'Que at the Cheesecake Factory?
A little bit ago, Sarah, some friends, and I had a girls' night out. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and to see the new Narnia movie.
First, a review of the movie. It was very good. Entertaining, true to the book, exciting and the young actors did a great job. I hadn't realized just how utterly creepy it was for a young girl to wander off in the woods with a shirtless half-man until this movie. Even though I knew Mr. Tumnus was harmless, I wanted to yell "No Lucy! Don't do it!" Fortunately, everything turned out fine in the end. In other creepy news, I found the actor who plays Peter to be very attractive. Fortunately for me, William Moseley is over eighteen, so it's less creppy than it might have been and it's definitely less creepy than those women lusting after Daniel Radcliffe!
Okay, on the the "B.B.Q. Pulled Pork Sandwich."
According the menu, the Cheesecake Factory 'que sandwich is:
When I ordered the sandwich, our waiter was kind enough to warn me that this was not Carolina 'que and the sauce was Texas based. I guess he'd had enough complaints from Tarheels about the sauce. I accepted this warning and persisted. These are the sacrifices I make in the name of 'que.
Onto to the tasting...
The description, both from the waiter and the menu, had a couple of misnomers. First off, the sandwich was not on brioche. According to the food dictionary on epicurious.com (and my own personal experience):
My sandwich was on a hoagie roll. It was not a "light, yeast bread rich with butter and eggs." The hoagie was fine, but they should serve it according the menu. Someone picker than I might have complained.
Secondly, the sauce was, by no stretch of the imagination "Texan." It was added post-cooking which is, according to the Central Texas Barbecue Assoiation rules of 'que cookoffs, not allowed. The Lone Star Barbecue Society goes even further to say "In Texas we judge meat only! Absolutely NO garnish or sauce is allowed." Moreover, the sauce was very, very sweet--like Kraft brand BBQ sauce sweet. The sauce I had at Cooper's was not sweet and if any place would know Texas 'que, it would be Cooper's.
Of course, the sauce and the bun is all secondary to the 'que experience. 'Que is about the meat. If the meat ain't good, the 'que ain't good. This meat was, well, it was pork tenderloin. Besides the obvious problems that Texas 'que is generally beef and tenderloin is not a 'que cut, it was okay. It wasn't barbequed. It was roasted and there is nothing slow about roasted pork tenderloin, which is why it's one of my favorite weeknight meats--it cooks quickly. But, the meat was fine. Not as flavorable as you would expect 'que meat to be (all that slowcooking and smoke, yum, yum), but it wasn't tough and tasteless either.
The sandwich comes with a side of slaw and fries. The slaw was basic, mayo slaw. There was nothing exciting about it either way. It was pretty bland. The fries were okay. In my opinion, if you want fries in Durham, you need to go to either The Federal or Joe and Jo's Downtown. Of course, if you want 'que in Durham, you shouldn't head to the Cheesecake Factory either.
The highlight of the meal was definately the booze. I had a "Georgia Peach" and it was good. Normally, I don't get mixed drinks (I'm a beer kind of gal), but this was a girls' night out, so it felt right. I didn't get cheesecake. Frankly, I'm not that much of a cheesecake fan. It's too rich unless done perfectly. Plus, I was trying to save room for popcorn.
The final verdict: get something else, especially in North Carolina. It wasn't a bad sandwich and it was definately filling, but there are much better food items with 'que in their name to be had in North Carolina. I'm sure that many of the items on the Cheesecake Factory's menu are better.
My rating--
--Jennifer
First, a review of the movie. It was very good. Entertaining, true to the book, exciting and the young actors did a great job. I hadn't realized just how utterly creepy it was for a young girl to wander off in the woods with a shirtless half-man until this movie. Even though I knew Mr. Tumnus was harmless, I wanted to yell "No Lucy! Don't do it!" Fortunately, everything turned out fine in the end. In other creepy news, I found the actor who plays Peter to be very attractive. Fortunately for me, William Moseley is over eighteen, so it's less creppy than it might have been and it's definitely less creepy than those women lusting after Daniel Radcliffe!
Okay, on the the "B.B.Q. Pulled Pork Sandwich."
According the menu, the Cheesecake Factory 'que sandwich is:
B.B.Q. PULLED PORK SANDWICH
Roasted Pork Tenderloin Covered with Our B.B.Q. Sauce on a Brioche Bun. Served with Cole Slaw and Fries
When I ordered the sandwich, our waiter was kind enough to warn me that this was not Carolina 'que and the sauce was Texas based. I guess he'd had enough complaints from Tarheels about the sauce. I accepted this warning and persisted. These are the sacrifices I make in the name of 'que.
Onto to the tasting...
The description, both from the waiter and the menu, had a couple of misnomers. First off, the sandwich was not on brioche. According to the food dictionary on epicurious.com (and my own personal experience):
brioche
[BREE-ohsh, bree-AHSH]
This French creation is a light yeast bread rich with butter and eggs. The classic shape, called brioche à tête , has a fluted base and a jaunty topknot. It also comes in the form of small buns or a large round loaf. Special fluted brioche molds, available in metal, glass or ceramic, are necessary for the brioche à tête. Brioche dough is also used to enclose foods such as sausage or cheese.
My sandwich was on a hoagie roll. It was not a "light, yeast bread rich with butter and eggs." The hoagie was fine, but they should serve it according the menu. Someone picker than I might have complained.
Secondly, the sauce was, by no stretch of the imagination "Texan." It was added post-cooking which is, according to the Central Texas Barbecue Assoiation rules of 'que cookoffs, not allowed. The Lone Star Barbecue Society goes even further to say "In Texas we judge meat only! Absolutely NO garnish or sauce is allowed." Moreover, the sauce was very, very sweet--like Kraft brand BBQ sauce sweet. The sauce I had at Cooper's was not sweet and if any place would know Texas 'que, it would be Cooper's.
Of course, the sauce and the bun is all secondary to the 'que experience. 'Que is about the meat. If the meat ain't good, the 'que ain't good. This meat was, well, it was pork tenderloin. Besides the obvious problems that Texas 'que is generally beef and tenderloin is not a 'que cut, it was okay. It wasn't barbequed. It was roasted and there is nothing slow about roasted pork tenderloin, which is why it's one of my favorite weeknight meats--it cooks quickly. But, the meat was fine. Not as flavorable as you would expect 'que meat to be (all that slowcooking and smoke, yum, yum), but it wasn't tough and tasteless either.
The sandwich comes with a side of slaw and fries. The slaw was basic, mayo slaw. There was nothing exciting about it either way. It was pretty bland. The fries were okay. In my opinion, if you want fries in Durham, you need to go to either The Federal or Joe and Jo's Downtown. Of course, if you want 'que in Durham, you shouldn't head to the Cheesecake Factory either.
The highlight of the meal was definately the booze. I had a "Georgia Peach" and it was good. Normally, I don't get mixed drinks (I'm a beer kind of gal), but this was a girls' night out, so it felt right. I didn't get cheesecake. Frankly, I'm not that much of a cheesecake fan. It's too rich unless done perfectly. Plus, I was trying to save room for popcorn.
The final verdict: get something else, especially in North Carolina. It wasn't a bad sandwich and it was definately filling, but there are much better food items with 'que in their name to be had in North Carolina. I'm sure that many of the items on the Cheesecake Factory's menu are better.
My rating--
--Jennifer
posted by Seize the 'Que at 5:38 PM
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