Outback Steakhouse
3454 W 86th St
Indianapolis, IN 46268
http://www.outbacksteakhouse.com

I usually stay away from places like Outback Steakhouse just because reviewing them is so boring.   Everyone knows what the place is about, Bloomin’ Onion, etc.   However, I got an e-mail from the manager from my closest Outback and said that he loves the blog and that he would like to be reviewed.  He went on talking about how the vast majority of what they serve is made in house, etc.  This is my first e-mail from a manager of a chain asking me to come in, so I was suspicious.

I actually had Outback twice in the last month and I will just push them together in one review.

What I Ate: First visit, Prime Rib, 12 0z $18.95.  Second visit, Ribeye 12 oz $18.00.  You get a choice of two sides so I decided to vary my salads.

House Salad with Ranch Dressing: 

This was a pretty big starter salad.  I liked the ranch dressing, the croutons were pretty good, tomatoes were ripe…nothing to complain about here.

Bleu Cheese Wedge:

Sorry about the bogus picture, it was really dark.   Ripe tomatoes, red onion, bacon and bleu cheese crumbles.  I liked this quite a bit as well.  This would easily rival a $6.00 salad that you would get at the prime steakhouses in town.  It was huge too.  Hmm…

Ribeye Steak:

It was a little past medium rare, but not enough to send it back.  The ribeye was a very lean for a ribeye and I liked the flavor quite a bit.  Outback uses Choice grade (the same as Sullivan’s), so it is a good quality steak.  The sweet potato is always a favorite of mine and this did not disappoint.

The prime rib (not pictured) was actually my favorite.  It was a little bland as I like a salty crusty edge to it, but it was pretty good.  There is not a lot that I can say here, it is a standard cut of meat done really well.

Would I Buy It Again?  A very enthaustic YES!  You really don’t know how bad I wanted to slam them after the manager e-mailed telling me how great it is.  I say that only because my last five visits to other Outbacks were pretty bad.  This particular location is worth trying though.  

The service is exceptional, I mean really top notch (Mandy was particularly awesome.  We were greeted quickly with well paced meals and very friendly service.  Plus, I sent back the kid’s chicken and the manager was over in about thirty seconds making sure everything is okay and then we were comped a free app for that.  Totally unnecessary, but a nice touch.

This location really has their ducks in a row.  I figured out why the manager e-mailed me…because he gives a damn and is proud of his restaurant…and he should be.

-wibia

Stuart’s Steakhouse
406 Main St.
Sheridan, IN 46069
Open Thursday-Saturday
http://stuartssteakhouse.com/

One of my best friends lives in Sheridan and my wife, mini-wibia and I had a chance to visit them on a Saturday night.  Sheridan is home to about 3,000 people.  When my friend told me there was a steakhouse in town and “its not all that bad,” I had to give it a try.

The restaurant holds about sixty people and I would guess there are twenty tables. It was Saturday night and it was packed, I am pretty sure the wait was around an hour.

What I Ate: Delmonico, 16 oz $19.95.
Choice of two sides; I picked the salad wedge and garlic mashed potatoes.

Initially, I was impressed by the prices, but Ponderosa is cheap too.  Lettuce wedge arrived and all the salad toppings were separated on the plate.  I didn’t love the bleu cheese dressing, the bacon was a little overcooked for my taste and I would’ve liked the plate to be chilled.  At times, a salad or a starter can be a good precursor to the rest of the meal.  In this case, I couldn’t gauge the rest of the meal.

The Delmonico arrived and it was cooked perfectly.  I would put the quality of the steak at the same level as major chains like Outback.  The steak could’ve used a little salt/seasoning, but it really wasn’t all that bad…my friend was right.   The garlic mashed potatoes needed more garlic and the consistency was too thick for my taste.

Would I Buy It Again? Geez…um….

Yes: Based on local competition, Stuart’s is the best thing going.
The prices and the portions were honest.
Good alternative to the chains.
Relatively kid friendly.
Smoked Prime Rib was great (my wife had that).

No: The wine list is limited.
It’s not a true steakhouse experience.
Scatted service issues, but nothing major though.

All in all, we had a great time at Stuart’s.   The bar was set pretty low, but I walked away having a good time.  I learned a valuable lesson,  there is nothing like a true top of the line steakhouse meal – it is worth the extra money.

-wibia

P.S.  It was too dark for food pictures.  This is the only one that remotely came out.