Baked potatoes at Outback and other restaurants

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:09 am

Hi all,

Someone just reminded me of something I don't remember mentioning to this group, at least not recently.

Although Outback has a gluten free menu, and is very helpful with whatever else you are trying to avoid, it's good for you to know that many restaurants, including theirs, coat all or most of their potatoes in butter (coat the skin of the potatoes) in the morning when they arrive at the restaurant to get everything set up.

At my particular Outback, they coat the white potato skins with butter long before the customers arrive. I think more recently, they've been leaving it off a few of them, just in case someone can't have dairy, but you need to make sure, wherever you dine, that your potato is one that's not been coated with butter if dairy casein is an issue for you. Since they take a while to cook all the way, if you possibly can, give them a call before you go to the restaurant so they can get it started before you arrive.

In terms of the sweet potatoes which I can now have as the large amount of fiber in it doesn't bother me anymore, my Outback doesn't pre-coat their sweet potatoes with butter like they do their white potatoes. However, I would always ask at any restaurant if you have to avoid dairy. You might see if they can coat your potato with olive oil. I think that works and that I've been in restaurants that do that instead of butter.

I have no way of knowing whether other Outbacks have the same preps for potatoes, so always specifically request a potato that's NOT been precoated with butter if this is what you need.

Yours, Luce

Courtney · Post by **Courtney** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:45 pm

Thanks for the heads-up, Luce! That never would have occurred to me...

Love,

Courtney

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:29 pm

Thanks for that info.

I had a bad experience at an Outback in another town last weekend. I asked for the chicken breast that wasn't pre-seasoned and with NO seasoning. I got one full of pepper which was confirmed by DH. Not a happy camper.

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:37 pm

I just contacted OB through their web site..........

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 11:21 pm

I ate the chicken last week and it was coated with pepper, too. I finally scraped it off. I had a baked potato which had the skin coated with salt. I ate the inside of the potato (with olive oil, Joan - I'll be eternally grateful for your suggestion) and avoided eating the skin, though I did eat some.

Thank you Lucy for the heads up. I eat at Outback every month or so.

Gloria

Post by **tex** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 9:58 am

Gloria,

I have to wonder what was used to make the salt stick to the skin. Could it have been butter?

Tex

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 10:21 pm

Yes, I wondered about that, too, though not until I posted.

Gloria

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:04 am

The manager I spoke with said they coat them with margarine.....He said to call ahead to have them fix a plain one. I asked if they could just nuke a plain one when I arrived and he said sure.

I had assumed they used olive oil, so thanks for the info, Luce.

I had said in my email that I wanted to be able to feel safe at their restaurants. I was totally surprised that they answered my email over the weekend.

Gloria, you should complain. The manager is sending me something in the mail.....

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:24 pm

This is what makes eating out such a pain. Sigh. I was actually pretty depressed after eating there last week because the waitress went to the kitchen at least four times to inquire about the food, bring me honey and mustard for the chicken, etc.

We've been thinking about taking a foreign vacation this year, and after the Outback experience, I realized that it would be very difficult for me to eat while on vacation, especially if I went somewhere where the language was not English. Sometimes I feel like the cure is worse than the disease, though I know that it's not.

I will be sure to ask them to give me a "clean" baked potato the next time. You may recall that the last time I ate there, I had to return the hamburger because it had cheese on it. Then the manager came to my table and personally brought a new dinner and didn't charge me. I have a feeling I'll be getting on a first-name basis with them pretty soon. And I don't even like eating there that much! I can cook a hamburger and a baked potato at home, so I don't see the point of going there. I go because DH likes to.

Gloria

annie oakley · Post by **annie oakley** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:42 pm

It Makes me not want to go out to at much, in fact we rarley do that these days. Love Oma

MaggieRedwings · Post by **MaggieRedwings** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 6:41 am

Frank and I eat out very rarely and probably at most 4 times a year and maybe 1 or 2 on vacation. It is just way too hard for me and since I love to cook and he loves to eat my cooking, home is our cafe.

Love, Maggie