Jackie's Birthday at The Cheesecake Factory

            This past Wednesday (February 23^rd) was my best friend Jackie’s 19^th birthday.  She is very close with my family because she also dates my brother on an on-and-off basis.  Since they are currently “off” my stepbrother and I decided to take her out to lunch for her birthday instead.  So, we went to a place that we all love: The Cheesecake Factory.  I know I recently reviewed the Cheesecake Factory, but as I said, I dine at the Cheesecake Factory frequently.  This time, however, the experience was not as great as usual. 

            We arrived at the restaurant at around 2:30 in the afternoon.  We were sat immediately, but not in a quiet booth away from the other guests.  Instead, it felt like we were all on top of each other in the crowded area of the restaurant.  Also, our waitress this time was not very knowledgeable it seemed as if she might have been a new employee to the restaurant. 

            I had eaten a large breakfast that morning so I was not really that hungry.  So, I ordered an appetizer as my meal instead of an entrée.  I ordered the same Buffalo Blasts that I wrote about in the previous post, because they are my favorite. My stepbrother is a vegan, so he ordered the eggplant sandwich without cheese. I did not try any of his sandwich because I think eggplant is disgusting.  Jackie enjoys the same type of food as me, so she ordered Buffalo Chicken Strips, which are boneless, unlike their regular buffalo wings, but are not as fried and bad for you as the Buffalo Blasts.  I tried one of the strips dipped in the ranch sauce and they were delicious.  I am probably going to try them for myself the next time I visit The Cheesecake Factory.  We also ordered the Hot Spinach and Cheese Dip, for all of us to share.

Hot Spinach and Cheese Dip

Spinach, Artichoke Hearts, Shallots, Garlic and a Mixture of Cheeses. Served Bubbly Hot with Tortilla Chips and Salsa. Enough for Two.

            The Dip was okay, not too great but definitely not bad.  Maybe it is because I am not a huge fan of Spinach, but I did not eat a lot of it. 

During the course of our meal, the waitress got my stepbrother’s food and drink orders mixed up with Jackie’s.  In the restaurant business, this is not something that makes guests happy, especially when one guest is a 250 pound man and the other guest is a petite girl.  This is why I concluded that perhaps the waitress was new, because not only did she confuse their orders, but she was not very knowledgeable of the menu.  I have a few friends that currently work or have worked in The Cheesecake Factory in the past, so I know that it is a restaurant that is run very strictly. This employee was not up to their standards in my opinion.

For dessert, Jackie was full, and my stepbrother doesn’t eat cheesecake, so theyr brought Jackie a small cake for her birthday.  I ordered a slice of cheesecake to take home for my mom.  Out of their huge selection, I chose one of their newest cakes:

Reeses Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake

Chunks of Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups in our Original Cheesecake with Layers of Delicious Fudge Cake and Caramel. 25¢ from the sale of each slice will be donated to help feed hungry Americans in our communities.

I brought it home and my mom loved it.  I tried a bite and it was amazing.  Reese’s has always been my favorite candy, so the Reese’s cheesecake was a garunteed hit.

Although I did not have the best experience this time, I will definitely visit the Cheesecake Factory again soon.