I have eaten there a few times. On a scale of 1 to 10, I might give it a 5. But I wouldn’t wait in line longer than ten minutes unless Tom Selleck was going to be waiting on me in person…nude.
I personally prefer Logan’s Roadhouse for my steak. Their prices are much better, and they give you a ton of food. Also, their atmosphere is more fun, and you can toss peanut shells on the ground, which is always a sure-fire way to keep the kids’ attention. Even if there is a line for waiting, it’s always been fast.
I’m a big steak eater and I think it’s a really good place to eat. I’ve had alot of friends work their and they make pretty good money. I’ll probably end up working at one of them someday too.
Oh, and if you really like steak, here’s the inside info on Outback:
Some wont admit to it, but they have an off-the-menu 35oz. Ribeye for about $35. Just ask for the BFR (Big F*cking Ribeye)
I love the place, and I won’t wait more than 5 minutes. If I can’t get there early enough to beat the crowds, I’ll order to go, or go somewhere else. When I go out to eat, I hate waiting for a table, no matter where it is.
We have Lone Star restaurants here in Sydney - thing to write home about.
It cracked me up that according to the newspaper article there isn’t a meat pie, a Chiko Roll™, or pavlova in sight at the Outback Steak Houses. It also said that the portions are huge.
Most of the US chains have pretty annoying ads. Mc Donalds stand out as the major offender (thank the goddess we’ve been spared Taco Bell ads to date).
My favourite ever US chain was Sizzler - the food was excellent, the price reasonable, and the service impeccable.
As far as I know, Cascade is still Cascade - although the article said the only “Australian” beer available at The Outback Steakhouse was Fosters (which is neither Australian, nor beer).
I have eaten at Outback many times. I have enjoyed the food and the service.
Once my prime rib (which I love) was under cooked. The waitress got the manager (without me asking) and he proceeded to provide me with a new meal! Never mind that I had devoured the potato already, but a fresh new plate with some of the tastiest prime rib I had had in ages. From the Bloomin’ Onion to the salad to the potato and a bit of the prime rib I was already full so I had dinner the next evening.
I love the Bloomin Onion and have a recipe for it so I plan on making some soon for a family gathering.
Anyhow, I never think of it as an Aussie place but a theme restaurant with good food and good service. Oh and yes the commercials are better left on the cutting floor.
Of the chain steakhouses I’ve been to, The Outback is my favorite. I feel silly ordering anything with a stupid faux-Aussie name. But their seasonings are good, and the Aussie crap can readily be ignored.
On the Bloomin’ Onion, I’m of two minds. The first time I had one, it was heavenly. When I tried to have some of the leftovers, it was a greazy ball of crap. Now even the fresh ones seem like greazy balls of crap. It’s kind of like Krispy Kreme in that reguard. When you first try them, fresh and hot, they’re ambrosia. Then you spend the rest of your life failing to recapture that sensation.
I don’t think the United States has a monopoly on the creative romanticization of a culture in conceiving a restaurant theme.
There’s a chain on diners in Australia called Route 66, or so I’ve heard. The chain is Australia-based, but American-themed.
Several years ago, I read a newspaper article about South Africa’s emergence from apartheid, and the day-to-day lives of the white middle class there. Apparently, United States-themed restaurants are a big thing in the sprawling 'burbs of Johannesburg. The article, much as what was described in the Herald-Sun, focused on the “not completely grasping the concept” aspect of the chains. One had waitrons wearing football jerseys with inaccurate colors; i.e. a Buffalo Bills logo on a jersey with Miami Dolphins colors, for instance. Restaurants often combined cliche elements such as Elvis, baseball, the Wild West, and big cars with strange results. Dishes with names like “Cleveland Chips” and “Baltimore Braai” were common, as were old license plates on the wall.
We were in Tenerife (Canary Islands) and down the hill from where we were staying was a bar called “Mississippi”. They had no clue about the name, but got excited when I showed them my driver’s license.
I like Outback and it has many other things on the menu besides steak. I love the salad, but the sweet potato is too sweet. Good drinks! And the Fosters they serve comes from Canada for all that information is worth. What I hate is the long lines, so we don’t eat there very often.
What, you mean Outback isn’t a true representation of what life is like Down Under? Next you’ll be telling me Foster’s isn’t REALLY Australian for beer…
My brother spent a semester down there and he told us about all the :rolleyes:s he got when talking about Outback Steakhouses.
We like eating there and will put up with a wait by sitting at the bar and appreciating a twenty-ounce glass of Newcastle. We both like the Blooming Onion, but haven’t gotten one since sometime last year because neither onions nor fried grease are sitting well on Mrs. Tygr’s expectant tummy. I love the steaks and the seasoning they put on them, plus the fact that they’re about an inch thick - Makes it perfect for medium-rare. In fact, that has been a problem for Mrs. Tygr, because she takes hers medium well and has had it come undercooked a couple of times. But this most recent trip, they offered to butterfly it for her. She raved about how great it tasted.
They’ve got a great Caesar salad with a lot of spice in it, though no olives. And I always get the sweet potato, because it doubles as dessert!
Mats K: Y’know, you could send some VB here… That’s one thing my brother enthusiastically praised from down there. Got me verrrry interested in trying some. (hinthinthint)
Actually, you USED to be able to do that at Lone Star Steakhouse, until some idjit pulled a slip-fall-and-sue. Now they don’t even offer peanuts.
I like Outback Steakhouse. It’s one of the few places that makes steak that’s as good or better than the ones I make at home. The Melbourne (20 oz. porterhouse) is just right. Although recently my wife and I have been splitting it; it’s still enough food and it’s cheap that way.
It’d be neat (and totally impractical) if they could import the waitstaff from Australia. I want to hear the accents. Heck, the waitresses they have can’t even pronouce “Melbourne” properly.
The food is definitely not the same as the food I had in Australia. I visited Queensland, and every steak I had was tough, tough, tough. (Probably 'cause they’re brahma cows) Outback Steakhouse doesn’t use nasty Australian beef.
It would be nice to see meat pies on the menu, and pavlova as well…yum!
Spouse and I haven’t been to one – yet! Last couple times we tried, the line was huge and the wait time was at least 1/2 hour.
We are definately going, though. And after reading these posts, I’d say I’m seeing more favorable than unfavorable comments. No, it’s probably not “authentic” but as long as the food’s good, who cares?
Mostly, though, Spouse wants to check it out because he’s looking at purchasing some of the company stock.
Add me to the grouchy old lady pile. I have come to the age where I really don’t give a flying flip about the atmosphere, I don’t care if the food is authentic or not. We went to Outback once and vowed never to return. The steaks weren’t that good and the service was lousy. Of course, we were accompanied by our three kids, aged 12,10 and 4 at the time, and had waited like an hour to get in. Ruth’s Chris didn’t strike me either, I’ve had better steaks at home.
I’ve just spent a few minutes looking over the menu. What’s a shrimp? surely they could have said “prawn”. A small detail, but an important one…
As has been mentioned there are many major faults with this menu… no meat pies (forget your steaks, pies are proper food!), pavlovas, lamingtons, milo, the list goes on. VB is essential. It is, however, good to see that the wines they have are slightly decent.
I’ve been thinking about a few authentic names that they could have used (although most of them are trademarked):
The Dame Edna (obviously a desert of some description… I’m seeing strawberries and passionfruit involved)
