Happy Friday! Thank you so much for your amazing comments yesterday. I was pretty nervous to hit publish but it felt great to put it all out there. I will try to do that more often from now on! Today I am going to announce the winner of the Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter! I also need to talk about my (awful) experience at Outback a few nights ago! First…the winner!
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
85
Timestamp: 2010-08-27 13:56:26 UTC
85- Lynn from The Actor’s Diet!
Congrats Lynn! Please email me your address and phone number so we can ship out your jar!
OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
A few nights ago I decided to go to Outback for dinner. I was really craving their bread and butter! The last time I went there (December of 2009) it was a disaster but my friend and I decided to give it another chance! I started off with their house margarita since it was only $4.95! It also happened to be one of the lower calorie cocktails on the menu. Can’t beat that.
The drinks took pretty long to come out but maybe I was just very thirsty for some tequila. The server took our order and 10 minutes later we still had no bread. I was dreaming about the bread all day so 10 minutes seemed more like a decade to me. We finally found him and had to practically beg for a loaf. What happened to the old days when they would bring out a warm loaf as soon as you sat down?
The bread and butter was wonderful. I probably ate a whole loaf by the end of the meal but that’s okay because it practically ended up being my dinner. I’ll explain later.
I ordered a house salad to start with Tangy Tomato dressing on the side. My salad came out covered in dressing.
I don’t like to be picky but I really don’t enjoy salad when it is drenched in dressing. I sent it back and got a new one with the dressing on the side.
Much better.
Our food took forever to come out. I downed my margarita and decided it was not as strong as I would have liked. I went with a giant Blue Moon next.
About 20 minutes later, the food finally arrives. I rarely eat steak but I was at Outback so I felt as though it was necessary. I ordered the Filet with Wild Mushroom Sauce:
Sliced filet topped with our rich Marsala and wild mushroom sauce served with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh seasonal veggies.
I asked for all vegetables instead of mashed potatoes. They have a new option on the menu where you can ask for the lighter version of certain dishes. I asked for this version and the server had no idea what I was talking about. I pointed to it and he told me the steak would be roasted. I was confused but just agreed. My vegetables came out covered in butter. I really don’t think he brought me a lighter version. I was also expecting a nice, firm piece of filet mignon. I thought it was a little weird when the server did not ask how I wanted my steak cooked.
The pretty piece of filet mignon I was expecting turned out to be chunks of fat. I sliced my knife into a chunk and it was rubbery and fatty.
I decided to send it back. I was already really full from the bread, salad, margarita, and giant beer. I did not need anything else; especially something that grossed me out. The server took it back and asked if I wanted chicken instead. Um no. He brought us the bill and my steak was still on there. I did not even make a dent in it. I was not about to pay for food I was not happy with. We sat there for about 10 minutes waiting for the server to return. I think he noticed that we put no money on the table because I saw him chatting with a manager. Next thing you know he brings us a new check without the steak. Why did he not do that in the first place? Oh well, at least my bread was good. I don’t think I will be going back there for a while!
1) What are your thoughts on Outback? What do you order from there?
2) Do you send back food you don’t like or just deal with it?
Hope everyone has a great weekend! I am going on another hike on Sunday! It is supposed to be 90 degrees and sunny! Yay!
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well, now I have NEW thoughts on Outback…
like you said, AT LEAST THE BREAD WAS GOOD !
I have only eaten there once, many years ago, and I don’t remember anything spectacular. I’m sure I ate a big salad or some fish if they have it?
congrats to the coconut pb winner!
Kristina @ spabettie recently posted..who has energy
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ughhhhh normally i’m a big fan out outback but totally not after this post! you need to come to the one on long island haha cute bartender
good service and you get what you ask for!
enjoy your weekend girl
julie recently posted..if you didn’t know before- well now you do!
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I’ve only been to Outback a couple of times – once in NYC and probably twice at Penn State and the one at Penn State was so much better. Possibly because it is one of the nicer dining establishments. Regardless, I could live off of their bread and butter. It’s practically like cake. So good. And I think its more than okay to send your food back. I do it all the time, if you didn’t make the request when you placed the order that’s one thing, but sometimes waitstaff tune you out. Or they don’t feel like asking the kitchen to readjust and just hope you notice. It can be frustrating. And you absolutely should have waited for him to remove that steak. Chubbs gets mad when I do stuff like that, but as a former waitress I think that its acceptable and I know that if I had been the server I would have separate the meal, no questions asked. Good for you.
On a separate note I can’t wait for this weekend!!
Angela recently posted..Vanilla Apple Protein Oats
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If you’re paying for something,you should be getting what you want.If I ask for no cheese( I can’t eat it )I will definitely send it back if my salad is covered and I can’t take it off. I usually get chicken on the barbie and salad with Tangy Tomato(I LOVE that dressing).I usually gorge on the bread,too.Yum:-)cc
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outback steakhouse…mannnn i haven’t been there in YEARS. my family has never been big on steakhouses because my dad loves to play girllmaster and cook at home. it tastes better and is a lot healthier anyways. and cheaper! though a blooming onion might be a bit difficult to manage at home, so if i ever get a hankering for one of THOSE i might give outback a shot…
and yes! i always send food back. i’m probably a waiter’s worst nightmare, but if i’m paying for it then i want it done right.
Taylor recently posted..Playing Fair- A Tale of Tough Love
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I like the bread at outback- and that’s all. I used to order a salad with their honey mustard dressing but have not been there in 3 years…looks like not much has changed? Oh well, at least the margarita looks good!
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Total bummer about Outback. It’s either hit or miss, really. Luckily I know the proprietor of my local Outback and it’s fabulous. The onion soup is my favorite. I usually stick with shrimp or chicken. The cheese fries are to die for. A heart attack on the plate. At least you got the bread and butter you were so craving
Julie @ Pickley Pear recently posted..Pasta Monday
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I’ve never been to Outback, can you believe it!? Too bad about the salad, I HATE when they drench it with dressing. So annoying. And yes, I do send back food if it’s not to my liking. I mean, I am paying for it, I want to enjoy it! I am never rude about it though, especially not to the waiter (because it’s typically the chef’s fault).
I love Blue Moon. Love love love it.
The Candid RD recently posted..Choosing a Better Chip Video Blog!
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I’ve never been to Outback but after your experience there I don’t think I’m in any hurry to visit! I don’t usually send food back I don’t like, unless they’ve prepared it exactly how I asked it NOT to be done. Butter on the veggies kind of defeats the point!
Katie recently posted..On A Former Lover
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The few times I’ve ate at the Outback we get martinis and crab legs! Those are usually good. Once at applebee’s I sent a burger back because it was still pink and I asked for it well done. Just can’t handle pink meat. Yuck!
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I’ve only sent back food that was not what I ordered. There have been times where I’ve been tempted to send something back, but I think my MN niceness holds me back!
Chelsea @ Strawberry Sweat recently posted..Everything in Balance
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Outback used to be one of my husband and I’s favorite places, but we swear that when the economy took a down turn, they started doing things on the cheap end.
The last time I got it to go, I got home to find, the WRONG salad I ordered with my things, and my steak was literally raw on the inside. Not like a good, rare raw, like, it was too full of fat for it to ever cook. It was disgusting!
We called and complained and got a $25 gift card, because it’s not like a meal at Outback is super cheap, it’s not breaking the bank, but I wasn’t going to throw my money down the drain.
Then, when we went to spend our gift card, we had a similar experience to the one you described. Having to ask for bread, food taking forever, and my salad doused in dressing when I asked for it on the side.
What happened to this place?? It was one of the few chain restaurants I used to enjoy, now I don’t know when I would go back because I’m so disappointed.
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OH! SO SAD! I wish I visited you sooner…any chance you’d like to do a GIMMIE YOUR STUFF exchange for that coconut peanut butter in exchange for some european food finds?
Special K recently posted..Springtime in Paris
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SO sad about Outback. I love that place. I always get the side salad and baked potato. I tend to send things back if they didn’t make it the way I ordered it, but I feel like if I don’t like it that it’s my fault for ordering it. Usually the waiter will offer to bring me something else and in that case I usually jump on board.
SheFit recently posted..Fool Proof Diet
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In the late 90′s, I worked at the Outback in my college town. The quality and service was really awesome and there really wasn’t much else anyway. However, there are so many better places to eat now and restaurant menus have come such a long way that I don’t even think about Outback as a possible dining location anymore. Your server should have anticipated some of your needs and ask you about salad dressing. When you said light version, he should have ask you about the butter in the veggies. That’s his job.
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Haha, my exbf was OBSESSED with outback. obsessed. it was an issue. their chicken on the barbie is okay (this was back when i ate meat), but i agree, the bread makes the meal!
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine recently posted..Pack Rat
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Well I have never been to outback but I am not a huge fan of big chains in general (except cheesecake factory!) It seems that whenever I order something even LIGHT or STEAMED its still covered in butter! I would have stuck with the bread and salad too!
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