Last One on the Block

I know that everyone in the civilized world (or at least everyone I know) has eaten at an Outback restaurant. Am I right? But I've never eaten there, never wanted to wait in line, or wait until they opened or figured that any wait that long would be worth it. Well, yesterday I found out otherwise.

I had one of the Top 3 steaks I've eaten in my life at the Outback! Of course you're not surprised. But I sure was. And not only was the steak great (Ribeye, Outback medium if you please, which is medium-rare in any other restaurant), but the Coconut Shrimp was to-die-for: crunchy, perfectly coated, cooked just to doneness without being tough. It was happy hour, so I ordered 2 frozen drinks made with peaches, peach schnapps, vodka and champagne. Wow! I saved one for dessert (and snuck it out in my iced tea to-go cup.)

The Bloomin Onion was greasy and great, and the veggies and wild rice flavorful and properly cooked. I don't really understand why the bread was such a dark brown color without tasting at all like pumpernickel, but it was tasty. I tried to limit myself to leave room for the rest of the meal. Pedro said he wasn't fond of the Caesar's salad, as the cheese was overly salty. Apart from that, we just loved the meal and left in an exceedingly content mood, to waddle through our grocery shopping.

What a great meal and excellent service! Plus, I had a $35 gift certificate, making a great meal a great deal. Maybe I'm the last person in the country to discover the good food at the Outback, but I'll be spending many good meals making up for my lost opportunities.

FYI, the Top 2 steaks I've eaten were both eaten in Houston, Texas. Number One was at an awards banquet at the George Brown Convention Center, a bacon-wrapped filet mignon. Number Two was at a restaurant in Houston called Houston's, oddly enough. Count on Texas for great beef! Number 4 was on a recent outing in Mexico, in a little family-owned restaurant in Dolores Hidalgo: a delicious thinner-cut rib-eye, lightly marinated, and grilled over real wood coals. And number 5 would have been any of really good steaks grilled over pecan wood that I ate at Durango's, before they went out of business. Good food just can't survive poor management and service.

P.S. Googled Outback Bread and found out the recipe has both cocoa powder and instant coffee - that explains the color.