Moo Moment: D. and Moo's Anniversary with Outback Steakhouse and Sage French Cake

I know, I know, first Cheesecake Factory, now Outback Steakhouse? Sheesh, right? Well, Outback is a tradition for us. Back in the day, we realized our first anniversary (March 20) fell during finals week. Obviously, there was no time or energy to enjoy a fancy meal, yet we wanted something that was a little more than our usual fare. Outback, with its steak-dominant menu, was still reasonably-priced, but with a little more fanfare. Hey, we were college students on a budget!

Today, Outback is no longer "fancy," but as D. pointed out, "It's still a tad expensive." More like overpriced. We eat there once a year on our anniversary and, while we've bandied around the idea of changing venues, it's not the same without the Bloomin' Onion. Speaking of...

In the past year, they've revamped their menu to offer a variety of different portions. My usual prime rib now comes in three weights, so I opted for the 8-ounce. Perfect for me. I'm not eating a lot of meat nowadays, so excessive protein tends to sit like a brick in my gut.

Part of the meal was two choices of sides, instead of the old salad-or-soup-plus-one-side. I chose the Asian chopped salad, which must have originally been called the Wasabi chopped salad because our waitress called it that. Guess wasabi didn't appeal to their customers. It was a mayonnaise-y and slightly spicy mix of chopped iceberg lettuce and the occasional cucumber. It wasn't very good.

For dessert, I picked up some goodies from Sage French Cake. It's a great bakery in Kearny Mesa, but the two times I've been there, they've run out of pastries long before closing time. I find that to be excellent, actually. That means they don't make more than they need and the pastries are always fresh. The first time, the case was completely empty by 7:15pm. This time, we were down to a handful of cake slices, so I picked three: strawberry shortcake, chocolate raspberry mousse, and caramel mousse.

The strawberry shortcake was the classic Asian interpretation with eggy and moist sponge cake with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. It was fantastic.

D. loves raspberries, but the chocolate raspberry mousse cake wasn't quite what we'd hoped for. The flavors weren't balanced very well, so it was tart and bitter at the same time and not in a good way.

The caramel mousse cake was really good. It had a burnt sugar crust a la creme brulee.

One last thing... when we arrived home from dinner, we were greeted by Bear playing the St. Bernard stereotype. Interesting bit of useless trivia... the classic image of a St. Bernard isn't true, they never carried brandy around their necks. Well, Bear did have something around his neck.

It looks like D. is going to become Mr. Moo! It is 2008, after all. Hehe.

Cheesecake Factory

Were those gasps of horror? Dear God, Moo! Why would you write about a... *gasp*... chain?!

I have written about chains in past posts and there's already one about Cheesecake Factory. Yes, it's true that I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to chains, but I'm a strong believer in moderation. One can neither snub them entirely nor choose them as their only dining option. I do enjoy them occasionally and I have a soft spot for Cheesecake Factory. Well, there's also a soft spot for Outback Steakhouse, but you'll find out why in March. Cheesecake Factory does what chains do best: serve their food consistently. D. and I refuse to wait a few lifetimes for a table, so we'll drop by CF at odd hours. We were in Mission Valley running errands and it was 8:15pm, so we decided to see if the rush was over. It was, indeed, and we waited only 10 minutes for a table.

Our server brought a basket of house bread, including their brown bread. Charlie's Best Bread in Pacific Beach, our favorite bakery, carries a bread they call SQUAW bread. It's very similar to CF's brown bread.

The other loaf is sourdough. For the first time in my visits to CF, the bread was not very good. They tasted ok, but the sourdough's crust was overbaked and the brown bread was smushed flat. I ordered my usual Thai Chicken Pasta. Really, they should call it Thai-inspired pasta, because the only thing remotely Thai about this dish is the peanut-based sauce. Well, that and the bean sprouts. I don't know who thought that a large pile of raw bean sprouts would be a good accompaniment to cooked pasta, but taste-wise, it's a little jarring. However, the sprouts do lighten the heavy pasta and sauce a little bit. Also, they scream ASIAN!!!

I do enjoy that peanut sauce, though. The portions are huge and this plate made for dinner and the next day's lunch. Now, the whole chain-knocking aside, Cheesecake Factory's cheesecakes are mostly very good. Yes, there are a ton of wacky flavors, but almost every single piece I've eaten has been done well.

I was too full to have a slice in-house, so I ordered a slice of Adam's Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple to-go. Now, whoever dreamed up this cake is a fucking genius. In fact, s/he might be a fucking genius who is my long-lost twin. They may as well call it Everything-That-Moowie-Loves cheesecake.

They don't mess with the actual cheesecake. For the most part, it's left alone and they mess with the crust and add toppings. The cheesecake itself was exceptionally good this time around. It was light and creamy. Delicious. The flavors were nicely balanced. Now, for the awesome add-ons. The crust is a Oreo-esque chocolate cookie crust. They put Butterfinger chunks on the crust and on top of the cheesecake. Lots of drizzled chocolate and topped with a swirl of peanut butter icing. Like I said, it's everything I love.

There will be no James Beard awards for CF. Nor should there be. For what it is, I absolutely love it.

The Original Pancake House

(From November 10)

Like IHOP, but better. I really enjoy the occasional visit to The Original Pancake House, which is surprisingly large nationwide chain. It's very busy and service is quite good, but watch out for the host at the front. He's a bit surly and not very helpful, but the waitstaff is great.



Nothing much to say about the menu, because it contains classic breakfast foods. The pancakes are very good and on my last visit, I had the strawberry waffles. Unlike most breakfast places, it's not a Belgian waffle. It's a classic thin waffle, which I love. Crispy, yet slightly tender.

Chevy's, Pho Tu Do

Note: Pho Tu Do is now closed.


It's been a crazy few weeks, work-wise. Not too much done in terms of cooking. However, I have a couple of pictures to share.

Last night, we dropped by Chevy's because we had a coupon. Keeping my previous bitchy post in mind, I avoided the seafood and the enchiladas. I especially avoided the seafood enchiladas. Anyhoo, I ordered a soft picadillo beef taco. Granted, "picadillo" is Chevy's word for "cooked ground beef". Picadillo is supposed to contain more than that (even the Mexican version, which can be used as a taco filling) and I can say that Chevy's picadillo goes nowhere compared to K.'s fabulous Cuban picadillo.

Chevy's picadillo taco did taste just fine, however. What I liked best was the flautas. Chevy's website describes it as:

Salsa Chicken with roasted red peppers, grilled corn and a melted trio of cheeses, rolled in flour tortillas, lightly crisped with chipotle aioli drizzle. Served with mango-habanero salsa and homemade jalapeño jelly.

I tasted the chicken, the cheese, and the fried tortilla. It was kind of spicy, which I attribute to the peppers. Where was the corn? Whatever... it was still delicious. The chipotle aioli is pretty good, but the spicy, tangy jalapeño jelly is amazing. It's the perfect thing to put on something fried. There was no mango-habanero salsa. They were very kind and substituted beans for more of that yummy sweet corn tomalito. Yay, corn!

The picture's rather dark because I didn't want to use the flash in the restaurant, which was pretty dimly lit. Blinding our neighboring tables wouldn't make me the most popular patron.



Next picture is of a typical lunch item: pho. We go out for Vietnamese often and while I usually stick to the rice plates, pho is the Vietnamese dish. Stereotypical or not, pho is one of the first dishes that comes to mind when Vietnamese cuisine is discussed. At least, when it's discussed in the United States.

There's so much more to Vietnamese food, but we'll start with pho. The broth is pungent with a hint of sweetness. I usually order mine with slices of beef and strips of tripe. You can have yours with meatballs, brisket, flank, whatever. As long as it was part of the cow. For those who don't like red meat, there's pho ga, which is chicken-based.



Pho is served with a side of Thai basil, lime slices, bean sprouts, and chili slices. It's ridiculously cheap and is quickly served, thus making it an optimal lunch dish. This photo was taken at Pho Tu Do, which is pretty good (I don't agree with the Yelp reviewers). Their banh beo is awesome, but we didn't order it this time, so no picture is available.

Cheesecake Factory

This place kind of speaks for itself. It's a somewhat-upscale chain that does defy the tendency of chains to veer towards mass-produced and mediocre food. The food is still mass-produced and not especially noteworthy in terms of ingenuity, but the quality and quantity are above-average.

I tend to be a one-note customer and always order the same thing here. The menu is actually full of dishes worth trying, but I stick to my Thai chicken pasta. Sub the linguine with angel hair (capellini). The only issue I have with this dish is the chicken itself, which is chunks breast meat and tends to be overly dry. Depending on the line cook who makes it, it can be fairly moist and tasty or chalky and dry. The sauce, which has a peanut/soy sauce base, is awesome. It's paired with julienned carrots and fresh bean sprouts, which compliment it well.

However, I'd say that the best thing Cheesecake Factory has to offer is its house bread. Fresh sourdough and an amazing honey wheat bread that I'm still trying to figure out how to make. I found a recipe for Outback's honey wheat bread (which is very, very similar) that I'm definitely trying next weekend.

The second best would be the desserts. Their cheesecakes are drier, but I don't mind it at all. It's not terribly dry, just not incredibly creamy, which isn't something that everyone likes anyway. They have a new cake called the Lemoncello Cream Torte.



First... it's LImoncello. Oy vay. The cake is:

Layers of Vanilla Cake and Lemon Mascarpone Cream Topped with Streusel and Served with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

(Picture and description from the Cheesecake Factory website)

It equals YUM. The cake is very light, almost like an angel food cake. The cream isn't too heavy and it's both sweet and tart. The streusel is dry and crumbly and contrasts beautifully with the fluffy cake and filling. I can't express enough my love for it.

My favorite cheesecake is Adam's Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple. The description: Creamy Cheesecake Swirled with Caramel, Peanut Butter, Butterfingers® and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups®. I have no words. Crunchy butterscotch mixed with peanut butter. I couldn't love it more.

Here's the menu. Other cheesecakes I enjoy are the original with strawberries, dulce de leche, and Godiva chocolate (it's insane... the ultimate chocolate fix).

Chain, yes, but this place is leaps and bounds over crap like Applebee's.

Red Robin

It's a little hard to review chains, but I do have a few things to say about both Red Robin and Cheesecake Factory, so here goes another two entries.

I have a bizarre quirk about food... I tend to avoid messy food. I actually love the way all of these foods taste. However, I don't particularly like eating them often because it involves some amount of messiness. Things on the list include burritos, ribs, and chicken wings. Note that these foods are to be eaten with the hands and involve sauce and/or things falling out of a wrapper.

I committed a rather egregious error of being the closed-minded newbie when I asked for a fork at an Ethiopian restaurant. The server gave me a look that can only be described as an amused glare. I love Ethiopian food, but it involves unleavened flatbread (injera) used to scoop up stewed entrees. While I definitely try to subscribe to the "when in Rome" attitude, I didn't like eating with my hands when it involved "soupy" food.

Neurotic? Yes. I'd have to say this is probably the only major food hangup I have. When I do eat them, I wipe my hands often. Yes, I know it's weird. Very Monk-esque OCD, no?

Thus, gourmet burgers fall on that list. Red Robin, which specializes in burgers, isn't exactly a place I prefer to visit often. Don't get me wrong, I like their burgers. The fish burger and the 'Shroom burger are especially good.

We do go because it's one of D.'s favorite restaurants. I love their milkshakes, so I brave the lactose intolerance and the gads of calories and order a strawberry shake. I usually follow that with something light, like a bowl of soup or a salad. Hey, that's a 1000 calorie shake, easy, so I go the "girly" route and eat light. I usually don't do a burger unless I'm really in the mood.

This past Saturday, I had the chicken tortilla soup, which was pretty good. It's a little expensive ($4.99) for a rather small bowl. Other dishes I like are the BLTA croissant sandwich (not as messy as a burger... hehe), the soup/salad combo (French onion soup is good there), or the soup/sandwich combo. Their fish tacos are decent, but expensive.

Overall, a good chain, but a tad overpriced for the quality of food served.

Chevy's

Not much to report this week. We went to Chevy's on Monday. Chevy's is to Mexican what P.F. Chang's is to Chinese and Olive Garden is to Italian. Decent, mass-produced food that is most certainly edible and in a pleasant setting with good service. Authentic? Hell no. We don't go to Chevy's for authenticity, we go for the sweet corn tomalito, which I discovered was of Tex-Mex origins. Corn pudding, people. Masa harina, corn kernels, and sugar.

You really can't go wrong with that.

I like their flautas, which are very nicely fried with great sauces, but my meal Monday night was the 2-item combo crab/shrimp enchiladas and a fried shrimp taco. I had to order the 3-item to get the flauta. Nuts. Their enchiladas aren't the best, as the tortilla is often kind of chewy and, with the cheese, it can be a bit of a chewy blob. The crab/shrimp one wasn't so bad, texture-wise, but there was absolutely no seafood flavor in it. Very tiny amounts of frozen and flavorless crab mixed with bay shrimp. The sauce was cream-based and was quite overpowering. The website says it was supposed to be habanero-pesto. I guess so. It tasted neither like peppers or basil.

I'm crabbing a bit (pun intended), of course, and I did like my meal just fine. The taco was better, with crisp lettuce, a good chipotle aioli (which tasted like peppers and mayo, as it should) and two fried shrimp. They said "jumbo", but they were medium-sized shrimp. Note to Chevy's: bay shrimp are small, tiger shrimp are medium, and jumbo prawns are truly "jumbo". The taco's tortilla was pretty good... light and fluffy. Fresh out of "El Machino," the most. awful. name. ever. for a machine, but it is fun to watch it crank out tortillas. It's not that hard to pronounce "La Maquina," but I'll leave the quibbling over bad Spanglish for another time.

The tomalito is always the highlight of the dish and they kindly replace my beans with three scoops of it. I also really like their chips and salsa. The chips are super-thin and crisp (flour-based, I think) and the salsa is rich with herbs. Oregano's dominant, giving it a dense, smoky flavor. It mellows out the acidity and the heat of the tomatoes and chiles.

This weekend will be in San Francisco. There will be some good eats!

Yard House

Ah, I love this place for happy hour. Cheap beer with a plethora of choices and cheap appetizers that come in huge portions. I wouldn't go to the Yard House for anything outside of happy hour, as the higher prices are not really worth it. The food is classic chain food, dependable and decent. It's good and for happy hour prices, it's great.

I was, however, slightly disappointed by my appetizer choices last night. I ordered the blue crab cakes. The description on the menu said it would come with a mango-papaya chutney, passion fruit beurre blanc, and tomato oil. All I tasted were bell peppers with a very sour background. It puckered the mouth. The beurre blanc ("white butter"), which is a rich butter sauce, was absolutely bland. It was basically heavy cream, which doesn't make it beurre blanc, and it had no passion fruit flavor. Well, it had no flavor, period. The tomato oil was a small puddle on top of the pool of beurre blanc and the chutney didn't taste like mangoes or papaya. All they tasted like were peppers (even though I didn't see many specks of pepper in it) and was bizarrely sour.

The cakes themselves were ok. They had crab flavor, but the filling looked like canned tuna. It was brown and shredded finely. Tons of bell pepper, which makes me question the taste buds of the person who prepared the dish. Do you really, really love bell peppers? I think this was a chain restaurant's attempt at a very high-end dish. There was tons of potential, but the execution was lousy. Fresh crab chunks would have added so much oomph to the dish. The sauces, made properly, would have complimented the nicely fried cakes (the only good part of the execution was the frying). And to hell with the bell peppers! A little bit is nice, but they shouldn't dominate.

As for the four cheese pizza, it tasted fine, but it was thin and slightly soggy. The cheeses used were mozzarella, fontina, ricotta, and parmesan. The crust was meant to be a thin crust, but the four cheeses made the dough soggy and it was obvious the dough was baked a long time, since the uncovered crust was rock-hard. I'm not sure if fontina is the best choice because like Gruyère, it tends to separate between the fats and the solids. While it's delicious, I've made mac-n-cheese with it and it results in a oily puddle. On the other hand, baking the ricotta made it gritty. Flavors were good, though. It was just the texture that wasn't very pleasing.

Despite the three-alarm rant about my latest visit, I usually find the appetizers quite good. My usual appetizers are the seared ahi sashimi (not quite sashimi if you sear it) and the garlic noodles. Faux Asian done well. The ahi is perfectly seared with a peppercorn crust. Perfect searing means that only a few millimeters of the steak are cooked. The majority of the meat should be raw and bright red. Yard House uses a good quality tuna, so the dish comes out beautifully. The garlic noodles are basically a stir fry of butter, garlic, chives, parmesan cheese and shiitake mushrooms. They use Chinese egg noodles for it. The butter, chives, and parm definitely make it "fusion", but it's good.

The beer selection is huge, but I don't drink enough beer to say whether or not it's a well-chosen selection. This time, I had the Lost Coast Apricot Wheat, which was a light wheat beer with a touch of apricot. Unlike hefeweizens, this beer wasn't too "wheat-y". I enjoyed it. I like Lost Coast beers. I try to order something new each time. Their martinis are $5 during happy hour and the espresso martini is amazing. Can't have too much of either or else I end up loudly wandering Downtown and lecturing the Ghiradelli staffpeople on how they're making me fat. Don't ask.