AUSTRALIA COMES TO NYC!

It feels like we tapped our heels together and said “there is no place like home” because the last month has had a distinctly Aussie feel.

Outback Steakhouse
Remember Lonestar Steakhouse?  It featured American style food, boot scootin’ staff and stuffed animal heads on the walls.  Outback Steakhouse is kind of the Aussie doppelganger in the United States.  It’s basically American food with hilarious Aussie names.  Would anyone care to try the "Walkabout Soup of the Day", or perhaps the "Alice Springs Quesadillas"?   Quesadillas may be a staple in Mexico but not in the Northern Territory.  Stand out funniest menu item was "Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie".  How many Australians refer to prawns as shrimp? Outback Steakhouses are not common in New York City but I have been assured that they can be found on the side of most highways across the United States. http://www.outback.com

Gimmicks aside, my first Outback Steakhouse experience was extremely fun.  Accompanied by my Outback aficionados, we braved the faux outback and for the bargain basement price of $14 I got a 6 ounce steak and 4 crabs legs.   Highlight was the "Bloomin Onion", which is deep fried onion cut into the shape of a blossom.  It was absolutely delicious and totally worth the 1966 calories.

The way the onion is cut looks like a blossom.  Get it?

The flag on the right was instantly recognizable.
The one on the left had me stumped so I assumed
that is was bullshit.  A quick google search revealed
it is actually the national flag for Christmas Island. 
Weird choice, right?

Birthday Cakes
On July 13th, Tim celebrated his 35th birthday.  He naively thought that his birthday would pass under the radar at work.  This was not the case and his co-worker Pat, organized a birthday cake for him with a very special message. 

Check out the inscription "mate".

Tim took me to Parm for my birthday where I enjoyed a s'mores inspired 3-layer ice-cream cake.  Bottom layer was coconut, middle was chocolate and the top was marshmallow.  Each flavor was separated by a thin layer of chocolate biscuit and the base was sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs.  Delish!!!! http://parmnyc.com/

S'more meaning "some more" is the traditional American
campfire treat made by sandwiching a roasted marshmallow
and chocolate between two graham crackers.

Surprise Wallabirthday Party
Under the guise of saying goodbye to our dear friend Claire, who has gone home to Florida for six weeks, we went to Eight Mile Creek, our local Aussie bar.  We were totally blown away by the surprise Aussie Birthday party that our amazing New York friends had organized.  We were treated to kangaroo pictures, digger hats, boomerangs and mechanical kangaroo toys, which sound much more like dolphins than kangaroos. 

Big thanks to Carly, Claire, Les and Yosie for
organizing such a special afternoon.