Outback Steakhouse

Today, my daughters and I attended a "Friends and Family" dining event at the newest Outback Steakhouse in Orlando, which is located on International Drive, and officially open for business on Monday, August 4th. 

Located at the Orlando Eye, which you can see taking shape in the background, the new Outback will be the first in the area to feature the new "Modern Australia" building design inside and out.  

This Outback is located right next door to Carrabba's, which is also owned by Bloomin' Brands, along with Fleming's, Bonefish Grill, and Roy's.  

The restaurant was really beautiful, and the staff was so incredibly friendly.  We will definitely be visiting this location again soon.  

I had looked at the gluten free menu online, and had gotten some recommendations from my blog readers, so I had a good idea of what we wanted to order when we arrived.  

Since my nine year old twins want nothing to do with kids menus, we ordered three gluten free entrees to share.

First up, we tried the Perfectly Grilled Salmon, but swapped the fresh seasonal mixed veggies it is served with for garlic mashed potatoes.  The salmon was seasoned and cooked perfectly, and we all loved the garlic mashed potatoes.  

The second dish we tried was the 1/2 rack of baby back ribs.  They are smoked, wood-fire grilled, then brushed with a tangy BBQ sauce.  All three of us agreed that this was our favorite entree, though the salmon was a very close second for me.  The ribs were nice and tender, and I really enjoyed the BBQ sauce.  Again, we chose a side of the garlic mashed potatoes.  

For our third entree, we chose the grilled chicken on the barbie , which is seasoned and wood-fire grilled chicken breast with Outback's signature BBQ sauce, and fresh seasonal mixed veggies.  The vegetables were nice and crisp, and the chicken was seasoned and cooked well.  We all enjoyed the chicken, but the salmon and ribs were our favorite entrees.  

I was so excited to try the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under for dessert, and it certainly did not disappoint.  The menu describes it as an extra generous pecan brownie topped with rich vanilla ice cream, drizzled with warm chocolate sauce, and finished with chocolate shavings and whipped cream.  My girls and I devoured this dessert in about 3 minutes flat.  It's even better than the gluten free macadamia nut brownie at Bonefish Grill.

I love that there are so many options on Outback's gluten free menu.  Dishes recommended by my blog readers include the entrees we tried, the Alice Springs Chicken, grilled shrimp on the barbie, and the New York strip steak.

You can view Outback Steakhouse's locations on their website here.

Our meals were provided to us, compliments of Outback, but the opinions in this review are entirely my own.

August 11, 2014 Update

Today, my daughters and I had lunch at Outback.  We ordered the ribs and salmon again to share, and decided to try the Alice Springs Chicken, which is wood-fire grilled chicken breast topped with sauteed mushrooms, crisp bacon, melted Monterey Jack and Cheddar, and honey mustard sauce.  Not being a fan of mustard, we skipped the sauce.  My daughters loved the Alice Springs Chicken once they removed their mushrooms, and I enjoyed the dish as well.  The chicken was moist and flavorful, and smothered in enough cheese and bacon, that we could enjoy some with every bite.  

We also tried a new side, the sweet potato with honey butter and brown sugar.  It was so good, the next time I bake a sweet potato, I am serving it the same way as Outback!

What are your favorite gluten free dishes at Outback Steakhouse?