“All in all, the Doug Out is a fun place that we’ll definitely return to.” – us, after our first visit in 2017.

So it makes perfect sense that we’ve been back exactly, well, zero times in the nearly seven years since that statement was made.

Oops.

Do we get points for at least discussing going back? Because we’ve definitely done that. Like every single time we pass by on our way to another place. Which honestly is more often than one would think given our home location and the places we visit, but whatever.

Usually the conversation goes something like this:

Hey look, the Doug Out. And they still have the steak special (which has been misspelled on their sign out front for at least the past seven years as a “St Ak special”). We really need to go back.

Universal agreement.

And then we don’t go, but repeat that conversation the next time we travel past.

Riveting, I know.

But hey, here we are! Finally.

And we brought special guests with us this time. Jenny and James joined us for dinner since we were all planning to visit our friends at Hoppy Dude to celebrate finishing out our Medina Brew Tour. Shane may have been more excited about this evening than he’s been about some of our recent vacations.

So, bad news, that Wednesday steak special that was formerly $7.99 is now up to $12. I mean, it has been seven years after all. That’s almost two Olympic cycles. Children born the last time we visited are now finishing up first grade. So I guess it’s only fair that the price of steaks at a dive bar had to change with the times too.

But hey, Miller Lite cans are only $1.75 on Wednesdays, so that evens things out a little, no?

Well maybe not with the amount that we drink.

Anyway.

It should be no surprise that the guys all ordered the steak, since they’ve only been thinking about it for just short of a decade st this point.

James and Shane both got regular fries with theirs, and Ted opted for the crinkle cut. Also I’m not positive but I think those may still be the same plates from seven years ago.

Ted and Shane also had to fully recreate their orders from 2017 by getting wings again too.

Garlic parm for Shane.

Sweet heat for Ted.

The girls went the sandwich route. Chicken tender sandwich for Jenny and a mushroom Swiss burger with crinkle cut fries for me.

And because full meals – including two meals a piece for those who got wings AND steak – isn’t enough, we also had to get apps. Because, well, us.

Breaded mushrooms for me and Shane.

Jenny and James’ jalapeño poppers.

Ted was the only sensible one at the table for once. He may also be the only one left with the ability to taste anything properly since I think the apps were cooked in the depths of a volcano given their temperature when they hit our table. I mean, it didn’t stop us from eating them quickly, though. Because we clearly haven’t learned that lesson in our years of doing this.

Good news, even with the price increase, the steaks still live up to their hype. They were flavored well (maybe it really was the “vintage” plates holding in all the years of flavor, as we claimed seven years ago?). Shane commented on that as well as the fact that it was done the way he wanted it cooked. Which is more than he said last time after he started out the meal so hungry he inhaled his food and barely remembered any details.

Ted said his wings were good, but to be prepared to ask for extra moist towelettes after eating them because the sauce was quite sticky.

I’m embarrassed to have just typed that entire sentence.

My burger was really good. You know when you cut into it and steam rises out that means it was straight from the kitchen to the table. Or maybe straight from that same volcano that the apps were cooked in. Whatever.

The service was amazing. Our server was Anastasia, and we seriously couldn’t have asked for a better person to take care of us. She had just started her shift when we sat down, ans we watched her hold down the whole bar (which got busier as the evening went on) along with any of they other tables with no problem at all. She checked on us often and was very personable, and even was able to hit us with a couple of jokes about the amount of food we ordered and the amount of beer we consumed. Needless to say we tipped her well.

So yeah, this little place is a gem. And we definitely haven’t revisited it nearly enough in all of our years doing this. Of course Shane had to make a mention as we left that we should “make a pact to not wait another seven years to come back.”

Any bets on if that will happen?