The Outback Steakhouse a Top Pick

It was Father’s Day, and my wife wanted to take me out for dinner, so who am I to argue with tradition? 

We normally go across town to my favorite steakhouse on occasions such as this but I wanted to try something new. It was my choice and I gave the nod to the located at 16547 FishHawk Blvd. in Lithia, and I’m still loving my decision.

It was a little off the beaten path and we literally drove past it once because of the shrubbery out front, but one quick turnaround and we were parking just outside the front door. We could see the dark clouds coming at us and knew we had a short dash to the car, if needed. It was a great start to a memorable dinner. It was just a few minutes past five and the place was almost full of patrons—a good sign.

It was arguably one of the best steak dinners I have ever eaten and that’s a serious claim to fame. I sat down with three menus at my seat and ordered the first item I saw, and that was the 8-ounce filet and three lobster tails with a loaded baked potato and fresh, steamed veggies (broccoli, squash, snow peas, carrots). 

The lobster was a type of rock lobster that separated from the shell with ease and there was a magnificent butter sauce for dipping—awesome!

I was given a choice between the traditional flat- top grill or the new char-grill method. According to our waiter, Trent, they have been doing the grill method at Outback for only a couple of months, with favorable results.

My wife ordered the 20-ounce porterhouse with baked potato and veggies. She got her steak char-grilled and gave me a taste, which was fantastic. 

My daughter tried the filet and scampi, much to my surprise. I guess she was trying to make dad happy by trying something new, and it worked. Trent was very well informed and stated that the filet was cut from a loin, and I was curious about that when my daughter looked to me for guidance so I gave her an approving nod. We were all happy with that decision and I was given a thumbs up by my kid. She loved the shrimp but gave me the bread it was served on—yea!

Every steak was cooked exactly right and the veggies could not have been done any better. The baked potatoes were spot on, and I'm known to look for that stuff. The white fleshy part of the potato was still attached to the salted and buttered potato skin, which means it was less than 15 minutes old, at least this is my experience.

My daughter had a bit of a chill due to her slight sunburn so my wife went out to the car to get a sweater. As my wife was approaching the door, a busboy walking by stopped and came back to open the door for her. Impressive front door staff. 

As we enjoyed our dinner, the front waiting area began to fill, rapidly. The staff was all over them with drinks while they waited and giving out a few free samples to nibble on. 

At this point, my focus is on the staff as I watch them all doing superb jobs. From the way the waiters navigate through the bar area so as to avoid possible customer collisions to the fact that I had one waiter but five different people serviced our table.

I now have a brand new favorite steakhouse. I was once a kitchen manager at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa and I remember being rated at 4 stars on the Zagat’s scale because our plates weren’t all china.

Keeping that in mind, I’m giving this Outback a 4 1/2 star rating and I will be coming back on a regular basis. If there were crystal glasses sitting on the tables, this would be a five-star restaurant—they get five stars for the food alone! This is the highest rating I have given since starting this column.

1 Star--Wouldn't go back on a bet

2 Star--Would have to go back, but only on a bet

3 Star--If I was in the neighborhood and hungry

4 Star--Would go out of my way even if I wasn't hungry

5 Star--Would make reservations and wait in a line