After the magic of dining out in Disney World wore off, we were back to our normal routine without chefs catering to my every gluten free wish and characters wandering around during our meals. Ah, really makes me miss Disney just thinking about it. Well anyway, back in our neck of the woods it was business as usual on the eating out front. One of our go to dining out locations is Outback Steakhouse, a reasonably priced chain that offers a huge gluten free menu.
This restaurant got us through many a dinner in my very pregnant months. In fact, I craved their chicken and swiss sandwich, minus the sandwich part, at least once a week, making my husband a recognized regular at the curbside take out. Now, with baby out and about, we still enjoy a meal now and then at Outback with my new standby being the Alice Springs Chicken (only because the sandwich was taken off of the menu). This consists of a chicken breast, layered with bacon and cheese, along with a side of your choice, I typically get either a baked potato or a baked sweet potato.
Now, when I order the gluten free Alice Springs Chicken, I pretty much recreate the sandwich by ordering the extras on the side so I can put it together with my favorite gluten free bread at home. So for me, I usually order a revamped Alice Springs Chicken which consists of a chicken breast with extra crispy bacon and cheddar, american, or provolone cheese on top, along with pickles, honey mustard sauce, tomatoes, and lettuce on the side. I just love the combination of the chicken with their honey mustard sauce and pickles (these were one of my all time favorites while I was pregnant and have kind of stuck around since)!
This chicken can definitely be enjoyed without the sandwich fixins, but for me I can’t resist assembling my grilled chicken sandwich with all of these flavors; while I have brought a roll along with me to the restaurant, their carry out process, which was our best friend in my last month of pregnancy, definitely makes my gluten free sandwich assembling a bit easier. Either way, after a little prep, my sandwich is ready to be enjoyed and indeed it is. They season the chicken so well and with the addition of bacon and cheese, who can really go wrong with that. On the side, I like to enjoy a baked sweet potato topped with their gluten free butter and brown sugar, This is a sweet side to complement the savory sandwich and perfect with the melted butter and brown sugar mixed in.
All together, we always enjoy a meal at Outback Steakhouse. They offer so many gluten free options including chicken dishes, steaks, seafood, salads, and sandwiches/burgers without the bread part. Along with each dish tasting great, their prices are just as fantastic, allowing a party of two to get away with a bill of about $25. Outback offers an affordable and tasty dining experience for the whole family, but as a gluten free diner, I always leave with a full belly and a smile on my face. My only hope is that one day in the near future Outback joins its fellow chains, like Uno’s or Red Robin, and offers their gluten free diners a bread option, making a whole side of the menu a bit more appealing. Fingers crossed!
Sincerely,
Lindsay