Gone are the days when the line outside the Outback down by the bowling alley looked more like a Disney queue than a waiting room. I remember waiting 90 minutes for a table, happily playing video games at the arcade while my parents clutched that magic buzzer that would alert us that we would be allowed to consume Australian-y meat. Now, it seems, the hosts will walk down to the street to try and flag people in.
Although there are some caveats, Outback has something on many of the other chains that make them an almost reasonable dining option. The beef, chicken, pork and fish are actually good (as far as chains are concerned), and the people who grill it do a fine job.
So order a basic steak, some ribs or a salmon filet and you'll find heavily seasoned, crusty meat that's as rare as you ordered it. You'll have to dodge the inevitable fatty toppings, and the amount of salt is enough to have you retaining water for days, but the basic flavors ain't bad.
Vary from that formula, though, and you're tempting both fate and your cardiologist's healing abilities. Outback's Aussie cheese fries with ranch dressing topped this year's Men's Health list of Worst Food in America. (To be fair, Chili's had a few items on that list as well.) Topped by bacon and cheddar, and accompanied by a vat of ranch dressing, this "appetizer" clocks in at 2,900 calories and over 180 grams of fat. Kind of tasty, though, despite all that.
RATING: 3 BLOOMIN' ONIONS (OUT OF 10)
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2009.