In honor of croc hunter Steve Irwin, we ventured into the wilds of the Outback Steakhouse this week.

The décor is like nature itself, lots of wood, balanced with color and wildlife. Deep honey-wheat colored walls, a rich noble purple ceiling and three-dimensional wall hangings of turtles, fish, boomerangs and even an occasional croc. What most impressed me was the symmetry and simplicity. I’ve been in restaurants lately that fill every space with symbols, letters, signs, even the kitchen sink, literally. For some restaurants this works, but if a place gets busy, as Outback did, too much on the walls can mean sensory overload for patrons like myself.

We began our meal early and watched as the atmosphere changed from the serenity of the Great Barrier Reef to the celebratory wilds of an Aboriginal ritual. Riding the flow of adventure, we ordered two different unique and flavorful pomegranate cocktails and the new coral reef crab dip appetizer.

Sipped slowly for the flavor, the pomegranate taquini was one of those drinks that turn a meal into an event. The other drink, the pomegranate press, wasn’t as appealing and went down quick and uneventful.

Since new and different were the theme of the evening, I skipped my favorite appetizer, coconut shrimp, and was I glad I did. The crab dip had large chunks of sweet, flavorful crabmeat, with a unique, well-balanced intermingling of cheeses, corn, red pepper and spices. Each bite spooned onto the honey-wheat toast was delicious and one flavor never overwhelmed another. This can be tricky with seafood or cheeses in a dip, not to mention both.

As we waded on through our evening, we ordered our main courses and I noticed a new trend in fine dining: paying extra for a salad. In my experience, this used to be reserved for four stared, independently owned eating establishments that put as much effort into the salad as they did the rest of the meal. It seems to be making its way into national dining chains as well. I don’t mind, as long as I’m offered a salad that’s more than a few greens and veggies I could throw together at home in two minutes – yet that’s what the house salad was. Most of the dressing choices were run of the mill, and even the tangy tomato, that sounded flavorful, just wasn’t. I mention this, not to nitpick, but to say that it stood out as incongruent with the rest of the meal and I had to pay extra for it.

I made one traditional choice, and in my best Australian accent ordered: &#8220grilled shrimp on the barbie, mate.” Unfortunately the dish was unimpressive and in my research I discovered so is that misquoted phrase. It turns out, Australians don’t cook shrimp on the barbie and they call them prawns. I wasn’t served prawns, but skinny shrimp, dusted dry with seasoning. I don’t know about you, but when I order anything grilled I expect it to arrive juicy. The shrimp was served on half a loaf of wheat bread, which may have soaked up all the juice. The remoulade sauce, with flavors to spare, helped combat the dryness.

Fortunately, I don’t have to end the adventure on that note, because we had great success in discovering the rare and desirable: A single meal that offers a mind-blowing flavor combination coupled with a perfectly cooked main dish. Little did my dining companion know when he ordered the hearts of gold chicken, that he would literally stumble upon gold. The grilled chicken breasts were succulently flavorful and each bite of artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and green onions in the light lemon sauce was well developed in taste and method. Crikey it was good!

From the kookaburra wings, to a Brisbane Caesar and the toowoomba pasta, Outback offers a walk on the wild side, so make sure you’re up for a noisy yet joyful setting (or you can opt for outdoor seating). Their slogan is, No Rules, Just Right. Steve Irwin lived there, out beyond the boundaries of convention, living life as a verb not a noun, in an active and life enhancing way.

Outback Steakhouse

3260 Scottsville Road

746-0409

www.outbacksteakhouse.com

Hours: 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday; 3 p.m. to11:30 p.m. Saturday; noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Cuisine: Australian

Specialties: Grilled steaks and seafood

Price range for dinner: $9.98 to $21.99

Libation situation: Full bar

Smoking: Yes