We went to a family dinner at the Cheesecake Factory Pat and Tara’s last night with us. No one besides Brian and me had been before, and the lure of scores of cheesecakes was enough to have everyone salivating as soon as we walked in and saw the cheesecake display case.
But here’s the trouble with the Cheesecake Factory: it just isn’t very good.
At times I may come across as a bit of a food snob (which I take as a compliment) but I’m certainly not above taking delight in ballpark nachos and Chick-Fil-A (swoon!) Applebee’s has a salad I adore and I think Ruby Tuesdays is pretty darn tasty. But the Cheesecake Factory turns people on with large portions and a 20-page menu that covers everything. They get by on “bigger is better.”
But bigger isn’t better here. As an appetizer we ordered the guacamole. The chips were overcooked and a little stale, and the guac was completely tasteless. I’d rather have crossed the street for the Chipotle green stuff (yum-o!)
I ordered a “small” chopped Cobb salad, and a mammoth pile of green came out. But, that too was completely tasteless and the toppings skimpy and without flavor. I tried a bite of Brian’s chicken piccata, and it was pretty bland too. Jack’s pizza? The frozen stuff is better…
Everyone was crazy about the cheesecake, though. Especially Jack:
Given that I’m not a fan of just any slice of cheesecake, I only had 2 bites. I’d take a small slice of the good stuff any day.
