I went to Carrabba's in Orem and had a top 5 in my life steak experience. I got the Florentine Filet which was like $25 or so at the time and was not expecting a lot but I was blown away by the flavor. I've had $150 steaks which I did not enjoy as much. Truth be told I generally believe the cost to enjoyment ratio of restaurant steak is way too high and I can enjoy steak at home as or nearly as much. I order steak when it is a vender or the company paying and I usually have my perspective confirmed. Not that night at Carrabba's. It was worth double and more of the cost.

It was good enough that we asked the Chief to come out and we showered him with praise. He loved it. He proudly explained that it actually was his style of cooking them. He pointed to the Outback's across the parking lot and said that that Outback's uses the same cuts of steak as the Orem Carrabba's but they don't know what to do with it. Apparently both restaurants were owned by the same owner so the suppliers were the same. That really surprised me because I had recently eaten at that Outback and my experience was the same as yours. A very poor product.

Cooking talent matters. A few years later this was confirmed when I went to a Carrabba's in Detroit and ordered the same meal. It was solid but not even remotely at the same level as the one I had had in Orem.