Lunch Fail at the Outback Steakhouse

Laughlin, Nevada
Review:  Lunch at the Outback Steakhouse

We frequent the Aquarius Resort Casino often for various reasons.  

One of them is not for the Outback Steakhouse. 

But...a couple recently (April of 2014) invited us to lunch at the Outback.  With trepidation, (for this reason) and because of a few less than great experiences there, we reluctantly agreed.  We thought we could find something simple and reasonably good on the menu. After all it was only for lunch and we knew what to avoid from past visits. Plus they had redeemed themselves in their reinspection. 

We passed on the blooming onion despite the pushing of it by the server.  Last time it was too soggy in part and overcooked in other sections. Instead we went tried the Crab Stuffed Mushrooms.  

The menu said these were sautéed mushrooms stuffed with lump crab meat served with a creamy lemon butter sauce ($6.79). They looked good, though just 4 mushrooms?  Turned out they were very overcooked.  They were served soaking in the same lemon butter sauce given as a side to dip in. The inside was pure mush, with very little crab taste.  They were overwhelmed by the sauce and definitely would not need to be dipped.   

Stuffed part of the Mushroom which oozed out because it was too mushy. 

After that, one of us chose a Lunch Combo, consisting of a Caesar salad and a chicken artichoke flatbread ($7.99) 

The chicken was mixed with spinach, artichokes and Parmesan on a very crisp flatbread. Overall it was ordinary, not terrible, it just did not have much flavor.   The Caesar was good.  We are finding is the most reliable thing you can get at this particular Outback Steakhouse is a salad. 

The other one of us got the Prime Rib Dip Sandwich. The menu says: Prime Rib Dip Thin-sliced seared prime rib with grilled onions and Swiss cheese ($10.99). It comes with the Aussie fries. 

This sandwich was a disaster. After lifting the bun, just looking at it was unappetizing. The meat (prime rib?) was overly well done and dry except for the fat, which was stringy. Apparently that is why they give such a big bowl of au jus to dip it in.  One person suggested perhaps it was left over prime rib from the Casino Buffet.  *We know that's not true as this Outback is owned by an independent proprietor and not by the Aquarius itself. But it seemed like a plausible observation. 

The cheese was congealed and too thick. We didn't know it was swiss, thought it was mozzarella or perhaps provolone.  Most of this was picked off. The grilled onions were only lightly grilled and did nothing for it.  It was served on the same bun as their burgers and the bottom of the bun was soggy to the point of being smashed thin,  

After picking off the cheese, stringy fat, and most of the bigger onions-- a few bites were taken and the rest was pushed aside. The fries were fine, but it's sad the best part of the meal was the ketchup. 

Service was slow considering there were not too many people dining even though it was prime lunch hour. 

The Fosters beer and the company made the lunch fun anyway. 

We really have to stop coming back to this Outback Steakhouse.  We had sworn off it but other people keep wanting to go to it.  From now on if we are invited we are going to suggest a short walk or drive down the River and go to the Loading Dock or perhaps Bumbleberry Flats. We recommend you do too.  People tell us other Outback's like the one in Las Vegas are much better than this one in Laughlin.   

Even Duet for a sandwich, or the diner Cafe Aquarius right there in the Aquarius Casino would be a better choice for lunch than Outback Steakhouse. Come to think of it maybe MacDonald's or Panda Express (also in the Aquarius) might even beat them.  

Visit our Laughlin Buzz Dining Page for more restaurant information and reviews from the Laughlin area. 

All reviews are our own personal experience, based on our tastes and preferences, and are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only.  We receive no compensation from the properties or restaurants and are not in any way affiliated with them.