.

You go to the Cheesecake Factory at Stoneridge Mall? That's across the street from one of our sales offices. There is always something redeeming about any chain restaurant. If the Factory can't get a cheeseburger and a beer right, they would deserve to disappear in a sinkhole. That being said, the main reason I absolutely hate the Cheesecake Factory is that they have ads or sidebars look like ads in their menu. No thank you.

How bad could Applebys have been? Did they mess up even the cheeseburger? (I have never eaten at one, but it's always busy)