Potato Emojis

McCain announced last week that they would be expanding the trademark smiley face potato bites into emoji form. They will initially be available in Outback restaurants in Brazil before launching worldwide.

The Loaded Bloomin' Onion

The Outback Steakhouse's specialty is a caloric monstrosity called the Bloomin' Onion. It is absolutely terrible for you healthwise, but don't get me wrong, it is delicious, dangerously delicious. I love them.

Outback has made it worse, and that is to say, better. They now have a Loaded Bloomin' Onion. It's the standard Bloomin' Onion, but topped with the Outback's Aussie Fries

French Fry Diary 681: Funyuns Steakhouse Onion

I love the Bloomin' Onion from the Outback. I love the wannabe versions at other chains. So when I saw this new Funyuns flavor on the shelf at Wawa, I had to try them.

There's a big picture of the Bloomin' Onion on the bag, and while they can't actually call it that, you know that's what it is. The back of the package promises the zesty flavor of a steakhouse onion blossom and dip. Hmmm… dip? I'm not crazy about the dip. Maybe this was a mistake. Oh well, I guess there's only one way to find out...

Opening the bag, they kind of smell like the dip, but the immediate taste is definitely Funyon, with maybe a little bit of a smokey spicier kick, nice. The dip - a sour cream vibe, verified by the ingredients list - does come in as a cumulative aftertaste though, but not enough to discount these babies. I like them.

I would probably prefer the regular Funyuns over these, and definitely would rather have have a real Bloomin' Onion, but these Funyuns Steakhouse Onion Flavored Rings were really good.

French Fry Diary 689: Red Robin Birthday

This weekend I turned (choke, gasp) fifty-one years old, and The Bride put together a birthday celebration for me, a dinner at the legendary original home of the bottomless steak fries, Red Robin.

I have to admit being a bit gun shy of having a gathering, especially a large gathering, at a restaurant after putting together an event at a restaurant for the South Jersey Writers a couple weeks ago that resulted in several tables not together and one single check, and let me assure you, writers are not good at math. In contrast, the management and wait staff at the Cherry Hill Red Robin were extremely helpful, and got everything right - huge props!

So many friends, fellow writers, and even some family showed up. Apparently I'm more loved than I think, but more likely I suspect folks were there for the fries. Kidding. The meal started with, as it always does at Red Robin, with the tower of onion rings. Much like the Bloomin' Onion at Outback, how can you not get it?

I ordered my usual, a plain burger, which was fantastic, and a side of the bottomless steak fries. My big sister loved the fact that she could customize her meal online before arriving at the restaurant, so she was ready. The Bride got the garlic herbed fries which were also awesome, and a friend got a poutine fries concoction, seen below.

At one point, I had finished my fries, and was left with a lonely metal ring…

…but that was quickly remedied, Red Robin is after all the home of bottomless steak fries.

I had a terrific birthday, made extra special by friends and family, and the staff of Red Robin. Thanks to all!

French Fry Diary 642: LongHorn Steakhouse

We've been here before. It might not seem like it, but we have. The deep fried breaded onion snack followed by beef is a gig we've done before, both at the Outback and the questionably named Texas Roadhouse. Even the Lone Star Steakhouse, sadly no longer in our immediate area, used to do that.

It makes me wonder if all three are the same restaurant, but no, each onion is trademarked. So each restaurant is just a competitive twin. Are those onion things really that good? Yes, decadent, but good.

My buddy and podcast partner Ray and I had been making an accidental tour of steakhouses lately, so the LongHorn Steakhouse seemed as good a place to go next as any. I was a bit tentative as the Cherry Hill location has gotten some bad word of mouth. I decided we should see for ourselves.

That is of course, once we got there. Ray set his GPS to the Lone Star Steakhouse, which as I mentioned is nowhere to be found around here. It took a while for us to meet, obviously. While the parking lot was full, the dining room was not. Not sure if that's good or bad.

The menu, supposedly brand new at the time, was huge, and thick as a textbook. The decor was very wooden and old school. There were some cowboy and western motifs, but the big attraction (or at least what my eyes went to) was the huge chandelier made of antlers. Don't know if they're real, but wow.

We got the Texas Tonion, trademark, but it doesn't need the trademark. It really doesn't need it. It's nothing like its counterparts, it's just a long plate of just meh onion petals. For the price, a little over seven bucks, comparative to the Bloomin' Onion, I feel ripped off. An order of onion petals, and only okay onion petals for that matter, is not worth the price of the exotic wheel of deep fried death and goodness I expected. I was not happy.

My chopped steak came with thinner longer onion straws. They were better than the steak. The fries were natural cut regular cuts, only warm but okay. The baked potato was very hot and very good. There's not much else to say about the food. The service was okay. There was nothing though that I would come back for, even though Ray said the LongHorn near him was better. That's too far though. And I'm still a little steamed about that Texas Tonion...

Random Tater Pic of the Day #153

Certain restaurant Twitter accounts are getting very very good at what's become known as 'food porn.' Burger King has been a fierce competitor, as has Red Lobster.  Here's one from the Outback.

And remember, you can follow my French Fry Diary posts as well as a whole lot of other stuff at my Twitter here.

French Fry Diary 328: Outback 2011

Recently my buddy Ray and I were going to have a guys night out at the movies, and wanted to have some dinner beforehand. It wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. Our last resort after trying Applebee's, the Library II, and even McDonald's was finally the Outback Steakhouse.

How I've reviewed the Outback before and wasn't really all that thrilled. This time however, I found a meal I was quite happy with. But first, a few words about the Outback's signature appetizer item, the Bloomin' Onion.

The Bloomin' Onion is a wonder of culinary science. It's a one pound onion cut to bloom open, breaded and deep fried. Beautifully crispy, and the breading has that spicy extra kick most Outback food has. The kick is very hot, you will sweat, so have a beverage nearby. Being the catastrophically picky eater I am, I usually pass on the mayonnaise horseradish sauce, but other folks tell me it's good. This time it was a little underdone, but Ray and I still demolished it. Hands down, the Bloomin' Onion is still the main reason to come to the Outback.

The meal I found was the Chicken on the Barbie that comes with a delicious barbeque sauce, that was also very good on the Aussie fries. I'm not that much of a fan of the regular natural cut fries, but this barbeque sauce made them so much better. Good meal, good friend, and good customer service… unlike Applebee's…

French Fry Diary 231: Texas Roadhouse, Bensalem PA

I had seen this place, the questionably named Texas Roadhouse, next to the Sonic on Street Road for a while but only started to get recommendations for it since one opened closer in Turnersville.

My first impression was the same that I had the first time I walked into a Lone Star Steakhouse - loud country music and peanut shells on the floor. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but both had vanished by the time we were seated. And despite it being dinner rush, and being warned by several folks of a long wait, we were seated quite quickly.

Catastrophically picky eater that I am, I ordered the Road Kill (chopped steak, better known as a hamburger sans roll), and the steak fries. First though we got the Cactus Blossom, their version of Outback's Bloomin' Onion. Much easier to pull apart, but also much less spicy hot than Outback's, the Cactus Blossom is a winner. The Bride, her parents and I decimated it.

Took a bit to get my order right, but it finally came after everyone else had already begun their dinner. I didn't want mushrooms so of course I got mushrooms. The chopped steak was terrific after I unburied it from the mountain of onions.

The fries were natural cut steak fries, not dissimilar from Wendy's new ones actually, only thicker. They had some light spices, and parsley, maybe rosemary thrown on them. Not the best I've had but then again not the worst. The waitress kept pushing folks to get cheddar and bacon on them - perhaps knowing they needed something.

Around the table, the ribs were about the same as the fries, not the best but not the worst. Real whiskey in the barbecue sauce it tasted like. Chili's ribs are better though, according to the Mom-in-Law. The beans were good as were the mashed potatoes. The service was a bit slow, but as always, it's amazing how quick a manager comes to your table when you start taking pictures of the food.

I took some of the fries home. They behaved predictably. In the microwave they became a soggy mushy mess, but baked in the oven, these fries became a bit more formidable. They were golden brown with a crunch on the outside, soft and hot on the inside - more like what they should have been in the restaurant.

For the record, more than one of our party had heartburn or was sick to their stomach afterward. All in all, I don't think we'll be back - if we did go back, maybe it would be for the chopped steak, maybe for the Cactus Blossom, but probably not for the fries.

CopyKat Outback Steakhouse Aussie Fries

There are a few websites out there that specialize in reproducing favorite restaurant meals at home. CopyKat is one of the better ones, and one I was hipped to by friend and fellow food writer Warren Bobrow on his Twitter. Here's their take on Outback Steakhouse Aussie Fries:

Outback Steakhouse Aussie Fries

1 – 2 lb. bag of Frozen French Fries
1 C. shredded Colby Jack cheese (An excellent suggestion is to use the cheese that is
labeled as "Taco Cheese," cheese for Tacos.)
6 pieces of Bacon, cooked

Divide the fries into half, and use the other half later. Heat oil to 350 degrees. If you do not have a thermostat, make sure the oil is hot enough, so that when you set a French fry in there it will cook immediately. If the French fry sinks to the bottom, and barely bubbles, it is not hot enough. Fry the potatoes in small batches, they are done when they are golden brown, and float to the top of the skillet. (I like to use a Dutch oven). Be sure to drain the potatoes on paper towels. You can keep them warm in the oven while the other fries are done. When all French fries are done cooking, and drained place them onto a platter. Salt the French fries if you like, and sprinkle on cheese and cooked bacon. Pop these back into a warm oven until the cheese begins to melt.

Here is what Jane Coyle Suggested:

1 16 oz bottle Ranch Dressing
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder

Combine all ingredients and let refrigerate overnight for the best flavor.

The original recipe can be found here, and you can find more Outback Steakhouse Recipes, here at CopyKat.com.

French Fry Diary 120: National Onion Rings Day

Today, June 22nd, is National Onion Rings Day.

Yeah, I know this is French Fry Diary, but onion rings run a close second to fries when it comes to most loved side dishes, and the rings get more popular every day. Now they will never surpass the favorite fried food, but they are still a favorite.

Some of the best onion rings in my opinion can be found in some odd places. Cheeburger Cheeburger has excellent rings, so does Sonic and Red Robin Burger. The Bloomin' Onion at Outback is amazing and the Potato Onion Web at Orlando's Rising Star has to be seen to be believed. Props also go to Arby's onion peels, Alexia's frozen rings and especially to Bahama Breeze's coconut breaded onion rings. And of course, once you learn the secret to making them at home, nothing beats that.

So what are your favorite onion rings?

French Fry Diary 103: Outback Steakhouse, Marlton NJ

The Outback, significant by its Australian motif, for me, falls into a similar category as Tony Luke’s. If you’re going to the Outback, you’re going for the Bloomin’ Onion and/or the steak, not for the fries. And that’s a shame, because the fries could be good.

The resident favorite fried food at the Outback is the Bloomin’ Onion, no ifs, ands or buts. If you’re going there and not ordering one – it’s like going to Baskin-Robbins and not getting ice cream. This is the tastiest and spiciest of the breaded onion delicacies, and from what I hear, the dipping sauce isn’t bad either – but being a catastrophically picky eater I haven’t tried it.

The other reason to go to the Outback is the steak, it is a steakhouse after all, and indirectly the burgers as well. My burger was delicious, juicy and just right. The meat is always great with that extra spicy zing. But the meat is not what we’re here to talk about.

Secondary of the side dishes we would concern ourselves with are the Aussie Fries, regular natural cuts that usually also have that extra zing as well, pepper I think, but today’s batch lacked that. They were greasy, soggy and just not good. I think the photo included shows how many of them I actually ate.

John, the owner/manager (I’m not sure which or maybe both) came out to ask how our meal was. This usually happens when I start taking pictures of the food at the table. Hmmm... I wonder why. He also offered us a chance to fill out a survey as well. Good experience, all in all. The sister-in-law gives particularly high praise for the sweet potatoes. Food was great, except for the fries this time.