At Table
Outback Steakhouse
By M.B.T. Gastronome
Taste of India on Airport Boulevard was my choice for a late lunch/early dinner this past Saturday. I had never been there before, but have heard from reliable friends that the food is good, so I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, it was closed. I was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. So, on to something else.
I scanned the other restaurants in this strip shopping center.
The Big Apple Buffet was open and seemed to have a good crowd. Nope, not this time. I can handle Chinese buffets only occasionally and this was not an appealing time.
Then there was American Café at the eastern end of the shopping center. Nope. Been there, done that and don’t care to return.
Los Rancheros was available also, but I did Mexican a few weeks ago and was not quite ready for it again.
Then, too, there was the Japanese Imperial Steakhouse.
Last, but certainly not least, was the new location for the Boiling Pot. Not open for business yet.
So where do I go?
A quick crossover on Airport and a short drive took me to Outback Steakhouse. Haven’t been there in a while so decided to give it a try. It turned out to be a satisfactory choice.
Outback was running a rib-eye special. It looked good and the young server explained how the rib-eye was cooked over an open flame as opposed to the cooking method for other steaks. I was tempted, but passed on this special. Rib-eyes are good but contain a little too much fat for my cardiac diet. I settled on the Outback special, a center cut sirloin. I chose the nine ounce option which turned out to be plenty of meat for a late Saturday afternoon meal. Sides chosen were mixed grilled vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes.
The steak was actually good. It was cooked as I ordered it, seasoned well and served rather quickly. I enjoyed it. The sides were good also. The vegetables were seasoned appropriately and cooked tender. The potatoes had a good garlic taste. I enjoyed the meal. I passed on dessert since I knew a homemade key lime pie was waiting at home. I also passed on the Blooming Onion. I’ve had it before and find it to be really good. However, it is a cardiac catastrophe waiting to happen.
Outback is a good average steakhouse. Nothing spectacular, but good. Best of all, I got there when the parking lot had plenty of open spaces and there was no wait for a table. Previous visits have been at peak hour and included a long wait for a table. I’ll not do that again. Although Outback is an okay steakhouse, it is not worth standing in line for. In fact, the only local steak for which I would stand in line is to be found further east on Airport at Ruth’s Chris.
(Editor's note: Our pseudonymous gourmand visits area dining establishments and reports on the experience. Wherever food is served, our peripatetic critic is likely to arrive with an appetite and depart with an opinion. He dines at his own expense; remains anonymous to all; reports only on those restaurants he frequents in the regular course of life, primarily reasonably priced places. However, he does splurge on occasion. Bon Appetit!)
