Outback Steakhouse

Steak houses continue to pop up everywhere, dotting roadways like Anguses schmoozing in a pasture. Steaks are becoming so popular that an alien visiting Earth might think that they were some kind of new health food. Yes, beef is still burgeoning, and if you had doubts, get this: An Outback Steakhouse just opened directly across the highway from a Lone Star Steakhouse. (Lone Star did the same to Outback in Cherry Hill.) Sound a bit unusual? "We both target the same market and the space was available," says Paul Friedman, manager of South Jersey's newest Outback, on the Black Horse Pike in Turnersville.

After months of pressure from the township, and an emotional court hearing last month, the Outback Steakhouse in Olde Sproul Village will spend $34,000 to hold the steak and onions. That's the price of the high-velocity air purification unit that the restaurant - and its neighbors - hope will absorb the odors before they float across lawns and backyards. "You know, when you think about odors like steak and french fries, you don't think of that as a nuisance," said Township Solicitor George Pagano.

SAN ANTONIO - PGA Tour rookie Brendan Steele birdied Nos. 17 and 18 for a 4-under 68 on Saturday, grabbing sole possession of the Texas Open lead after beginning the day in a seven-way tie for the top spot. Steele sank a 15-foot putt on 18 for his sixth birdie, offsetting two bogeys and leaving him at 7 under for the tournament. A stroke behind was second-year Tour pro Cameron Tringale, who also had a 68 after two rounds. Kevin Chappell (70) and Brandt Snedeker were tied for third at 5 under.

Re: "Suburban dining: First, you wait," by staff writer Adam Fifield, July 16. We all seem to be living among suburban sheep who think that Cheesecake Factory, Outback Steakhouse and the like are the only eating places around. I shook my head in disbelief when I read the quotes from the masses and restaurateurs. I also couldn't believe that the president of Outback Steakhouse, Ben Novello, had the nerve not to apologize for the way his patrons are sometimes treated - like the cattle he serves.

I wasn't sure what the salt shaker was for at first. It came in the mail with a pepper shaker, and it had an I N.Y. logo on it. It was sent by an outfit called The Center for Consumer Freedom. With an ecru-colored gift card. "Congratulations!", it said, "You're now on the cutting edge of New York City culinary culture. " Then the card got down to business: It said that if New York Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden put in place his 10-year plan to remove 50 percent of the salt "from all restaurant meals," two things would happen.

In Australia, the outback is the arid and sparsely settled inland region of the country. In the Olde Sproul Shopping Village on Baltimore Pike, managers of the soon-to-be-opened Outback Steakhouse say they hope to replicate that atmosphere. Except, they say, there will be plenty to quench one's thirst. And, they hope, plenty of people too. The family restaurant, to open Oct. 19, will feature a full-service bar and seating for 212 people, said David McGuinn, the restaurant's managing partner.

The Ingleneuk Tea House, Swarthmore's landmark restaurant, is no longer for sale, according to Sara Kurtzhalz Perrine, its third-generation co-owner. "We couldn't get our price" was the simple explanation offered by Perrine, whose grandmother Leslie Osgood Kurtzhalz opened the establishment 83 years ago. Sara and her co-owner husband, Scott, were asking $900,000. The converted 19th-century mansion at 120 Park Ave., where author James A. Michener worked as a busboy during his undergraduate years at Swarthmore College, went on sale in February through the real estate firm of D. Patrick Welsh.

In Australia, the outback is the sparsely inhabited and rugged interior of the country. Putting on a good feed in those parts might take some doing. But in the States, mention the word outback and the salivary glands kick in. We're talking Outback Steakhouse, of course. Since late 1992 this Florida-based chain has established six Outback posts in the area: Allentown, Bensalem, Glen Mills, Jenkintown, Springfield and Cherry Hill. This, I believe, is an amazing accomplishment, and evidence of the chain's commitment to quality and service at a fair price.

After an 11-year tenure at Bishop Shanahan High School, school president Sister Helen Rapine will step down next month to assist at St. Maria Goretti High School in Philadelphia. She served as principal for three years and as president for eight. Sister Helen, 73, said she would miss living in Chester County but that it "will be nice to have a little release from administrative duties. " Sister Regina Plunkett, a 1964 graduate of Bishop Shanahan, will become president of the school on July 1, said Richard McCarron, secretary for Catholic education and superintendent of schools.

Monica Seles, who has not played competitive tennis since being stabbed in the back in Hamburg, Germany, nearly two years ago, said in a statement yesterday she remains haunted by the image of her attacker, Guenther Parche. In a statement released by IMG, which represents Seles, she explained her reluctance to testify at the appeal hearing earlier this month in which Parche's suspended sentence was upheld. "I was not going to turn my back on this criminal again," Seles said, referring to the seating in the courtroom.

SAN ANTONIO - PGA Tour rookie Brendan Steele birdied Nos. 17 and 18 for a 4-under 68 on Saturday, grabbing sole possession of the Texas Open lead after beginning the day in a seven-way tie for the top spot. Steele sank a 15-foot putt on 18 for his sixth birdie, offsetting two bogeys and leaving him at 7 under for the tournament. A stroke behind was second-year Tour pro Cameron Tringale, who also had a 68 after two rounds. Kevin Chappell (70) and Brandt Snedeker were tied for third at 5 under.

I wasn't sure what the salt shaker was for at first. It came in the mail with a pepper shaker, and it had an I N.Y. logo on it. It was sent by an outfit called The Center for Consumer Freedom. With an ecru-colored gift card. "Congratulations!", it said, "You're now on the cutting edge of New York City culinary culture. " Then the card got down to business: It said that if New York Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden put in place his 10-year plan to remove 50 percent of the salt "from all restaurant meals," two things would happen.

Re: "Suburban dining: First, you wait," by staff writer Adam Fifield, July 16. We all seem to be living among suburban sheep who think that Cheesecake Factory, Outback Steakhouse and the like are the only eating places around. I shook my head in disbelief when I read the quotes from the masses and restaurateurs. I also couldn't believe that the president of Outback Steakhouse, Ben Novello, had the nerve not to apologize for the way his patrons are sometimes treated - like the cattle he serves.

The next time someone raves about "all those Jersey diners," hook your thumb toward the Pennsylvania side of the river and point at Lower Bucks. This is the diner capital of the East. Lower Bucks seems to operate on a two-eggs-scrambled/no-menu-too-small/no-portion-too-large/budget-dining mentality. Could be the highway system. There's Street Road, the nightmarishly slow slog, home of the caffeinated 24-hour rivals Clubhouse Diner and Great American Diner, as well as a neon-neon-neon Nifty Fifty's.

After an 11-year tenure at Bishop Shanahan High School, school president Sister Helen Rapine will step down next month to assist at St. Maria Goretti High School in Philadelphia. She served as principal for three years and as president for eight. Sister Helen, 73, said she would miss living in Chester County but that it "will be nice to have a little release from administrative duties. " Sister Regina Plunkett, a 1964 graduate of Bishop Shanahan, will become president of the school on July 1, said Richard McCarron, secretary for Catholic education and superintendent of schools.

The Ingleneuk Tea House, Swarthmore's landmark restaurant, is no longer for sale, according to Sara Kurtzhalz Perrine, its third-generation co-owner. "We couldn't get our price" was the simple explanation offered by Perrine, whose grandmother Leslie Osgood Kurtzhalz opened the establishment 83 years ago. Sara and her co-owner husband, Scott, were asking $900,000. The converted 19th-century mansion at 120 Park Ave., where author James A. Michener worked as a busboy during his undergraduate years at Swarthmore College, went on sale in February through the real estate firm of D. Patrick Welsh.

Steak houses continue to pop up everywhere, dotting roadways like Anguses schmoozing in a pasture. Steaks are becoming so popular that an alien visiting Earth might think that they were some kind of new health food. Yes, beef is still burgeoning, and if you had doubts, get this: An Outback Steakhouse just opened directly across the highway from a Lone Star Steakhouse. (Lone Star did the same to Outback in Cherry Hill.) Sound a bit unusual? "We both target the same market and the space was available," says Paul Friedman, manager of South Jersey's newest Outback, on the Black Horse Pike in Turnersville.

The commercial development recession of the early 1990s has officially ended here, where it seems each new block has its own construction site. A new Giant Supermarket and a branch of the Bank of Gloucester County are rising out of the ground on Egg Harbor Road. The Outback Steakhouse and Carrabas Restaurant are scheduled to open on the Black Horse Pike at the end of the month. Staples opened a 60,000-square-foot superstore two weeks ago in the northeastern corner of town. A new Italian restaurant will arrive shortly at the Acme Shopping Center.

After months of pressure from the township, and an emotional court hearing last month, the Outback Steakhouse in Olde Sproul Village will spend $34,000 to hold the steak and onions. That's the price of the high-velocity air purification unit that the restaurant - and its neighbors - hope will absorb the odors before they float across lawns and backyards. "You know, when you think about odors like steak and french fries, you don't think of that as a nuisance," said Township Solicitor George Pagano.

The members of the Outback Bowl selection committee peeled off their unsightly electric green sports jackets, rolled up their sleeves, and staged a Penn State-Michigan rematch yesterday in their Tampa, Fla., office. The Nittany Lions - who two weekends ago defeated the Wolverines at Beaver Stadium, 27-17 - won this one as well. A university spokesman said yesterday that the Outback Bowl had selected Penn State to play in the New Year's Day game at Tampa Stadium. The Nittany Lions' opponent will be the third selection from the Southeastern Conference, most likely Auburn.