I'll Stick to the Margarita

My hubby and I dined at The Cheesecake Factory last week. He had received a generous gift certificate and with the kitchen that continues to be in flux, we deserved the treat. The décor called up repressed collective tribal memories of Atlantis. Watery, ethereal, exotic. The menu contained something for everyone from down home comfort food favorites to Asian-fusion inspired offerings to Italian crowd pleasers. We paged through many menu pages, but only half of the pages listed food choices. Advertisements filled the opposing pages. Disconcerting, but we forged ahead. Wine choices were limited, but the cocktail list was extensive. The only pet peeve with the drink menu was the lack of prices. Why do nation-wide chains do that? I intrepidly ordered the El Diablo Margarita anyway. Tres Generaciones Anejo tequila with pomegranate and grapefruit juices. What a combination. Of course, the tequila had that peppery-licorice quality that I adore. The juices did not make this concoction overly sweet, just yummy. Our entrees (omelet and pork cutlet) were tasty, but not exceptional. The portions were quite large, however, and we took home leftovers in order to save room for dessert. I had never seen so many cheesecake choices in my entire life. I chose the Key Lime Cheesecake and my other half tried the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake. Both desserts disappointed. It seemed like neither of them were really baked, like a real homemade cheesecake would be. While both contained great flavor, the texture did not meet our expectations.

I’ll stick with the margarita…better, yet, I’ll experiment with making my own!