Text 19468, 133 rader
Skriven 2009-01-10 22:58:02 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
     Kommentar till en text av Dave Sacerdote
Ärende: Re: Outback
===================
 -=> On 01-10-09  07:17,  Dave Sacerdote <=-
 -=> spoke to Jim Weller about Re: Outback <=-

We think that Outback and their sister restaurant, Carraba's are pretty
decent -- except for the long waiting lines to get in.

 DSac> Their dishes are very, very "chain restauranty" and follow the Chain
 DSac> Restaurant Formula:

 DSac> 1. Choose a gimmick
 DSac> 2. Turn it into a cartoon version you can rubberstamp to any
 DSac> restaurant 3. Truck in lots of frozen crap you "cook" and sell to
 DSac> diners who value "consistency" over quality

1&2 are certainly true.  3 varies from chain to chain.

 DSac> At Outback, this has translated to:

 DSac> 1. Australia, as one would think of it only from watching Warner
 DSac> Brothers cartoons and Paul Hogan movies.

Agreed.

 DSac> 2. Decor is all earth tones, made-in-Taiwan "Australian" souvenirs
 DSac> fastened to the walls with drywall screws to prevent theft, and
 DSac> graphic design "inspired" by "aboriginal" petroglyphs.  Their
 DSac> servers are trained to describe everything as "awesome" which
 DSac> is annoying enough without having to pronounce is "AUS-some"
 DSac> to highlight the "Australian" theme that we're all obviously
 DSac> too stupid to pick up on otherwise.  They'd probably have the
 DSac> little shits faking an Australian accent if they thought they
 DSac> could get away with it without looking like morons.

You left off the "excellent choice -- it is one of my favorites".

 DSac> 3. I loathe their steaks.  Know why you can't get a rare steak
 DSac> in an Outback "steak" house?  Because say you order a NY Strip.
 DSac> What you get is a section of a strip sirloin roast which has
 DSac> been held in an oven at a temperature just under medium rare.
 DSac> You place your order, and in the kitchen they carve off the
 DSac> steak, douse it in that nasty-ass seasoning, and then sear it
 DSac> to a minimum of medium rare for plating.

Here is where I disagree.  We do like their steaks, and they come out
more rare (i.e. closer to truth) than many other places.  Our favorite
cut is the 12 ounce sirloin -- thick, juicy and cooked to our tastes.  I
don't see why they would have it pre cooked -- does not make sense.

 DSac> Not all chains are bad, though.  Texas Roadhouse does the same
 DSac> step 1 and 2 (substitute "Texas" for "Australia" and use different
 DSac> slang, of course) but their steaks are real, and cooked to order
 DSac> even if you'd want the damn thing raw.  The quality of the meat
 DSac> makes up for the oogyness of the Lone Star Enthusiasm.

You left off the connection to Willie Nelson:-}}

Texas Roadhouse is one of our favored chains also.  Only wish that there
was one closer than 30+ minute drive.

Other chains:
Red Robin:  Good Fish& chips, fair hamburger.
Lonestar:   one visit was enough.
Olive Garden:  Yuck.
Red Lobster:  It seems to have gotten a bit better.  We visited there a
              while back after decade of avoiding them.
Five Guys: pretty good hamburger -- nothing else.
Wendy's:  used to be good, but not the same since Dave died.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title:  Savory Cheese Ball
 Categories: Appetizer, Party, Cheese, Boat, D/g
      Yield: 1 servings
 
      8 oz Cream cheese at room
           -temperature *
      3 oz Blue cheese, crumbled **
      2 c  (8 oz) shredded sharp
           -cheddar cheese at room
           -temperature
      1 tb Worcestershire sauce
    1/2 ts Onion powder
    1/4 c  Chopped fresh parsley
    1/4 c  Finely chopped walnuts
 
  
  Beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Mix in blue cheese and
  cheddar and blend well.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, onion
  powder, parsley, and walnuts, and blend well.  Shape into a ball,
  wrap, and chill.  If you wish, you can coat the outside lightly
  with more finely chopped nuts and parsley.  Let it come to room
  temperature to serve.  Serve with assorted crackers.
  
  Personal Note from Gail Shipp:
  
  I made this and served it as a cheese spread
  from a cheese crock.  It disappeared quickly.
  
  ** You have to be aware of how strong the blue cheese
  you will be using is - I usually use 2 oz of blue cheese
  
  * I had better texture when I used the soft spread cream cheese.
  
  Serves 12 or more.
  
  Source:  Le Jay Village Inn
  Jay, Vermont 05859
  From:  THE INN COOK BOOK by Igor and Marjorie Kropotkin,
  Little, Brown and Company, Boston. 1983
  ISBN 0-316-50473-4
  Posted by:  Karin Brewer, Cooking Echo, 11/93
  From: Karin Brewer
 
MMMMM


 DSac> -!-
 DSac> http://davescupboard.blogspot.com/ - Dave's Cupboard - Food and
 DSac> Restaurant Reviews; If I post it here in NCE, you'll find it
 DSac> blogged with photos at Dave's Cupboard.

 DSac> http://bacon-labels.blogspot.com/ - A gallery of bacon package labels.
 DSac> (The extra shelf in Dave's Cupboard.
 DSac>  ! Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com
 DSac> (1:123/140)



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