I don't think so. I've never heard anyone use 'out of the way' to mean 'remarkable'. If something is 'in the way' it is causing an obstruction or problem; if it's 'out of the way', it's no longer a problem. Are you thinking of 'out of the ordinary'?

I have heard this phrase as a synonym for "far away", "isolated" or "secluded". But not for "remarkable". Maybe "Out of this world" is better. For example: "His skills are out of this world!" "This pizza is out of this world!" It is a casual expression by the way. I hope this helps!

This sentence is actually an example of something being unusual or remarkable. This sentence does not directly mean 'unusual' or 'remarkable', it is just an example of a situation that is. "It was out of the way for him to praise his staff" means that someone has gone or done something beyond what was normal for them. It's not very commonly used. Some more examples: "He went out of his way to help her" "She went out of her way to cook the pie" "...went out of his/her way" is more commonly used.