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| - It has been over a decade since I have been to the Cheesecake Factory for any type of meal.
During the early to mid 2000's, this was one of our Go To spots for a great meal and celebration.
But, with so many other alternatives now, the allure had worn off.
This particular Sunday, we were invited to attend a friend's birthday celebration. There were a dozen of us, and we were seated at a corner table amidst all the booths.
The atmosphere was as I had remembered. Airy, festive, upscale. However, perhaps due to the busyness of the place, the service was lacking in attentiveness and promptness. It took quite some time for us to get our drinks. And the refills were few and far between. We received a lot of apologies. My contention was that, quit apologizing and just be prompt next time.
Then there was the food. My wife had a pepperoni pizza, and I had the Chicken Parmigiana. Along with our meal was a side salad.
The side salad was fresh enough. But, the dressing tasted watered down, and it had an indiscernible flavor. Perhaps, it was left out, or thawed out from being refrigerated.
The pizza was underwhelming, and it was too salty for my wife's taste. Especially, the pepperoni.
Then there was my Chicken Parmigiana. The battered chicken tasted as if it had been frozen, and summarily heated. It was quite hard, and cutting through it was definitely a task! The sauce and the pasta weren't bad, but the underlying meat definitely could stand some improvement.
In spite of this all, my friend's birthday celebration was still a success.
But, the overall experience with the food and the service most certainly detracted from what used to be a fond memory of this place.
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