Tasting Arcadia

Episode 24 - Outback Steakhouse

• Karen Mac Nair • Season 2 • Episode 24

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Arcadia's dining scene wouldn't be complete without Outback Steakhouse, a community staple since 1995. On this episode of Tasting Arcadia, Karen Mac Nair talks with Jamie, the managing partner who boldly took the helm in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, shares the fascinating evolution of this beloved restaurant located at 166 East Huntington Drive.

For more information and tickets to the Taste of Arcadia visit TasteOfArcadia.com.

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John Villa:

Welcome to Tasting Arcadia, the official podcast of Taste of Arcadia. Taste of Arcadia is an all-inclusive event featuring food and drinks from the San Gabriel Valley restaurants, all for one price Sample food, wine, beer and spirits. Check out our brand new cars, visit our business showcase booths, smile at our photo booth and shake it on the dance floor with me, john Villa from Dance Syndicate DJ Entertainment. Taste of Arcadia is September 13th at Santa Anita Park. The fun goes from 2 to 6 pm, with special VIP entrance at 1 pm. Don't forget this isa 21 and over event. Get your tickets today at tasteofarcadia. com. Now let's hear it for our host, Karen Mac Nair.

Karen Mac Nair:

Thanks, John, for joining us with that great introduction. I'm so excited for everyone to get your tickets at tasteofarcadia. com. Santa Anita Park is going to sparkle that day with all these great food and drink vendors. Hello everyone, I am Karen McNair. Welcome to the next episode of Tasting Arcadia. We are excited to welcome one of Arcadia's finest restaurants in our downtown area Outback Steakhouse Jamie. Welcome, hello, hello, Jamie is the Managing Partner. Did I get that right? Yes, the managing partner of Outback Steakhouse. It is always fun to go in and see your smiling face.

Jaimee Reimer:

Thank you. I've been there since I took over in 2020. So it's been a fun roller coaster ride. It has been amazing. The town of Arcadia is just absolutely amazing. The people are just awesome, you know.

Karen Mac Nair:

Thank you for that. I love you know it's interesting. We've done quite a few episodes now this year and how many people started a business, started a job at 2020, at 2021, during the pandemic Boy. You guys are a strong group. When you start in 2020, you're really. It's like it's like the freshman class came out strong in 2020. Right, we're built different, for sure.

Jaimee Reimer:

For sure.

Karen Mac Nair:

So why don't you tell us a little bit about Outback?

Jaimee Reimer:

Awesome. So Outback has been our building has been around since 1995, back when nothing else existed around it, which is so crazy. I actually have a picture in my office and it's just the Outback by itself and nothing, nothing surrounding, and it's so like, it's like empty, you know. But obviously the community has been building around it and it has gotten, you know, just so huge and crazy, which is amazing. But yeah, we've been there for a while and we will be there for a while, you know.

Karen Mac Nair:

That is always great to hear. Just with businesses the way they are, it's nice to know we have a community staple of Outback Steakhouse so in case people don't know and they're out there listening where are you exactly located?

Jaimee Reimer:

Awesome. So we're located on 166 East Huntington Drive. Cross streets would be First Street, I believe would be our closest cross street. If you go past the little railroad overpass, it says Arcadia, you've gone too far.

Karen Mac Nair:

That's smart. That's smart. You have great parking too. Yes, I do love that. I enjoy going for lunch, so it's like I zip in Yep, have great parking, zip out Yep, it's a great place to have lunch.

Jaimee Reimer:

So, speaking of lunch, what are your hours of operation? So we open at 11 o'clock every day. Friday and Saturday, we close at 11. Sunday through Thursday we close at 10 o'clock.

Karen Mac Nair:

Okay.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yeah. So I'm like we've got a pretty, pretty large window to come in and visit you know, and I'm like people can just pop in have a beer, say hi, you know I do love that.

Karen Mac Nair:

Are you still doing the pickup takeout where you can, okay?

Jaimee Reimer:

yeah, still doing to go. Um, I was gonna say we just got this new cool like sticky. It's called a sticky printer and it prints like little sticky stickers for all the food items and stuff. Yes, we're having a little too much fun with that in the back.

Karen Mac Nair:

It's fun. Whatever makes operations easier is helpful. I have enjoyed a good friday night Outback steak at home. Yes, yes, because I picked it up, gone home, watched a great little movie and enjoyed my time there. So thank you for still doing that.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yes, it's something that.

Karen Mac Nair:

I enjoy. What if?

Jaimee Reimer:

you don't feel like driving, I'm like just door dash it, you know have somebody pick it up for you.

Karen Mac Nair:

We're going to jump into the menu now, because we know that's why people are listening. They want to know about the food, so why don't you share? Do you have a favorite food or drink?

Jaimee Reimer:

Oh my gosh, I have many, many favorites, but we just got there the cutest little thing. So they're mozzarella sticks shaped like boomerangs Cute, and they're so good. We serve them with a little marinara dipping sauce and I have been eating those probably like three times a week now. Oh boy, we've gotten them, but they're so good. So, new favorite for me, um. Old favorite for me um, I absolutely love just our signature sirloin. Can't go wrong with the steak you know, yep um.

Jaimee Reimer:

But I like to add we have a garlic butter that we can put on top of it, so I just like smother it in butter and it's just.

Karen Mac Nair:

It's amazing so, jamie, I had the honor of interviewing you last year, right, and we had a drink with the shark.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yes, the ozzy jazzy. Okay, we still are featuring the ozzy jazzy we do still have it.

Karen Mac Nair:

He's still around, he is still around that's what I named him, not outback for the record. If you want to listen to the old episode, right right.

Jaimee Reimer:

So we still have the shark drink. We also have a koala punch which has a little koala duck like rubber ducky that floats on top. We also have a crocktail which is like a Midori kind of flavored drink that has a little crocodile that sits on top as well. So I was like we've got plenty of animals over at the Outback.

Karen Mac Nair:

Yay, you can leave with a little gift, which is so fun. I just talked about all the fun drinks. You have something popular on the menu people enjoy.

Jaimee Reimer:

Something that's been super, super popular is actually kind of making a comeback and we're actually going to be featuring it at Taste of Arcadia is our Castaway cocktail. It's got some blood orange citrus mix in there, a little bit of pineapple, so it's kind of like a I would kind of put it close to like a tropical. Mai Tai-esque style drink, but it's super light, super refreshing, amazing for summertime. It's probably going to be hot at Taste of Arcadia this year.

Karen Mac Nair:

Yes, we are planning that.

Jaimee Reimer:

Definitely something good to cool down with.

Karen Mac Nair:

I put in a couple of phone calls, calls, but I don't think I can control the weather quite yet. So I love that we can at least have a signature cocktail. That's a cool down and it's warm today, so I'm staring at these drinks. If you're watching on YouTube, you can see how beautiful they are. If you're driving, just know. It's a beautiful orange color. It's orange and pineapple. We'll talk more about it, but it looks delicious, wonderful to cool down. Now, jamie, I've asked this question a couple times. Well, on most episodes because we are the Chamber of Commerce. Yes, so our goal is to have economic growth in our community. So the big question is and everyone has heard it so far but how can we support your business? How can we keep Outback running, doing great in our community?

Jaimee Reimer:

So the best way to support us is to come in, say hi, hang out with us. We've got some really great service staff members and a lot of restaurants in general. Just, we stay afloat with our regular base. So even if it's just stopping by and you're having a cocktail on your way home from work, need to unwind a little bit. Have some bread, you know.

Karen Mac Nair:

Right.

Jaimee Reimer:

Hang out with the bartender for a sec. Just stopping in and saying hi is what really does it for us, you know.

Karen Mac Nair:

And I must compliment your staff, because I go with friends at lunch and then my husband, you know, after work for dinner and your staff is always so welcoming, remembers your name, remembers your favorite drinks, you know, remembers what you order. So great job. Go team at Outback. So let's talk about your team, your business, the different things. Is there something you're really proud of?

Jaimee Reimer:

there at Outback, my staff, my staff is just absolutely amazing. We have collected such such great people and it's crazy because you're consistently hiring as a manager and stuff. But I feel like we've retained a lot of our staff members oh, that's snaps Good job, which is just awesome.

Jaimee Reimer:

There's a couple that I've had since COVID and they've been on this Outback journey with me, going through kind of the ups and downs and everything that happened after COVID and they've stuck around and they are amazing at creating regulars, at through kind of the ups and downs and everything that happened after COVID and they've stuck around and they are. They are amazing at creating regulars, at taking care of our people and they're so good they do. They remember your drinks, they remember your order, they remember that you like your salad with. You know only three cucumbers and this many croutons and you know it's true, cause I'm that person.

Karen Mac Nair:

Yes, no tomatoes. Yes, guess on the cucumbers, they're so good Always so sweet and they're just awesome.

Jaimee Reimer:

They really they make my job just absolutely enjoyable. You know, it's never.

Karen Mac Nair:

it's never work when I'm on shift, which is you know, don't tell my boss that we'll keep it a secret, just for everyone listening. So have you participated in taste of arcadia before?

Jaimee Reimer:

because that's why we're here yes, so last year, uh, we participated. That was our first time after covid. Um, we've participated in the past when it was at the arboretum. But you know, um, I I feel like san an Anita is kind of this whole new, whole new, like just experience for us. You know, it's so large, it's so fun. There's so much space and so many different vendors and stuff that are there, like it's I don't know, it's so fun, I'm getting excited about it now.

Karen Mac Nair:

I love that. Buy your tickets now. Tasteofarcadiacom. Jamie's happy.

Jaimee Reimer:

I am happy I will see you there.

Karen Mac Nair:

Oh, that is so fun. So you were there last year. Outback itself was there before the pandemic. So excited to be back Now we're going to talk about things we have in front of us. What are you taking for us to taste at? Taste of Arcadia.

Jaimee Reimer:

Awesome. So last year at Taste of Arcadia we featured some of our pasta dishes. I think we did some ribs as well. So this year I kind of wanted to go with some of our signature items. I'm going to start with the newest one, which is going to be our Tasmanian chili. Okay, it is a no bean chili, so it's all meat, yes, which is awesome, and it's got a very, very good like kick to it. It's not overly spicy, but it gives you just that little tingle on the end.

Karen Mac Nair:

Okay, I like that. I like flavor, yes, but I don't like burning.

Jaimee Reimer:

No, and that's. It's not overwhelming, it's very light, but you feel it. You know as you should.

Karen Mac Nair:

Okay, now we have the salad, and then we have our salad.

Jaimee Reimer:

So I figured, with it being kind of hot this year, that maybe something on the lighter side, a little bit refreshing, you know, just to kind of break up all that heavy food as well you know, smart, so we're featuring our blue cheese pecan chop salad.

John Villa:

This is one of Outback's signature dishes.

Jaimee Reimer:

It's got little crispy noodles in there. There's some candied pecans. If you're a fan of blue cheese, the salad is for you. It's got a blue cheese vinaigrette that we toss it in, and then it also has some blue cheese crumbles on top.

Karen Mac Nair:

Okay, I'm very excited about that.

Jaimee Reimer:

And then our last item that we're featuring is another signature. Outback dish. It is our Alice Springs chicken. This has been around since the dawn of time, tried and true, you know, but it is absolutely delicious. It's got honey, mustard, mushrooms, bacon, and then they melt cheese on top of it.

Karen Mac Nair:

So yeah, so good, good can't go wrong, right so you brought it with the baked potatoes that just yes, that's just for the plate.

Jaimee Reimer:

I didn't want it to look lonely.

Karen Mac Nair:

I appreciate that the plating is beautiful. Again, if you're on youtube you could see it. If not, we have this beautiful piece of chicken. I could see the mushrooms. I'm excited in this wonderful baked potato world famous baked potatoes from outback. Yeah, they just are wonderful. So, we're going to start with the food and then we're going to talk about the drinks.

John Villa:

after I taste Are we okay with that, all right, yes, okay so I'm going to start with the chili.

Karen Mac Nair:

Do you mind handing me the chili? And then, jamie, when we do the drinks, you'll have a cheers with me.

Jaimee Reimer:

I will definitely partake in that with you. Okay, so the chili right now.

Karen Mac Nair:

So the chili right now. It has melted cheese on the top and then chives. Yes, okay, it looks delicious, great meat. I see tomatoes in it. I'm putting it all on. My mouth is watering.

Jaimee Reimer:

Okay.

Karen Mac Nair:

I'm going to see if I can do this and not be messy. Here we go. A bite of the chili.

Jaimee Reimer:

Mmm, you get the kick on that right, I do.

Karen Mac Nair:

The kick and the flavor, mm-hmm, but the meat is a real bite of meat.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yes, yes.

Karen Mac Nair:

Beef.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yes, shredded, it's shredded steak. So yeah, I'm like it's, it's shredded steak.

Karen Mac Nair:

So yeah, I'm like it's, it's good, it's yeah and the kick's not overwhelming right, like it's just nice and smooth.

Jaimee Reimer:

This is delicious awesome yeah, and we. I'm like we put this, so the guys in the back they'll put it on our cheese fries and make chili cheese fries I've seen some people do chili cheese burgers with it.

Karen Mac Nair:

Yeah, it's wow very good because I think I was expecting like a ground beef and it's like a real piece of steak.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yes, yeah, no, it's very hearty. I'm like I will eat probably about half of that and be full. You know it's so good. Yeah.

Karen Mac Nair:

OK, then next is the salad, which is exciting. Ok, I'm going to get a different fork. Heaven forbid, I upset my palate in my tasting. So this is the vinaigrette dressing yes, and the pecans and pecans, yeah it gives it a really good balance.

Jaimee Reimer:

Um and I'm not a big blue cheese fan but I'm obsessed with this vinaigrette. It is just. It's not like a super pow in your face but you still get that nice blue cheese on the back end. It's really nice, it is true.

Karen Mac Nair:

It's got carrots in it, some cabbage lettuce. I'm yeah, I'm gonna take a second bite. Oh, it's so bad, I'm gonna take a second bite Just to see. Yeah, right right.

Jaimee Reimer:

Oh, my goodness, that is so good Right.

Karen Mac Nair:

Super refreshing too. Yes, right, right. Oh, my goodness, that is so good.

Jaimee Reimer:

Right, super refreshing too, yes.

Karen Mac Nair:

Super refreshing People are going to love that.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yes, that's that vinaigrette, right, I'm telling you, it's so addicting.

Karen Mac Nair:

So good, okay. Next is the chicken, yay.

Jaimee Reimer:

Do I have a knife? I think you have one in your little sleeve.

Karen Mac Nair:

I do have one here. Okay, all right, scared everybody. How am I gonna?

Jaimee Reimer:

cut this chicken. I was like I don't have a third fork for you, though.

Karen Mac Nair:

So it's okay, so it's a chicken breast.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yeah, so grilled chicken breast or signature grilled chicken on the Barbie. We smother it in honey mustard, it's got mushrooms and bacon, and then we slap some cheese on top and then just stick it in the broiler, kind of melt that down a little bit, you know, kind of get a little crusty on there, and it's just. It's one of those bites where you're just like like, do these go together? And then you're like, oh my God, those go together so well.

Karen Mac Nair:

I'm trying to get a bite in where it has everything. So I've got chicken, bacon, mushrooms and cheese. Yes, chicken breast is so tender you can taste the grilled outside. Yes, again, excuse me for being rude. Everybody, this is a tasting show, so you get to hear me talk the mushrooms and flavor and bacon you can't go wrong with bacon, right it's just a hug at the end.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yes.

Karen Mac Nair:

Or you're chewing.

Jaimee Reimer:

And then he's just blanketed you by cheese you know Mm-hmm.

Karen Mac Nair:

Oh, my goodness, there's going to be a line at your booth.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yes, and we hope so, we hope so.

Karen Mac Nair:

There is going to be a line.

Jaimee Reimer:

We're going to chop it up for the guests so that. So it'll be a nice little fun bite-sized pieces for you guys. That way you don't have to sit there and dig into a full chicken breast.

Karen Mac Nair:

That's smart. Okay, I'm going to taste the baked potato Just because it's here. It looks so good.

Jaimee Reimer:

Our signature baked potato, and we do fully load our baked potatoes. So for those guests coming in you don't have to do just butter, sour cream and chives, you can have the cheese. You can have the bacon, bacon, no extra charge. And you just say you want everything on it.

Karen Mac Nair:

Yeah, you just say you want everything and we fully load it for you guys. Wow, yeah, I'll be honest. I usually get the sweet potato, yes, yes, and I usually get it totally dry because it's so flavorful. Just on its own it is, it is, but there's lots of other goodnesses there is if you do, which is not really a word right, but good things that you could have on it well, and that's I always.

Jaimee Reimer:

I always tell people if you get the sweet potato, I'm like, get all the fixings and have that as your dessert Cause it is.

Karen Mac Nair:

It's so wonderful. That is smart, yes, so smart. Okay, tell me about the drinks. What do we have?

Jaimee Reimer:

So we have our Castaway cocktail, which I talked about earlier.

Karen Mac Nair:

So nice tropical something going to be super refreshing especially during Taste of Arcadia, because it is going to be a bit on the warmer side. I'll go ahead and hand you one. Thank you, I have a napkin to make sure I don't spill, which I just did.

Jaimee Reimer:

I'm like, and I will sip this with you, Okay.

Karen Mac Nair:

Cheers this is the one. Orange and pineapple.

Jaimee Reimer:

Oh yum, I'm like super refreshing, very tropical.

Karen Mac Nair:

Ooh, that is tropical.

Jaimee Reimer:

Right, right, isn't that so nice? Is there alcohol in it? There is alcohol in there. Which spirit is it? So it actually has three different spirits in there. It's two different types of rum. We've got a coconut rum and a passion fruit rum, and then we also have a vodka in there that is a mandarin vodka. Okay, yes.

Karen Mac Nair:

Yes, it just tastes like a tropical goodness, right? Oh my gosh. The people who love to lie by a pool and have a drink are going to thoroughly enjoy this one, right?

Jaimee Reimer:

Right. Wow, I think it's amazing and it's so pretty to look at. The color is just absolutely gorgeous. I wish I had like clothes in that color.

Karen Mac Nair:

You know that's true, hey, I've heard that. That. Um, yellows are the color for summer. Oh, I love that. I know I did too. Okay, what's the next one? Sorry, now I was off on clothes, wrong, wrong podcast.

Jaimee Reimer:

Let's get back to tasting um, so we have our desert pear sparkler.

Karen Mac Nair:

Um, I was gonna do a non-alcoholic beverage, just because some people just some people don't drink um and I still would like to have something refreshing for everybody to try thank you for that clapping the people who don't drink are clapping right now like this is what we needed.

Jaimee Reimer:

Yes, yes so it's our, it's one of our signature mocktails, um, it's got some desert pear, some citrus juices in there and a little bit of grapefruit soda, uh, just to top it, um, to kind of balance everything out. So again something super light, super refreshing and again something very pretty to look at it is gorgeous, yeah, I was like, if you're listening along, it's a very beautiful purple drink. And that's where you get that dragon fruit kind of flavor in there and everything like that.

Karen Mac Nair:

It looks like a trifecta. It just starts off purple at the bottom and gets lighter, with a beautiful lemon on top. Cheers, cheers to mocktails, oh so refreshing that really is wow.

Jaimee Reimer:

It's like a sparkling punch right, right, yes, and like it's not overly sweet, and that's what I really love about it is like it's not full of sugar, you know.

Karen Mac Nair:

Thank you, yes, because I was having my skinny potato over here Right that. I really can't have anymore. Jamie, I feel like we've talked about a lot. Is there anything we've forgotten? Anything else you wanted to share about Outback I?

Jaimee Reimer:

was going to say no, I'm like stop by say hi. We've started to do catering this past year, so if you do have a big event we're actually doing a wedding anniversary for a couple of our regulars coming up here in September as well, and we're super jazzed about it. We love doing events like that. We love being included in somebody's special moment like that. So I'm like, if you have an event cater with us, I'm like it is awesome, it travels very well, it does travel.

Karen Mac Nair:

Well, it does travel well.

Jaimee Reimer:

And it's just something special that you know, especially if you have like a work group or something like that and you guys get together like it's just something special and you know, not just like a run of the mill, like, oh, we're going to do sandwiches again.

Karen Mac Nair:

You know, right, right and it's nice just to have it taken care of. Quality food yes, taken care of yep delivered to your home or a venue. It's just a great place.

Jaimee Reimer:

You might not think about back for catering, but you should start thinking about it you should definitely think about it, come in yes, talk.

Karen Mac Nair:

I was gonna say talk to us like I work there, talk to us yes we will help you well, jamie. Thank you again for being here, second season of podcast. You have been on both seasons, so thank you so much. We're excited for you to be at Taste of Arcadia, so thank you so much.

Jaimee Reimer:

No, thank you, guys for having us. I'm super jazzed to do it again. It's going to be even better than last year.

Karen Mac Nair:

I'm clapping because I so agree. So everyone go to taste of Arcadia dotcom. Get your tickets today, John. I'm sure you have more to tell us about that, so take it away.

John Villa:

Thank you, Karen, for another great episode. You can hear us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and iHeart Radio. Don't forget, join us on September 13th at Santa Anita Park for Taste of Arcadia. You can get your tickets now at tasteofarcadia. com. Thanks again for joining us for Tasting Arcadia. We'll see you at the Taste.