[BBQMan]

My experience with Charley's Steakhouse is that it is good - on a whole different level than Outback or Longhorn. Having lived in Central FL for more than 30 years, it is certainly not the best that Florida has to offer. Locally, I would suggest stepping up to Jeffrey Paul's or Marks Prime. If you are willing to travel for 90 minutes Ruth's Cris and Capital Grill are present in both Tampa and Orlando. For a further step up, I suggest Del Frisco's in Orlando. Each of these steps costs more, as it should. The crown jewel is, of course, Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa. The steaks are, I believe the best available anywhere in this world (and yes, I have been to Peter Luger's and the great LV steakhouses), the wine list is quite simply incomparable. Enjoy the kitchen tour, enjoy your Captain's expertise, enjoy your steak (I recommend the Chateaubriand) and finally enjoy your after dinner drinks and dessert upstairs. The digestive list is at least as good as the wine list.

If price is your primary concern, then avoid these restaurants and stick with Outback. You can actually do much better with steaks from Fresh Market and a properly heated Stainless skillet. If you wish to enjoy special times with that special someone, then give my list a thought.