The Cheesecake Factory

Some people think of food merely as subsistence. Others think eating food should be some kind of mystical, perhaps even spiritual experience. Well, I guess I’m somewhere in between. I’ve read a fair share of food writing, and lots of critics go on tons of tangents and get lost in all sorts of things that seem to have nothing to do about food. Who cares about all that other stuff? After all, in the end it is the food that we really care about…

Or is it?

Most people think that the food should be the star on any given night at a restaurant. In most cases I think they are right. But sometimes it shouldn’t be about the food at all. Sometimes the food should just play a supporting role...like on an evening when old friends reunite to catch up with one another and reminisce about old times. Yesterday was one of those nights.

Albert, a friend from high school who had been living in Michigan for this summer, was back home for a few days. Yesterday was his last night in town before leaving again for Cornell for the fall semester, so a few us went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in Chestnut Hill. Although the Cheesecake Factory seems to be quite popular among most, I had only eaten there maybe once or twice a long time ago.

We ordered the fried calamari to start off the meal. It had a light batter and was tender and nicely cooked, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary in terms of taste. I've definitely had better. Vinny T's version immediately comes to mind. For my main, per Jon's recommendation, I ordered the Chicken Marsala. Supposedly it's one of the more popular dishes there. The chicken absorbed much of the rich, wine flavor, but some of the pasta was undercooked, leaving it a little too chewy for my liking.

I tried some of my friends' dishes, and while I wasn't blown away by any, overall I was fairly pleased with the food. But really, the food didn't matter a whole lot. It was the first time I had seen many of these friends since coming back from Sydney. A mini high school reunion you could perhaps describe it – all of the same, old, familiar faces but with lots of new stories to tell. I suppose we could have been eating a lesser meal and had just as good a time.

Fried Calamari

Grilled Chicken and Avocado Club

Chicken Marsala and Mushrooms
Sheila's Blackened Chicken Pasta
Cajun Jambalaya Pasta