Outback Steakhouse - Largo FL - Reviewed

I had gone online and tweeted that we had phoned ahead for "call ahead seating" for 6pm at Outback Steakhouse. The restaurant is located in Largo - ten minutes from where we live in Clearwater FL.

Four of us were going there to celebrate my wife receiving the great news that her biopsy was negative. My son had had suggested Outback and we were joined by his girlfriend. 

So let's get down to business. This Outback location, as I believe all of their restaurants around the country are, is busy as hell. The parking lot was full - mostly with "snow-birds" or tourists from "up North", many of which are Canadians. Great for business, not so much for us "locals".

We got there precisely at 6pm and was told it would be a minimum 20 minute wait. Another couple sitting and waiting said that sometimes, even with "call ahead seating", the wait could be as long as an hour.

So my first (negative) comment is that forget "call ahead" anything. What's the point? Just go there early and wait along with everyone else. We took the (actual) 30 minute wait in stride and chatted with the other cranky "guests" waiting outside. Thank goodness the Florida weather was still fairly mild for April.

We were seated in a large booth and immediately overwhelmed with colorful cardboard menus & inserts (even more stuff on a spiral bound little stand) with lot's of pictures. We would have preferred a better organized presentation involving one or two pages to hold and look over. I always favor, as with many other aspects of life, a "KISS" approach (to menus) - keep it simple. We told the "server" (waitress) to please give us a minute or so - twice. 

My wife and I ordered some type of "speciality" drink - not part of the Happy Hour offerings - of course. I honestly don't recall what they were - it had a medium sized lime wedge in it and contained a minimum quantity of alcohol. It wasn't bad and I guess if I were on a cruise ship, I would have had three.

You really cannot eat at Outback without ordering their "Bloomin' Onion". It came with the bread and butter. The "ring" of onions is the same as it always has been since Outback first opened - greasy but crunchy and tasty. The bread? Well I remember it as being less "commercial" tasting - more "earthy" - more "maple-y". I would have also preferred it a bit warmer. Everyone besides me liked it, but then they were quite hungry. 

MIA (missing & lost) was the coconut shrimp appetizer. We reminded our server three times and it finally arrived just before our dessert came. I don't get how or why that happened, but we shouldn't have been charged for it.

Although I was alone regarding the quality of the bread, we agreed the "new" sweet and "standard"

baked potato has shrunk considerably over the years. Didn't Outback used to season a really large potato then wrap it in aluminum foil? Or was that Cracker Barrel or Golden Corral? Anyway the potatoes were "weak" lacking any yummy or wow factor. The sour cream and chives - if that's what they were - were tasteless.

Three of us ordered sirloin. I still don't understand the difference between wood fired and original. My wife's steak was DOA - overcooked and dry. My steak, though, was amazing. I would have been happy with just that and my drink. Small annoyance, but my fork was all bent out of shape and I had to get a replacement. My son thought his meat was OK. His girlfriend who had trouble finding what she wanted on the menu (menu's) said she enjoyed her shrimp and chicken. 

As I said earlier, after we finished the meal, and after the third prompt, the coconut shrimp finally arrived. The Gulf of Mexico is about 8 miles away - maybe

the chef was down there trying to catch more. Seconds later my wife and I shared carrot cake - my son and girlfriend the Outback ice cream brownie "special" dessert. The cake's icing was sugary and creamy enough, but the actual cake was somewhat dry, almost like it was left over from the day before. I asked for a new spoon because the one I received was not clean. It was the second utensil replacement of the evening.

My son was kind enough to treat us so I did not see how much the bill was. And for the record, all of us eat at Outback frequently, but not inside the restaurant. We typically order take-out. 

Here's the bottom-line: I give the service a C+ because of the shrimp appetizer issue which was just dumb. Outback needs to "audit" their forks, knives and spoons and update their inventory.

The food I give a B because of the boring potatoes and the unfortunate incineration of my wife's steak. The experience overall rates a C+ and one can only hope if we return everything "flows" better. We also don't need 5 sheets of cardboard menu overload to decide what to eat. It's overkill, we get the deal and more time should be spent making the food properly and seeing that it gets to the guest when it should be.

Finally, from the "podium" up front where the

hosts/hostesses stand, a "thank you for coming" would have been a nice gesture. Ignoring guests as they leave just isn't nice customer service. 

6pm
April 5th 2014
Outback Steakhouse
East Bay Road
Largo FL

Note: the pictures and photographs do NOT represent the actual meal or people at the establishment and were used in this review for humor and reference purposes only.

WALMART STEAK REVIEWED...

You don't know how big a leap this was. Bringing in anything else but Publix meat into our home. I've seen the television commercials where "they" surprise restaurant guests and reveal the steak they were eating was really from WalMart. I've blogged and clearly stated that I will not purchase WalMart meat because I did not like the black packaging and felt it was (by appearance) not fresh. For 25+ years, I almost exclusively shopped at Publix.

But then Publix starting dropping the ball as far as customer service. Products that I regularly bought were consistently out of stock, a store manager that looked the other way and avoided customers and general lack of attentiveness that made myself and others feel uncomfortable. My wife and I are big London Broil fans and it seemed as though Publix was putting out for sale just not the same quality cuts as we were used to. As alternatives such as Albertson's and Winn-Dixie were closing, WalMart supercenters were rapidly expanding. As I write this piece, two new supercenters are slated to open within the next 60 days.

Relectant at first to buy groceries there, it was the freshness and availability of skim milk that finally prompted me to green light WalMart. I don't necessarily mind spending a bit more for groceries if the availability, service and customer responsiveness to problems and questions is present. As Publix was failing WalMart was winning me over. And, my grocery bill was shrinking. While Publix stopped regularly carrying "my" Lipton ice tea, WalMart offered (Arizona) a cheaper better choice.

I still went to Publix for meat, deli sandwiches and my prescriptions. But the other day I was in WalMart and an associate was wheeling out a cart of "fresh" meat in white packaging. I decided this was the time to buy meat there and save my self a trip to Publix. I purchased a T-Bone steak. $8.98 per pound - two pieces at 1.60 lbs - total $14.37. I figured what the heck and after all it comes with a 100% money back guarantee.

I do all the cooking in our home, but I chose not to tell my wife where I got the steak until we both tasted it. Along with the steak and few other groceries I purchased a small gas grill for about $25. The only thing I added to the steak was a very very small dab of lightly salted fresh butter and a light sprinkle to both sides of McCormick (Grill Mates) Montreal Steak seasoning. I served fresh sweet corn on the cob on the side.

The steak was incredible. The steak was delightful. The steak came off the bone with just a fork. It brought back memories for the both us of marvelous steaks we've had in the past. The steak that we were served on the (cruise ship) Carnival Dream in their speciality dining room was amazing, but this WalMart T-Bone slighted edge ahead of it. When I told my wife where it was from, she just stared at me in amazement.

Trust me on this one, if the steak from WalMart was anything less than perfect, I would tell you. I have criticized both WalMart and Publix in the past. The articles are available on this blog. But this "experience" was everything the WalMart commercial claims. Kudos to them. My only recommendation to WalMart would be to brighten up the meat area and completely eliminate the back styrofoam packaging for white.

** this was the US19 Old Coachman WalMart Supercenter in Clearwater FL. The Publix is located in Largo FL at East Bay Drive in the TriCity Plaza.