Sunday, April 07, 2002

Food, Glorious Food

Let me first say this -- I am not trendy.

If anything, I am the anti-trend.

Example: I have yet to see Titanic and I never will. Reading about silly people obsessively watching it twenty or thirty times in the theatre baffled me. It was common knowledge that while the computer imaging was stunning, it had an exceptionally weak story line and starred an idiot like Leo Di Caprio. Its popularity just turned me off completely. Big Yuck.

I prefer to swim against the stream -- its a better work out and the lanes are not as crowded.

So -- it was with great trepidation that I approached last night's birthday gathering. All due to the location -- the very trendy and new Cheese Cake Factory.

Located in North Star Mall -- the one with those oversize boots -- the CCF routinely has three hour waits. Ack. And they are too barbaric to implement a reservation system.

No restaurant is worth a three hour wait.

The appointed time was 9:30 PM and you would think the dinner crush would be over.... but no.

My poor cousin got there at 8 PM to get on the wait list. I think it was 10 PM before my butt felt wood and I saw a menu.

Only two hours from the time we got on "the list," and only twenty minutes from when I got there -- so I guess I should be grateful. *Not*

But on to happier things....

The food was good and the service was solid. I shared a melted brie and avocado appetizer -- really tasty -- lots of sun dried tomatoes and crunchy french bread.

All their wines are available by the glass -- important for me since it seems few people my age like red wine. So it is hard to find volunteers for splitting a bottle.

My dinner was the roasted Japanese eggplant sandwich -- great flavor from the eggplant and grilled onions, but if there is a next time -- I'll have them hold the cheese...

Don't get me wrong -- I love cheese -- think brie and avocados. Its just that on this particular sandwich the cheese was a distraction -- doing its best to mask the smoky goodness of the excellent veggies.

The big disappointment of the evening was no thawed Tiramisu. There is nothing quite like real Tiramisu.

To be "real" requires mascarpone -- hard to describe -- but essentially a delicately sweet and creamy Italian cheese -- hah, more cheese -- flavored with honey and herbs. Another requirement is liquor -- usually Sambuca or Kahlua -- and espresso to soak into the lady fingers that comprise the body of this delectable creation.

Seeing Tiramisu with the magical mascarpone in the description on the menu perked me up for dessert -- something I only indulge in every once in a while. To be teased and then denied was hard to take. I made do with a cappuccino. (sniff) No cheese cake could possibly have consoled me.

Overall the CCF was a good feed and I loved the red glass lighting scheme. A foray to lamp and fixture specialty stores is in the offing as a consequence. I want....

However -- the restaurant is too trendy for me. I will probably not darken its door again until it becomes less fashionable to be there. Then it will be a great place.

posted by Bohica at 12:54 PM