The Cheesecake Factory is: The No Brainer

Seriously, who hasn’t been to the cheesecake factory….at least 10 times in their lifetime.  Ok maybe I’m exaggerating, but not among the people I know who live in the area.  I feel like this next one is the default place for people to go to when they want a nice restaurant with good food, that requires no research at all..you just go.  Especially because it is great for seating a lot of people and for celebrating birthdays. Not to mention, when people are craving different cuisines, this is the place to go because they have over 200 menu items to choose from!  There’s something for everyone.  Best of all, their portions are known for being generous and ideal for sharing or taking it to-go.

Of course, they are famous for their cheesecakes, which is how the cheesecake factory started many years back.  Its a quite charming American success story of how it all got started. Evelyn Overton started making cheesecakes in Detroit that grew in popularity in their community. She started a business which she eventually had to close down to raise her children.  Then when her children were all grown, her and her husband Oscar Overton moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams which turned out to be a great decision. In 1978, their son David started the Cheesecake factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, and has grown close to 150 locations. How amazing is that?  My pictures are just 5 entrees out of hundreds, but you get the idea.

But now for the real low-down. I’ve been going here…ummm…since 1997, I have NEVER ONCE experienced a hitch in my dining experience. Not with the food, the service, anything.  Plus they’ve got something for everyone. So in that regard…its GOOD.

HOWEVER, I’m so over it!  For like the past 8 years!  Every time someone suggests we go here i’m like whyyyy!?!?  Why not try something new and different?? Most of my friends are too chicken to drive a little further out to experience new restaurants, so they just stick to what they know.  I’ve seriously tried like almost everything on their menu. So be adventurous peopleeee!!! If  you’ve never been, then go! But don’t be chicken to venture out and try something different!!

Crispy Chicken Costoletta (my personal favorite)

Monterey Hamburger

Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos (Asian version)

Da Vinci Pasta

Seared Tuna Tataki Salad

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Chandragupta, Mumbai

For a nice and elegant meal, Chandragupta is the place to go.  With its chic décor, well-conceived menu and courteous staff, you’ll be happy you went.  And while I usually recommend a particular dish or two, everything is so great you can’t go wrong.  What you can do is order one dish from the fish, chicken and lamb category like I did. Either way, you won’t be disappointed!

Fried Fish

Lamb Masala

Garlic Nan

Palak Paneer

Chicken Masala

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Winter Pot Roast

A really good recipe to make during the cold winter months is a nice pot roast.  There are a lot of advantages to making pot roast: it’s easy to make, it can feed a lot of people and its delicious and hearty. It’s easy to impress people with this low-effort dish, especially when made in a crock pot. You just throw all the ingredients in and go!  If you don’t have a crock pot, follow this recipe below and the only thing you’ll have to worry about is making sure you bring your appetite.

Ingredients:

chuck roast (1/2 lb. per person)

2 cups red wine

1 cup water or beef broth

3 tbs. oil

10 cloves of garlic

1 large onion

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. rosemary

1 or 2 chili peppers (optional)

dash of salt and pepper

vegetables of your choice cut into pieces (I used potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, okra, and tomatoes.)

1. Wash meat and pat dry. Coat with flour.

2. Fry beef in oil on all sides until brown

3. After the beef is done browning, add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot in order to release all of the flavor.

4.  Add  the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat for approximately 2 hours or until meat is to your desired texture, stirring occasionally.

5. Serve with bread.

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Tavaa, Mumbai

Another restaurant very local to me was this place called Tavaa.  The food was tasty, yes, but the overall quality was not exactly up to par. I order garlic prawns, noodles and a kabob plate that included lamb, chicken and chicken liver.  The garlic prawns were smothered in a delicious sauce, but the noodles were a little overcooked and lacked texture.  The chicken liver tasted good for chicken liver, but if you’re not used to it, it can be a little hard to swallow.  They also rushed us out of there because they had to close down at like 3 pm until their dinner hours began.  I was peeved.

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Wild Wild West, Mumbai

Hands down, one of my favorite restaurants that I’ve experienced in Mumbai so far has been Wild Wild West. Not just because the owner is a friend of mine, but because the food is actually REALLY GOOD!  It’s extremely clean and somewhat modern looking but with a western twist.  Check out all the amazing food we ordered, of course from multiple visits.

Chicken Wings

The Wild Wild West Sizzler!!!

Rosemary Lamb with Risotto

Veggie Sandwich

Prawns

Shepherd’s Pie

Nachos

Oreo Cheesecake

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Thali!

For truly authentic Indian food, I was introduced to a restaurant (located inside the Highway Gomantak hotel) that serves cheap and delicious food.  We ordered Thali, which is several dishes served in small bowls on a round tray.  It usually consists of rice, dhal, vegetables, chutney and roti.  I also ordered a shrimp curry dish.  The purple liquid that you see in one of the bowls is actually a salty yogurt flavored drink that aides in digestion.  Everything was so good that I literally wiped my plate clean.  To top off lunch, I ordered malai, a sweet milk-like jello flavored with saffron. See for yourself

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Bombay Blue, Mumbai

Bombay Blue is the perfect restaurant to go to when you’re with people who are each craving different types of food.  This place offers so many different kinds of food and cuisines including pizza, burgers, pastas, kabobs, sandwiches, sizzlers, you name it.

I ordered a chicken sandwich with mango and apricot chutney, but I got a little overzealous and ate it before I could snap a picture…lol…oops.  For a starter we ordered breaded cheese balls, which were delishhh.  But the showstopper of the evening was definitely the sizzler.

This sizzler came with a multitude of ingredients like cabbage, peas, carrots, potato, tomato, spinach, green beans, caramelized onions, all smothered in this AMAZING garlic sauce and topped with a beef pattie and an egg for good measure.

And just when I thought nothing could top the sizzler, I was surprised once again with this colossal dessert…a chocolate brownie on a bed of chocolate syrup, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with nuts. I think the end result picture speaks enough for itself of how good it was.  With its great food and clean atmosphere, Bombay Blue is a MUST!!

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MY easy peasy dolmeh recipe

Being far away from family and “home”, I wanted to make something that could comfort me into knowing that I can have a piece of home whenever I want (although nothing will ever come close the the real thing!).  I came up with the idea of making dolmeh all on my own. I have only made a version of this once before, and that was under my mom’s directions, a very long time ago. This time I had to figure it out all on my own, and with very limited spices and herbs.  Regardless, it was quite easy to make.  I have to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing, but it just goes to show that cooking is an art and everyone has their own style, my style being quick and easy, without the frills.  Check out my quick and easy recipe below:

Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken, beef or lamb

3 medium sized tomatoes

1 large onion, chopped

5 bell peppers and/or eggplant for shells

1/2 cup cooked chickpeas

2 cups cooked rice

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp oil

1/4 cup dry or fresh mint

1 Tbsp tumeric

1 Tbsp paprika

1 Tsp salt

1/2 Tsp pepper

Instructions:

1.  Start by frying the onion in oil for a few minutes until translucent, then add meat.

2.  When the meat is slightly browned, add the tomato paste, tomatoes, water, tumeric, paprika, salt, pepper and mint and simmer for 15 minutes.  It should have the consistency of pasta sauce, so add water as necessary.

3. After simmering, pour most of the meat sauce in a big bowl with the chickpeas and rice and mix together, but leave some sauce in the pan. Set aside.

4. Cut out the stems of the bell peppers and eggplants, but save them to cap the peppers once they are stuffed.  Scoop out the seeds of the bell peppers and the inside flesh of the eggplant to form a shell.

5. Next, stuff the bell peppers and eggplants with the mixture, and place back into the pot with the remaining sauce.  Cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, making sure to add water to the pot as necessary so it does not burn.

6. Serve, and enjoy 

Note: If you don’t like chickpeas, you can mix other vegetables instead like chopped okra, cabbage, green peas, etc. Check out the pictures, it’s pretty self-explanatory.

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