I forgot how bad Outback sucks

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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So today I got a thank you card and a $25 gift card to Olive Garden.

Is there ANYTHING at Olive Garden that I want to eat???

I just thought there might be a strategy (like not ordering the fish at Red Lobster)…

42

Maybe the soup, salad, and breadsticks?

43

Can it be used for alcohol? If yes, go to the bar and kill it with probably 2, maybe 3 drinks max.

44

Eliminate the soup and salad and you might be on to something. [berserker.gif]

45

BUMP!

I turned 40 this week… and unfortunately this thread crept into my middle aged life.

My Aunt asked me if she could buy me dinner the other night to celebrate my birthday. She’s super nice and I usually see her a couple evenings a week (when not traveling) when I visit my grandmother in the assisted living home she’s in.

…anyhow, she says, “Where are we going to eat?” I reply, “your wallet, your choice!”

BIG mistake because she chose Outback and I had the driest Pork chop ever… We should’ve just wet to Fudruckers or Chipotle instead. I’m a cheap date…

oh well… Mastros Beverly Hills this Saturday will hopefully cleanse my pallet.

46

It might help your palate to recover as well.

Unless you are shipping many dozens of Outback meals via refrigerated pallet, I am sure it (your pallet) is fine too.

Just channeling Bob Wood…

47

Outback is pretty bad, but edible imo. But have not been in well over 2 years, so maybe it’s gotten worse? But Applebees is inedible on every front. Friday’s is right behind them.

48

Have you been to Maestro’s? The one in chicago is the worst steakhouse I’ve ever been to.

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I like outback for a burger and a beer. I’d never order a steak there though. And the bloomin onion. Once every two years max.

And I agree with Steve. Applebee’s is not edible food. I’d sooner eat at White Castle.

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If in Beverly hills go CUT, not maestros!

51

Each Outback group is different, the group in the NW isn’t bad at all, ate there a week ago on the run…steak and extra veggies, perfectly good and affordable. Flannery, no, but wasn’t expecting it.

52

I think ordering the less expensive steaks there and getting them medium is the trick. I travel 2-3 weeks a month and as such eat out a lot on the road. Every now and again I go there for dinner and sit at the bar. If you order the more expensive steaks, i am always disappointed. If I order them my normal temp (rare) I cant eat them. but the house sirloin at medium with veggies is a good choice at a decent price

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Echo… [wow.gif]

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Sweet!.. too many years in the Transportation and Supply Chain industry I guess. Thanks for calling me out on it.

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Went to a buco di beppo the other night. My kid orders unwisely, a personal pizza. Inedible. Sauce is horrid. Then out comes my chicken parm with a perfectly decent sauce. I’m not surprised they’re different, but I’m surprised one is good and one is truly terrible. Decent chicken parm too. But couldn’t give me edible bread nor salad. Couldn’t eat the salad!
Big glasses of beer though. And you see people? That’s the secret… you gotta get a 24oz sam adams draft half gone as soon as you sit, and the whole thing gets way easier to take.

56

I once at ate Bucco in Sacto. Had the worst indigestion ever. I guess the girl vomiting on the staircase as we were led to our table was fair warning.

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For any of these chains–Outback, Applebee’s, Bucco, Olive Garden, TGIF’s, etc.–I think there’s going to be tremendous variation in food from place to place. In part, that’s a function of the supply chain, and in part, a function of variation in the quality of the people who work there. And, realistically, a lot of the people who eat there can’t really tell the difference between food cooked correctly and food undercooked/overcooked/improperly sauced…

One of these places (Applebee’s?) has a TV ad featuring some steak item drenched in a “bourbon sauce.” Which is a short way of saying take inexpensive, mediocre meat and disguise it with some overly sweet or salty sauce to cover up its shortcomings…

Bruce

58

I’m surprised at the negative reactions to Outback Steakhouse. Perhaps some folks just don’t appreciate Australian food? I often recommend it!

If you’re an adventurous eater and willing to try some tasty grub from the Southern Hemisphere, I believe there’s at least one Outback Steakhouse in each of the states you’ll be traveling through. The menu tends to be traditional Australian fare such as chicken quesadillas, spinach/artichoke dip, California chicken salad, etc. They do a lot of grilled meats and fish, as well as a delicious Australian parmesan pasta (which is a favorite in my family as it reminds us of our trip down under where we were treated to unbelievably fresh and delicious parmesan pasta almost every night). Here’s the menu.

http://www.outback.com/menu/menudescriptions.aspx

Their wine list is small (http://www.outback.com/menu/pdf/drink.pdf), but they keep whites nicely chilled at about 36 degrees F, and ALL their wines get a good “audouze” - often several days worth. The Mirassou Pinot Noir really starts to shine with about 6 days of air at room temperature. Save room for dessert as the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under is not to be missed! It’s a dense, chocolate cake-like cookie that the Aussies call a “brownie” that’s then covered with ice cream and chocolate!

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The only meal I liked at Outback was my first one. They haven’t been able to cook a steak properly since. Steakhouse. It’s in the name of the restaurant. Steak is not Australian food. They serve it here in the States as well. [stirthepothal.gif]

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When my kids were still in the house we used to frequent an Outback (Houston) that sponsored my son’s youth sports teams. They were good community citizens.

It wasn’t a bad place to drag kids to.