G’Day!
Grab your best mate and head on down to Outback Steakhouse to try the all-new bacon wrapped filet. Oh yes, it’s, “A tender USDA ‘Choice’ petite filet wrapped in bacon then seasoned and seared to perfection. Paired with succulent shrimp and scallops atop whole grain wild rice and served with a side of grilled asparagus,” according to the Outback website.
I went on a walkabout to find my local Outback and settled in for an amazing meal, because this was the picture they showed me on their website…
Wrapped in delicious, wavy, wonderfully golden brown bacon? Yes!
Paired with two juicy, succulent shrimp and scallops? You bet!
Caveat Emptor! This was what they brought to the table…
Granted, I swapped out my rice and asparagus for the tasty potato carb-fest you see on the plate, so I can’t totally bash the presentation. I’m sure that bed of colorful rice would have made it a lot prettier. Even so, where was my perfect, delicious, wavy bacon? It hardly even looks like the filet was wrapped in anything at all. What did surround the meat was a soggy, gray slice of something that sort of looked like bacon. And those shrimp? Well, they looked a lot less shrimpy on the website.
But take a bite, oh boy! This dish lives up to the greatness that is Outback Steakhouse. Sure, they may not be Morton’s or Ruth’s Chris, but they know how to grill a steak. Juicy, tender and that bacon? Awesome! They really should wrap everything in bacon. Everything. Those shrimp? Succulent as promised. The scallops played their part, too. Every squishy bite a delight to the palette.
Judge ye not a steak by its soggy bacon wrap, lest ye miss a delicious meal. I think that next time I would actually keep the asparagus and rice, because I’m getting hungry again just looking at that picture. Plus, I really should eat more vegetables in general.
If you want to try this one for yourself, be sure to get to Outback before November 18th, 2008. That’s when this promotional menu item goes back to Australia.
Smaste(tm) rating: 43.116
Well done, Outback. Good on ya, mate!
And of course it’s the people who join you for that meal with that make it even better and more Smastey ™.