Traveling Rants & Raves

The Cheesecake Factory Brandon FL

2009-09-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

I visited the Cheesecake Factory on Labor Day for dinner. The restaurant was full, but to my surprise there was no wait. We were greeted & seated right away by a cheerful hostess.

Our server had passed by our table and said he would be right with us. I'm glad he acknowledged that we were there. He returned momentarily and he introduced himself & told us what the specials were as well as his recommendations. He was very

thorough and detailed when he explained everything. He definitely knew the menu.

After taking our drink order, he dropped off a bread basket which tied us over until the food arrived,which did not take long. I had ordered the

Caramel Chicken. It consisted of crispy chicken pieces in a spicy Vietnamese caramel sauce with vegetables and rice. The chicken was very moist & the vegetables were crisp. The caramel sauce was tasty and not too spicy at all. The rice was just right, not overdone to where it was almost gelatinous and not dry either. Nice & fluffy, as I like it, as it should be. The Cheesecake Factory is known for its huge portion sizes & this was no exception. However, unlike other dishes I have eaten, I was able to finish a majority of this in one sitting.

Our server was very attentive & checked on us often and refilled our drinks before we asked. Once he cleared our plates, he came back with the dessert menu & again told us his recommendations. I'm glad that he did because there are so many different flavors of cheesecake to choose from as one would imagine. I went with his recommendation of the 30th Anniversary Cheesecake which consisted of original cheesecake, fudge, and chocolate truffle.

The cheesecake arrived shortly and it was delicious. It wasn't overly rich at all. It definitely hit the spot. I'm glad I went with his recommendation and it was a perfect way to end the meal.

I would definitely come back to this location again. The restaurant was very clean, the hosts were always smiling & the servers were very attentive and knowledgeable. The manager even walked the floor several times, something I hadn't noticed at most of my restaurant visits as of late. I would give this cheesecake factory 5 out of 5 stars!

Evos Tampa,FL

2009-09-05T19:18:00.001-07:00

Healthy Fast Food? That seems to be the trend lately. A good friend of mine introduced me to this place two years ago. Two years later, I'm thankful to say, its still here.

This review is based on my visit today.

As you walk in you are greeted with a futuristic white, green & beige color scheme. The restaurant is clean, to an almost pristine quality.

The cashier was very chipper & lively, always refreshing to see when someone makes a rather mundane job fun.

I order the steak burger & fries & a raspberry tea to drink. My favorite part of this place is the "ketchup bar" I treat myself to garlic & bbq infused ketchup.

The food is ready shortly after I set my tea & ketchups down. The burger? Pretty good, not the best, but I don't feel my arteries closing up, its a beautiful thing. The fries? Not fried, so not greasy. My heart tells me "thank you"

No this food is not to die for but once in a while it's nice to know that if you want "healthy" fast food, Evos is standing by on Fowler Ave.

Now if only they had these in Los Angeles.

Acropolis Greek Taverna Riverview, FL

2009-09-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

We had decided to try this little Greek Restaurant in the Winthrop Shopping Center in Riverview,FL. The shopping center is fairly new with a quaint small town main street feel.

We walked into the restaurant where there seems to be a long wait. The host was helping a woman ahead of us. She told him she didn't have a reservation & the host appeared a bit frazzled & had to enlist his manager for help. I thought that we'd end up waiting a while based on the host's lack of experience but thankfully we were seated right away by another server. As I walk through the restaurant, I see beverage napkins strewn everywhere. I realize it's a Greek restaurant & they do throw napkins & plates & this is part of the ambiance but sadly it could be a safety hazard as well. At least there weren't shattered plates everywhere!

We're seated at the patio & look over the menu. They have a great selection. Your usual Greek fare is on the menu: Tzatziki, Mousaka, Gyros, and the ever popular Baklava to name a few but they also had other seafood & poultry fare.

We're greeted by a young server. She doesn't introduce herself, doesn't suggest any specials, or attempt to upsell appetizers but is cheerful. I order a Fish Plaki, Mat orders a Chicken Gyro Platter.

While we wait, we are given a loaf of bread & some feta dipping sauce which I had never tried before. It was pretty tasty.

The food arrives. My Fish Plaki is a filet of fish that sits beneath stewed tomatoes, herbs, & spices & feta cheese. It is accompanied by seasonal vegetables & orzo.
The fish is slightly overcooked, but is bearable. The vegetables are pretty good, but the orzo has no flavor. It was a large portion for the price.
Mat did enjoy his meal, maybe I will order it next time I'm in town.

We order a chocolate mousse & a baklava for dessert. Before our dessert is brought out, all the servers break out into a traditional Greek dance. They start on the inside of the restaurant & then work their way out & then back in again. It was definitely unique & different from the norm. It probably gets old for the servers but I believe it does provide the guests with a bit of entertainment.

Dessert arrives. Our server just sets both plates down & says "I dont know who ordered what" and leaves the table. She doesn't call out the names of the dessert. All Mat & I know is that they both look identical, one doesn't look like a chocolate mousse at all. We eat them anyway. The presentation is great, but the baklava itself is cold, yet sweet. I'm used to eating my baklava at room temperature so this was a little harder to eat. It was still sweet though.

Our waitress comes back with our check & she mentions that she has messed up our desserts & apologizes. She asks us if we'd like the chocolate mousse cake to go but we decline. We're full. We pay the check & we go home.

Overall I give this experience 3 out of 5 stars. The server, although cheerful, just needed a little more experience. The waitstaff as a whole seemed fairly new. I would probably return for appetizers or dessert but I'm not banking on returning for a main course meal as it wasn't that appealing to me.