Monday, July 27, 2009

Outback Steakhouse (Huntersville)

Last week my wife and I decided to go out and splurge a little. We craved food that was tasty, salty, and generally bad for our health. So, we headed to Outback Steakhouse for their Aussie Cheese Fries, and a piece of meat. The evening was looking good!

We walked in the doors and were promptly seated. We were given a small booth, towards the back of the restaurant. Out waiter came by to take our orders (beer) and we also placed the appetizer order.

The beers arrived quickly, and the fries not much longer after that. When the fries came out, we also placed our orders -- I decided on the Baby Back Ribs.

The fries are a standard order of ours, and again we were pleased. The fries were crispy, yet tender. Not to mention the gobs of cheese and bacon, that were then dipped with the fry into a bowl of ranch! YUM!!!

Talk about a heart attack waiting to happen! (I really need to get a cardiologist on speed-dial!)

We polished off the fries in record time, and the meal was going great. For the next course I was anticipating my order of babyback ribs! My mouth was watering, my fingers were waiting to get messy, and my arteries were dilating to accommodate the latest surge of cholesterol!

The ribs came and I dug in . These were the toughest ribs that I've ever had. Really, there was nothing "baby back" about these ribs -- they tasted like they came from the oldest and toughest beast of burden around! My knife could barely cut through them. In addition, they were topped by a huge quantity of fat. I tried to cut or pick it off, but it was so thoroughly integrated into the meat, that it was hard to figure out where the fat ended and the meat began.

The kitchen should have never accepted these ribs, let alone prepared them. I should've known better than to get ribs at Outback, they're not the specialty -- but I figure if a place like Max & Ermas can make delicious ribs, then Outback should be able to as well!

Unfortunately, I was wrong. I should've saved the $50+ and gone to 131 Main or eaten like a king at Max & Ermas -- at least those places have good ribs.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 2/5 (Baby Back Ribs were a 1/5, but the fries brought the score up one)
Service: 3/5
Total: 8/15

Price: $$$ This meal came out to under $30 per person. Over-priced if you ask me.
Kid friendly: Yes. They have high-chairs, kids menu, etc.

Conclusion: This was the first time I'd ever been disappointed by Outback, but the disappointment was so great, it'll be a while before I go there again. And I'll never order their Baby Back Ribs again in my lifetime. However, their steaks, fries, and chicken have all been good in the past.

Restaurant Info:
Outback Steakhouse
16400 Northcross Dr.
Huntersville, NC 28078
p) 704-895-1888
http://www.outback.com/

2 comments:

  1. OSI Restaurant Group just sold to new ownership. I wonder if that has had anything to do with purchasing of lesser quality food, like your ribs?
    I haven't been to any of their restaurants in months, so I can't comment with certainty about the food quality, but I do know that it was the reason Huntersville's Cheeseburger in Paradise closed without notice recently.

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  2. Ribs are poor choice here. Not their sweet spot. Burger is excellent and cooked to order, not killed a second time in the kitchen. Beef, while not Ruths Chris, is still above average and consistent which is best one can hope for in a chain restaurant. Salads are always cold and crisp with enough dressing. Service is above average.

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