Busting my Outback cherry

[esad]

From what I can tell, there must be major quality differences between Outbacks. I've only been to two and food was decent but not great. Not where I would choose to eat steak, but not terrible.

Try the sirloin. At least, if it's not that great you didn't spend as much as you would with the filet.

And I'm pretty sure "Buca di Bepo" is italian for "We're just a little better then Olive Garden"

[Clarkmeister]

[ QUOTE ]
From what I can tell, there must be major quality differences between Outbacks. I've only been to two and food was decent but not great. Not where I would choose to eat steak, but not terrible.

Try the sirloin. At least, if it's not that great you didn't spend as much as you would with the filet.

And I'm pretty sure "Buca di Bepo" is italian for "We're just a little better then Olive Garden"

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I don't like Buca at all. I think Olive Garden, however is pretty good and really good value.

[RiverTheNuts]

what the [censored] is up with everyone hating on outback, is that the cool thing to do nowadays?

I like the bloomin onion, the bread, the salad, the loaded baked potato, and a fat steak cooked medium rare.

So yea, Bloomin onion followed by 12 ounce special with mustard viniagarette salad, loaded baked potato, and medium rare steak

[banditbdl]

[ QUOTE ]
From what I can tell, there must be major quality differences between Outbacks. I've only been to two and food was decent but not great. Not where I would choose to eat steak, but not terrible.

Try the sirloin. At least, if it's not that great you didn't spend as much as you would with the filet.

And I'm pretty sure "Buca di Bepo" is italian for "We're just a little better then Olive Garden"

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Funny, around here it's Buca's that has the patent on quality differences, it can be anywhere from above average to terrible.

[sushijerk]

Outback restaruants must vary in quality throughout the nation, because I've been to two Outbacks near me and they are both crap.

Blooming onion is like 30% onion and the rest is fried up batter grease. This dish has been good 1 out of the 4 times I've tried it. The onions were rotten or something because there was a very bitter taste even the dip couldn't mask. It's $5 for a friggin onion and you can't even use fresh material? Fail.

The bread is embarassing. It is edible within the first 2 minutes because as soon as it gets cool it becomes a lump of wood. Considering every single chain italian restaruant can offer half decent bread now, there's no excuse for this.

Finally, I just don't find the steak that good. At my Outback it is usually cooked okay but the meat is never hot when it hits my table. I also have to drown it in sauce to get any flavor, and you just shouldn't have to do that with decent steak. I don't expect a $16 steak to melt in my mouth, but it's not even tender.

A basic steak meal with appetizer and a drink will usually run $20 a person. I feel I am getting maybe $10 worth of food quality. However, these Outbacks are consistently packed for dinner everytime I go so maybe I am the food snob. But mostly likely it is because most people have absolutely no standards for good steak.

[Leaky Eye]

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And I'm pretty sure "Buca di Bepo" is italian for "We're just a little better then Olive Garden"

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Buca di Bepo is hell on earth. I would rather eat people.

[cpitt398]

To compare Outback steak to Chili's or Applebees is blasphamous. Of course you can get better steak at fine dining but outback is pretty decent food. All there [censored] is really fresh. Their mashed potatoes are mashed right before you get them. Hell they still have skin in them, yet you say they taste like powder? There fries are cut from potatos within an hour from hen you get them also, so they are fresh, while I agree I dont like them too much though.

[KaneKungFu123]

I think Chili's, TGIF, Outback is all relatively the same. I would just order chicken wings or chicken fingers.

ordering a steak is probably hit or miss, missing more then hitting.

[suzzer99]

Epilogue: I feel like I have a massive food hangover today. I generally eat pretty simple stuff - like something I grill or homemade tuna-salad in a pita. So my body really isn't used to all that grease and rich food. I feel like someone beat me up in my sleep and I have a weird sinus headache. I'm gonna go climb a mountain and see if I can flush it out of my system.

[GMan42]

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Epilogue: I feel like I have a massive food hangover today. I generally eat pretty simple stuff - like something I grill or homemade tuna-salad in a pita. So my body really isn't used to all that grease and rich food.

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Yeah, I think that's pretty standard for Outback...I'll eat there once in a while when I'm in the mood for some greasy-cheesy-bacony deliciousness, knowing that I'll feel like falling asleep at the table when I'm done.

I find the steaks there to be good for a chain restaurant, which isn't saying much; I'd say they range from 5-7 on a 10 point scale. I think that the posters that are so down on Outback are just hating on chain restaurants in general.