Outback Steakhouse

My husband and I both ate here a few months back.  It isn't as I remembered.  We both ordered the ribs.  They were so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so salty that neither one of us could even finish them.  When the waitress came to the table, she asked, "How is everything?"  My husband said, "Now, are these ribs supposed to be very salty, or is it an Australian thing?"  I don't know if the waitress was just saying any ole thing out of her butt, but she replied, "Yes, they are supposed to be salty."  O...k.

10 Ounce Ribeye, baker, salad and Coke: $20.09-

Outback seems to be trying to re-invent it's "image"- strange, dis'cordant wood angularities now rise above for no purpose and unimaginative scrap-iron mistakes hang anywhere for no reason.
The chummy "G'Day, Mate" atmosphere has been replaced by what looks like a 2nd year design students' unfunished gestalt nightmare.

5:44 - Front door.
I usually order the "Outback Special" (a sirloin steak), today I tried the Ribeye as the menu touted this as "The Steak Lovers' Steak" and that it was wood fire grilled and "nicely marbled".
6:00 - I was brought a salad with tomatoes- I asked for NO tomatoes.
6:13 - I received my steak- 29 minutes after I walked in the front door.
I forgot to take a "before" photo...but the above shows the main point.
The orange outline shows the approximate size of the steak (actually, I am being generous) the fat and gristle I cut away accounted for almost HALF of the steak! I don't consider this "NICELY marbled"- I consider this gross and disgusting.
The manager (a charming, attractive woman) thought it MIGHT also be a little too much fat . She offered me a dessert to compansate.
The dessert was good (Chocolate Thunder), but I paid for a steak which was half inedible fat.

Maybe instead of weird-ass decorating and totally obscure, instantly forgetable, music (which kind of creates an alienating atmosphere), maybe Outback should try making better food, serving it faster and getting back to their chummy, Aussie roots.

This was our second trip to this Outback location, for dinner, and it was, well, okay.

Service was flaky tonight, but it looked like there was training going on... It took awhile for our drinks to get to the table, and we were missing plates for our complimentary bread that took awhile, too. Things got better as the meal went on, thankfully, and maybe it was because we were seated near the server's station, but it seemed chaotic.

We ordered a Bloomin' Onion as an appetizer, which was what you'd expect -- an oily, breaded onion with a zingy dipping sauce. We were hungry, what can I say...

Dinner plates were two Outback Special 8 ounce sirloins with lobster tail, and a Grilled Chicken on the Barbie. Steaks came with baked potato and we had sides of steamed broccoli; chicken came with mixed vegetables -- broccoli, peapods, yellow squash, and carrots. The steaks were cooked medium rare, to order, which was good. So many places serve you a steak that isn't done properly, but both times we were here the steaks were prepared right. Lobster tails were smallish and a bit on the dry side. The chicken breast was pounded pretty darn flat, and wasn't really a large portion for the price.

The dining room was pretty clean, the atmosphere pleasant enough... Surprisingly crowded for a Thursday night. The men's room was fairly clean, but the ladies' room was a hot mess with junk everywhere, shoved under the sink, and the paper towel disposal was overflowing.

We'll probably choose another place next time we're in the Mishawaka/South Bend area, but it wasn't bad. Expect an average experience and you won't be disappointed.