THANK GOD IT'S FRIED (PART 2)
January 25, 2014
THE HUNGER JAMES OFFICIAL RATING:
Last night, I celebrated the end of a stressful week the best way I knew how: I went out to dinner. I know, most people my age usually de-stress with a glass of wine or an herbal substance. But me? I de-stress by food.
Food, has been and will always be, a great form of comfort. And there are a few restaurants that promote the feeling of content and happiness. One of them is Taco Bell. Another is The Cheesecake Factory.
Since I am on “a diet”, TB was out of the question. So my friend and I went to The Cheesecake Factory for a nice dinner, and some shopping at the mall it was located in. This is not my first entry about the famous restaurant chain, so to read more about the CF, please check out TGIF: Thank God It’s Fried – Part I.
People always ask me, “James, you live in New York City – the place where there are hundreds of fantastic restaurants at your disposal. Why would you want to go to a chain? Especially The Cheesecake Factory?!”
“Well,” I respond, “The Cheesecake Factory was always the place I would go to for a nice dinner out back in Orlando, Florida. It makes me feel comforted and like I am back home. It reminds me of friends and family. It puts me in a good mood. And, did I mention they have over 50 kinds of cheesecake?” And just like that, my argument is settled.
Ok, so let’s get down to the good stuff – What I ate.
The Chicken Costeletta is, to me, a healthy and nutritious meal. No cheese is involved whatsoever, and the chicken is just lightly fried. Along with the chicken, the plate is adorned with chunky mashed potatoes and asparagus. The best part of this dish is the lemon butter sauce that is served underneath the chicken – giving this seemingly bland dish a burst of flavor with every bite.
If the entrée and appetizer weren’t rich enough, we decided to split the Linda’s Fudge Cake for dessert. I know – we didn’t get a cheesecake! The blasphemy!
Basically, it is just a big piece of chocolate cake served with whipped
cream…and no ice cream! Not being a huge chocolate fan, I only ate
about 2/3 of the dessert and let my friend finish off the 3 remaining bites.
I left the CF feeling full, happy, and comforted. There will always be those places that once you walk in, you just relax and get excited about, and the Cheesecake Factory is that place for me!
Now, how do I find a Taco Bell around me??
We started off with the Buffalo Blasts: Chicken, cheese, and buffalo sauce all mixed together and placed in the middle of a friend wonton, served with a generous amount of blue cheese dressing.
What? It’s healthy!
For my entrée, I wanted to try something different. I always get the same thing every time I go, and this time wanted to ditch the fried macaroni and cheese and try something new. Well, after fifteen minutes of perusing the menu, I fell upon my old standard: The Crispy Chicken Costeletta.
