Outback Steakhouse

My fiancee and I visited the Outback Steakhouse located at 10022 Coors Boulevard Northwest, Albuquerque New Mexico 87114. The restaurant is tucked away across the street from the Cottonwood Mall, on the east side of Coors Boulevard.

The parking lot provides ample parking. We found a parking spot about 7 rows from the front entrance. We arrived around 5 PM and were seated promptly, avoiding the dinner crowd. The interior is dark and decorated with Australian-themed knicknacks and photos. The restaurant had a decidedly "fishy" smell. This restaurant still offers smoking or non-smoking seating areas. We chose a non-smoking booth, but I occasionally caught wiffs of cigarette smoke. My fiancee, who suffers from asthma, did not mention that she smelled it.

We began with the "Bushman Shrooms" appetizer. These battered and deep-fried mushrooms came with a spicy ranch dipping sauce, and were delicious. My fiancee and I both enjoyed them, and finished the entire plate. In particular, the batter was made with unique seasonings, which added to the flavor.

For our entree, we shared the "Hearts of Gold" chicken dish. This seasoned chicken breast is seared and topped with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and green onions in a light lemon sauce. It was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this dish.

We added an optional salad, and chose the Blue Cheese Chopped Salad. The finely-chopped lettuce and green onions are combined with crumbled blue cheese and cinnamon pecans. It was excellent.

For dessert, we split the "Chocolate Chocolate Tower." This dessert consists of multiple layers of chocolate cake with chocolate filling in between. The presentation is dramatic, with a large steak knife stuck in the middle of the huge slice of cake. In a very thoughtful and smart move, raspberry sauce comes on the side in a small bowl, allowing you to choose how much sauce you'd like and how to apply it. For $1 more, we also got a scoop of "Hooley Dooley" vanilla ice cream. This premium ice cream was delicious, and would make a tasty dessert on its own.

Service was excellent. The hostess was very friendly (she had met my fiancee at the bridal store where she was trying on her wedding dress!) and our server was very polite and attentive. Our drinks were promptly refilled and he gave us an excellent recommendation for the dessert.

Prices were medium. Bushman Shrooms: $6.49. Hearts of Gold Chicken: $11.99. Blue Cheese Chopped Salad: $1.99. Chocolate Chocolate Tower: $5.99. Hooley Dooley vanilla ice cream: $1.00.

Overall, I enjoyed the food very much. The ambience was forgettable, albeit the uniquely Australian decorations provided us with some conversation topics while we waited for our food. The fishy smell when walking in was strong, and might offend the more sensitive noses. But the unique flavors overweighed these, and I think the price presents a good value.

I highly recommend this restaurant.