The Cheesecake Factory (Pittsford) - Garlic Noodles & Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake

Morgan and I went to The Cheesecake Factory out in Pittsford Plaza on Monroe Avenue out in Pittsford (a redundant, but potentially necessary description), to meet with my parents for my mother's belated birthday dinner. For those of you unfamiliar with The Cheesecake Factory, it is a chain restaurant similar to Olive Garden, offering a casual dining experience and boasting over 200 items on their menu; not really Morgan or my kind of place, but we never turn down a free meal (my father was paying). We're also fans of their cheesecake.

On this particular outing, I ordered the Garlic Noodles - a dish comprised of spaghetti, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and parmesan in a garlic sauce. Herb-roasted chicken or shrimp is also available to add; I ordered mine with chicken and without mushrooms (I tend to avoid putting anything that can grow on feet or in poop anywhere near my mouth). As a quick note, I found this picture of Garlic Noodles online, since I forgot to take a picture of it while at the restaurant - as a result, it doesn't include the herb-roasted chicken.



I found that this dish lacked the careful preparation a lot of local restaurants and diners take pride in when cooking a meal: the asparagus was a little tough, and the large quantity of roasted tomatoes overpowered many of the other flavors (including the parmesan, which I was unable to taste at all). The herb-roasted chicken came in a less-than-generous portion - most of which was fat - and seemed more "drenched in oil" than "roasted," giving it a slimy quality. I found myself wishing for a stronger garlic flavor for the spaghetti, which was almost impossible to identify in the crowded dive bar of tastes in my mouth. These were all things I hope that can be chalked up to a simple fluke error made by a chain restaurant kitchen; regardless, my meal was not nearly as satisfying as I had hoped it to be, and I doubt that I will be ordering this particular item from The Cheesecake Factory again.

Score (out of 10): 3

Fortunately, the saving grace of this visit was the dessert. Morgan and I ordered a slice of Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake, which was made of alternating layers of red velvet cake and The Cheesecake Factory's original recipe cheesecake. The entire thing was topped with whipped cream, cream cheese frosting, and white chocolate shavings. Once again, I did not take a picture, but rather ripped one off of the internet. Thank God for Google.



Beyond a doubt, this dessert was why The Cheesecake Factory includes the word "cheesecake" in their name. The alternating layers of cake and cheesecake will appeal to fans of either, and the cream cheese frosting was appropriately heavy - and delicious. The accents of white chocolate and whipped cream complimented the rest of the dessert quite nicely. I definitely recommend ordering this if you take a trip out to any of The Cheesecake Factory's locations.

Score (out of 10): 9

Location: 3349 Monroe Avenue, Pittsford, NY 14618
Phone Number: (585) 381-8681
Website: http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/

Critic's On the Mall - Tenderloin Tips of Beef Over Noodles

For those of you unfamiliar with Critic's On the Mall, it's located inside of Greece Ridge Mall in Greece, NY, right across from Chase Bank and Lollypop Farm, and it is definitely worth checking out the home-style cooking offered there.

My better judgment generally causes me to avoid mall diners and restaurants like a pit of used syringes, but Morgan (my girlfriend) and I were hungry, and wanted to try something new. Our first visit to Critic's was back in October and we've returned multiple times since.

I had ordered the Chicken a la King the past few times, and I can say it was like tasting something straight out of my mother's kitchen (this is a good thing). This particular visit, I decided to try the tenderloin tips of beef, which I had the option of enjoying over rice or noodles. I decided to go with the noodles, and ordered a small bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese as my side (also highly-recommended).



The first thing that I noticed about the meal was the lack of vegetables in the dish, giving it a stroganoff quality, whereas I was expecting something more like stew. Despite being just beef and noodles, the meal was still quite enjoyable; the meat was clearly slow-cooked and perfectly tender, and the noodles absorbed the rich sauce only enough to become flavorful, but not over-saturated or soggy. The dish was large enough to pleasantly fill me up, without making me feel over-stuffed, and without emptying my wallet too much; as with most items on Critic's menu, this meal was very reasonably priced.

The only qualm I had was minor and with the sauce: the flavor was great, and made with a beef base. However, the salty quality of the mix was a little stronger than I cared for; I believe it was made with beef broth with too much salt added, or made with one or two many beef bouillon cubes. Regardless, if you're someone who enjoys saltier sauces on your meat and noodles, this meal is probably right up your alley.

All in all, it was a dish I enjoyed and chances are I will try it again on a future visit. For those of you with less aversion to large quantities of salty food, I highly recommend trying this, whether it is your first time at Critic's or your 100th.

Score (out of 10): 8

Location: 362 Greece Ridge Center Drive, Rochester, NY 14626
Phone Number: (585) 227-5520
Website: N/A