The Cheesecake Factory

Update Review, May 2025

One lucky day, I was sitting at my desk in the afternoon, when a co-worker sent out a message saying they had tons of extra food from The Cheesecake Factory.  I reviewed the desserts I snagged already last week in the Cheesecake Factory Dessert master post, so now it is time to focus on the savory.  

The host had a slew of untouched flatbreads, but I didn't try those.  Instead, I grabbed some of many of the small plates (and, the aforementioned dessert, which was my #1 priority of course).  I was again relatively impressed with the Cheesecake Factory.  The food, even leftovers, was mostly quite good.

Small Plates & Snacks

Asian Cucumber Salad. $11.95.

"Crispy Cucumbers, Sesame, Soy, Garlic and Mild Red Chiles."

This is a new menu item, added in March 2025.  I wouldn't have ordered it myself, but, hey, it was leftover and there to try, so I tried it.

I have a strange relationship with cucumbers.  I love pickled cucumbers.  Eat them daily.  Sometimes several times a day.  But fresh cucumbers?  Eh.  I hoped this would trend more in the direction of a quick pickle at least.  It didn't.  These were, well, Asian style cucumbers, just as the dish is named.

It was ... hmm.  The cucumber was fresh style, which for me, was a deterrent - it tasted, strongly, like fresh cucumber.  Big juicy slices.  However, not refreshing as you'd expect from a fresh vegetable and a salad, as it was really quite oily.  Just, smothered in (sesame) oil.  I didn't really taste the soy, just very strong sesame oil.  It seems like it wouldn't fit in all that well with the rest of their menu, just given how traditional Chinese it is, and the rest of the Cheesecake Factory menu, while vast, doesn't lean that way. 

And like many things at Cheesecake Factory, the nutrition facts are ... fascinating.  I don't generally look these things up, but they have it dominantly displayed on the menu, and this caught my eye.  I wondered at first how a small cucumber salad could be 480 calories, but, now I know: all that oil.  I wouldn't get this again. *+.

Crispy Crab Bites. $13.95.

"Bite-Sized Little Crab Cakes Served with Mustard Sauce."

I love crab, so I was happy to see one last crab bite remaining.

This was a pretty enjoyable little crab ball-cake.  Shredded crab, not lump, but not much filler, only little bits of red pepper for a bit of zing.  Fairly strong crab flavor.  Super crispy, flavorful coating.  If these were larger size, and served at a seafood restaurant, I'd be happy with them as an entree, so actually pretty impressive for Cheesecake Factory.  **** crab ball.

The "mustard sauce" was more of a mayo with a tiny amount of zing to it, which is fine, it went really well with the crab cakes, but it seemed a bit odd to call it a mustard sauce when I had to really search for the mustard flavor.  *** sauce.

Overall, a dish I was pretty happy with, and would happily eat again.  These come 6 to an order.

Street Corn. $11.50.

"Fire Roasted Corn “Ribs” with Cotija, Chile-Lime Mayonnaise and Cilantro."

I had this dish once a few years ago, when I ordered it without the cheese (which, at the time was parmesan, glad to see they changed it to a more appropriate cheese for Mexican street corn style), and with the mayo on the side.  I thought the ribs were kinda eh then, and really just wanted them to be more like the ones you can get at Trader Joe's (frozen).  This time, since I didn't order the food, they came as intended, with the toppings and garnishes.  

It was ok.  I mean, I love corn on the cob, and it was nicely roasted with a char, so that I really appreciated.  But it tasted really oily, and once I tried air frying one piece and grilling another to heat them back up, lots of oil came pouring out.  It just ate really heavy.  And of course, smothered in the chile-lime mayo and cotija, so very street corn style, which I'd prefer it not have (even though I love mayo, just, not on my corn!).

So, overall, eh.  I enjoyed it because it was corn, but not really because of how it was prepared. Very low ***.  (And for the curious, since I've included the details for other dishes, 710 Calories for the small plate, which usually includes 10 little cob pieces like this).

Original Review, 2024

Do you really need an intro the Cheesecake Factory?  If you are from the US, and have visited any US city ever, you likely have heard of it.  Notorious for many things, including having an epically huge menu (250 items!), insanely high calorie counts on their dishes (not just cheesecake, many, many entrees over 2,000 calories each), and, of course, a slew of cheesecakes.

I've sort of reviewed the Cheesecake Factory before, when I tried several of their "At Home" branded products (bread, ice cream), and of course I've reviewed some of their cheesecake (both from the restaurant and wholesale), but, uh, I haven't actually ever reviewed a proper meal at The Cheesecake Factory.

Partially, I haven't reviewed the restaurant dining as, well, I haven't been in many, many, many years, despite there being a location not that far from my house.  In fact, I think I've only actually been to a Cheesecake Factory maybe ... 3?  4? times.  I remember being overwhelmed by the menu length, surprised at how seemingly expensive it was, and not being particularly enamored by the food.  That said, I did have one very fond memory of the Cheesecake Factory, my first visit ever, and, as much as I've wanted, I just haven't been able to get this one dish out of my mind.  And thus, when I was recently in Orlando for a conference, and I needed an easy option for dinner, delivery from the Cheesecake Factory it was.  A year later, in the DC area, same thing.  I needed easy hotel delivery, and Cheesecake Factory was close by and reliable.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of takeout and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes for free money!

• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

Ordering online is easy, and the Cheesecake Factory is clearly accustomed to lots of takeout, everything packaged in appropriate sized containers (include, some *mega* ones!).  Of course they have the largest takeout containers I've ever seen.  Very on brand.

I'll admit, that yes, the menu is insanely large (really, how can they possibly make all those dishes? I can't imagine being a line cook there, so, so many dishes to know), and yes, the prices are kinda high for a chain, but, I think the food is fairly consistent, and while you won't be blown away by anything, you likely won't hate it either.  And, there really is something for everyone there (Asian? Italian? Mexican? Burgers? Salads? Classic American comfort food?  They've got it all.)  If you want an easy, reliable option, particularly one that will suit ~everyone, it is not a bad pick.

Food

I'm not going to enumerate the menu, nor even the categories, to you here.  There is just too much.  250 items.  Yes, for real, 250 items.  More categories than I care to count.  Every mainstream cuisine is represented.  Some locations even serve brunch.  Zomg, the menu.  And, a few times a year, they introduce new things too.  It is mind-boggling really.

Small Plates & Snacks / Appetizers / Appetizer Salads

The menu has multiple categories of dishes that you may consider starters, including I truly don't understand how they pick which category to put dishes under, as there are smaller salads under the "Small Plates & Snacks" menu along with those in the "Appetizer Salads" menu, and other items on that same first section seem no different from appetizers, e.g. crab wontons are "Small Plates & Snacks", yet chicken pot stickers are appetizers .... cheeseburger spring rolls are "Small Plates & Snacks" yet Tex Mex or Avocado Eggrolls are appetizers (and all three are fried and look to be the same size portions ...), etc.  

I'll just call all those categories, along with the complimentary bread, "Starters".

Bread (complimentary).
Sourdough & Whole Wheat. (October 2022).

I wasn't expecting bread to be included in my order, but, I got a baguette bag with half each of the two house breads: sourdough and whole wheat.  I also received two pats of generic butter.  You can also purchase these by the full baguette for $3.50.

I have had the "At Home" version of their brown (whole wheat) bread, and did like it (but not love it, as you may recall from my review), so I was curious how the restaurant version would compare.  

The brown bread was ... ok.  I did like the slight sweetness/maltiness to it, and the oats covering it.  But it didn't taste particularly fresh, didn't have that great of a crumb structure, didn't have that great of a crust or chew.  Better once warmed up, but, yeah, not particularly great.  I'm not sure why people rave about this bread so much. ***.

The other half a baguette was sourdough.  I still tried it, even though I don't like sourdough.  It was soft, didn't have a good crust, didn't have a great chew either, and, was slightly sourdough.  Meh for me. **.

The generic butter pats were not interesting either, I'm not sure if they serve something better in the restaurant.

I didn't really care for this bread, but its nice that they include for takeout, as many places do not.

Bread (Complimentary).
(October 2023).

A year later when I ordered, my order again came with small portions of each of The Cheesecake Factory's famous breads, and two pats of butter.  

Both of the breads were served at room temperature, and both were fairly hard and a touch stale.  I used to really like the Cheesecake Factory brown bread, but this was really a letdown.  It still had a decent malty flavor, and I liked the oats coating, but, it was just too dry.  The baguette was similarly dry, the crust was very hard, and difficult to break into.  They just didn't seem fresh.  *+.

Appetizer: Thai Lettuce Wraps. $17.95.
(October 2022).

"Create Your Own Thai Lettuce Rolls! Satay Chicken Strips, Carrots, Bean Sprouts, Coconut Curry Noodles and Lettuce Leaves with Three Delicious Spicy Thai Sauces – Peanut, Sweet Red Chili and Tamarind-Cashew."

Ok, story time!  This is the first dish I ever had at the Cheesecake Factory. I also think it was the first thai (or, Thai inspired) food I ever had.  I most certainly didn't order it myself, but, when I tried it, my very sheltered mind was blown.

So how did this come about?  Well, my family lives in rural New Hampshire.  We didn't even take day trips to cities like Boston that were just 2.5 hours away.  I had zero exposure to dining out besides our regular lineup of Subway, Pizza Hut or Papa Ginos, and Taco Bell.  I certainly didn't know Thai food, I certainly didn't know big flashy places like The Cheesecake Factory.  The same was true for most of extended family, except for one aunt and cousin, who had, gasp, moved to California.  California!  The other side of the country!  To me, they were an enigma, and I thought they were so hip and cultured.  And one time, said cousin came to visit, and we had to pick her up in Boston.  She wanted to actually spend time in Boston, at least a few hours, before heading to the countryside.  And she wanted to take us to the Cheesecake Factory.  I remember being in awe of the place, the sheer size, the marble poles, the menu ... and being totally overwhelmed.  My cousin took to ordering for us when she saw my mom and I as deer in headlights, and I think she enjoyed showing us her ways.  And one thing she ordered for the table was the Thai Lettuce Wraps.  I had never had anything like them before.  A create-your-own dish?  Food you eat with your hands in a restaurant?  And, zomg, the the sauces!  The curry noodles!  Such flavors!  So unlikely anything my rural taste buds had ever experienced before.

And that was my memory.  Sure, some of the memory is certainly just being in awe that such a fantastical place existed in the first place, and some of it was thinking my older, urban cousin was super cool, but, I also remember genuinely liking the dish.  And yet, I never had the dish again.  I was probably 13? 14? when I had it, and, although I visited the Cheesecake Factory at least one other time with my mom (I think when we were touring colleges) and one time when I moved out to California, I didn't get it then.  And yet, the memory came back to me, suddenly, when I was browsing menus on Door Dash a few months ago, and, well, I just couldn't stop thinking about the dish.  It also seemed perfect for takeout, as it is a cold dish.

There is one problem though - um, I don't like chicken.  These are the Thai *Chicken* Lettuce Wraps.  And I don't like chicken.  At all. The dish does have a vegetarian version too - but it is made with grilled avocado in place of the chicken, and I'm allergic to avocado.  My chicken aversion is likely why I didn't try it again when I did visit Cheesecake Factory after that initial time, or perhaps because no one else wanted it, and this dish, like all appetizers there, is meant to share between 3-4 people.  So what was I doing, alone, ordering it?  Yeah, it didn't make sense, but, I really wanted to see if it lived up to my memories.

And so I ordered it online, putting in the special requests "no chicken, just add extra veggies?".  The restaurant called me to follow up, making sure I really didn't want chicken, suggesting that I get the avocado version instead, but when I explained I was allergic to avocado, and just really wanted all the goodies and sauces, they went along with my plan.  I asked about subbing shrimp, but I was told I'd need to just order shrimp a la carte.  And thus, I asked for just extra veggies.

I gasped when I opened my takeout bag.  Well, I gasped when I saw the bag itself, as it was like a comically large shopping bag people have at Christmastime, not like any food takeout bag I've ever seen before.  Yes, I know Cheesecake Factory portions are jumbo sized.  Yes, I know I asked for extra veggies, but, um, I had two platters, legit *platters*, full of the makings for my wraps.  I have no idea what this looks like when ordered normally for takeout, I suspect it is just one container like this, and one with chicken and the lettuce to wrap?  But for me, I had two, identical, platters loaded up with all the fillings: fresh crisp carrots and bean sprouts, sliced cucumber salad, and the curry noodles.  And two each of the trio of sauces.  I was pretty excited to dive in.

The veggies were all good - I liked how crunchy and fresh the carrots and bean sprouts were, they were quite refreshing.  The knife skills on the carrots could definitely use some work, all different sizes, some not cut all the way through, but, I didn't really mind.  The large hunks of red cabbage that were sorta used as bowls for each component were equally fresh and crunchy.  Freshness seemed legit. ***+ all fresh veggies.

The cucumber salad was lightly marinated, with a bit of acidity from red onion too, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.  Slightly mushy, sorta half-pickled it seemed, in a way that kinda worked.  The other veggies were so fresh and crisp, these served as a bit of a softer textural balance.  A good compliment to the other veggies.  I quite liked it, I think my favorite component.  ****.

And then, the coconut curry noodles.  Here we start to get in to the Thai flavors that were so new to me back when I first had it.  Curry.  Coconut milk.  I remember really loving those noodles.  These are things I know now, and I wondered what I would think, particularly as I've had actually legit Thai food (mostly in Sydney, not as Americanized as in the US).  Like the cucumber salad, it came sprinkled with sesame seeds.   The noodles were good - not mushy, slight chew to them, lightly coated in coconut curry.  The coconut curry flavor was good, although I'd love even more of it.  These were good chilled as served, but I also tried heating some up just for fun, and they worked well as a warm noodle dish too.   And even better? Thrown into my panini press to make them crispy.  ***+.

And lastly, the thing I remember the most, the sauces.  Three of them: Peanut, Sweet Red Chili, and Tamarind-Cashew.  Every one of those was so very new to me back then.  Would they still be as magical?  Actually, yes!  I loved every one of them, but, I do realize they are pretty far from authentic Thai flavors, really lacking the heat, lacking the complexity that often comes from sour components and fish sauce, and are, um, heavily sweetened and tuned to appeal to the palettes of the masses.  But I still quite liked each of them.

The peanut sauce was the easiest to pick out, very thick, with bits of peanut.  Slightly sweet, but good peanut flavor.  Basically, American-ized peanut sauce.  Good enough with the wraps, likely good to use with any spring rolls, or as I discovered later, pretty good just on shrimp too.  I think this one was the most boring, the most pedestrian, but, it was good, and a rich sauce if you were looking for that.  ***.

Next up, the darker brown one, which turned out to be the sweet red chili.  Emphasis on sweet.  It looked like a slightly thicker soy sauce, but, when you tasted it, it was clear it was more like a reduction, and definitely a sweet one at that.  I didn't really taste any heat to it, but, there was some complexity, it did seem to have some soy, and it was tasty to dunk into as well.  A little of this went a long way though, due to the sweetness.  I used some leftover on Asian style pancakes, and it worked great for that too.  ***+.

And finally, "the green one", the tamarind-cashew, definitely the most interesting.  It was kinda herby, kinda funky, actually some depth to this one, and far less sweet than the others, although, still really quite sweet.  It too went well with the wraps, and I think would be good with any dumplings or spring rolls.  I think my favorite of the sauces, but, really, they all were tasty, in their own ways, and combined together well too.  ***+.

Lettuce Wraps.

Those previous platters though were just the fillings.  While you could just eat them sorta as a salad, or a bunch of sides, you were supposed to make your own lettuce wraps.

I had to laugh at the giant container used to house the lettuce wraps themselves.  I think there was 6 (maybe 8?) large pieces of lettuce, all quite fresh.  Another huge platter-container.  The lettuce was also quite fresh and crisp, although fairly wet.  They did work well to wrap up whatever I wanted.

So, overall, very fresh components, and I liked all the elements.  The sauces were all enjoyable, and I was happy to have leftover for other Asian food I had later that week.  Yes, my wraps likely would have been better with some kind of protein (shrimp would be a nice option), but I still enjoyed them without, and would get this again if I were ever back at the Cheesecake Factory with a group.  It was a bit much for one person though, again, designed to share with 2-4.

Appetizer: Thai Lettuce Wraps with Chicken. $13.95.
(Smaller Portion. No Chicken). (October 2023).

"A Smaller Version of Our Create Your Own Thai Lettuce Rolls! Satay Chicken Strips, Carrots, Bean Sprouts, Coconut Curry Noodles and Lettuce Leaves with Three Delicious Spicy Thai Sauces – Peanut, Sweet Red Chili and Tamarind-Cashew."

As you read about last year, I have very fond memories of this dish from the Cheesecake Factory, and I really just sometimes really crave the sauces.  They are all so excellent.  Sometime in the past year, Cheesecake Factory introduced a new version of the dish, dubbed the "Smaller Portion", which I love, as normally it comes as a huge appetizer platter designed for sharing.  While still on the menu in the appetizers portion for sharing, the small portion would be great for a meal for one, or to share with just one other person as an app.  I'm thrilled they added this option, although it does come with only one each of the trio of delicious sauces, and the large version comes with two of each.

As always, it came plated on hunks of red cabbage, with shredded carrots and bean sprouts, cucumber salad, and the noodles.  The veggies were all as expected, fresh, crisp, vibrant.  The cucumber salad was lightly pickled, good acidity, refreshing.  The letdown for me was the noodle, which are supposed to be coconut curry noodles, but mine seemed plain.  They didn't have any visible coating, nor flavor.  This was unfortunate, as the flavorful curry noodles are a key element.  ***+ veggies, ** noodles.

Of course, plenty of flavor was to be had in the trio of sauces.  My review of these is unchanged from past reviews: I like them all, although all trend a bit sweeter than you'd expect.

Overall, still a good dish, but a slight letdown due to missing curry.  I'll continue to get it, and I'm glad they added the new portion size.  ***+.

The larger portion is available for $19.50.

No Chicken -> Extra Veg! (October 2023).

Since I don't like chicken, and I'm allergic to avocado (the other version of this dish), I asked for just extra veggies instead, and was provided what I assume was the extra in a second container.  When I had done this at another Cheesecake Factory location, they called me to talk about it, and it took some convincing to do, but this one did with no problems.

The fresh crisp butter lettuce for the wraps was also included in this container.

Small Plates & Snacks: Street Corn (No cheese, Mayo on the side). $9.95.
(October 2023).

"Fire Roasted Corn “Ribs” with Parmesan, Chile-Lime Mayonnaise and Cilantro."

In the summer of 2023, I discovered Trader Joe's frozen corn ribs, and immediately became addicted to them, and to the concept in general.  I knew the Cheesecake Factory version wasn't the same at all, in particular, as they take a sorta-Mexican street corn spin on it, and use regular size corn cobs, but, I was still quite curious.  For context, the Trader Joe's version is smaller cobs, and coated in vegan butter and insanely delicious seasoning.  The Cheesecake Factory version attempts to channel Mexican street corn vibes, but, they oddly use Parmesan instead of a cheese like cojita (Italian street corn)?.

I don't actually like Mexican street corn though - I love cheese and mayo, don't get me wrong, but I don't like it on my corn.  So I asked for no cheese (easy to do when ordering online, it is an option to leave off basically any ingredient in any dish there), and for the mayo on the side.  Both requests were honors.

The corn was ... interesting.  Well cooked, nice char on it.  But it really was just normal corn on the cob, with some cob left on.  You would eat it with your hands, and discard the cobs, not consume them.  Like, well, ribs.  The Trader Joe's ones I love you can actually eat the cobs, as they are more petite.  Anyway, the corn was fine, not too mushy, decent corn flavor.

It was aggressively buttered/oiled however, far more than I was expecting.  Even not smothered in cheese and mayo as intended, it was a very heavy dish.  It lacked any real seasoning besides the oil, but I think that makes sense given that it usually has the other toppings.  I wanted to add copious amount of pepper and a touch of salt.

And finally, the "chile-lime mayonnaise" ... tasted like regular mayo.  I detected no hints of chile, nor of lime.  Just mayo.  Creamy, fine mayo, but just mayo.  Not really what I wanted on my corn anyway, but I was surprised by this lack of flavor.  I wonder if they gave me plain mayo confused by my request for mayo on side?

Overall, I'm glad I tried it, and it was well cooked, but, I wouldn't get it again as it was just too greasy for me.  ***.

Side Dishes

Both times I ordered, I skipped the pages and pages of entrees, broken down into flatbread pizzas, "Glamburgers", sandwiches, entree salads, Specialities, pastas, fish & seafood, steaks, and Factory Combinations, and moved straight to the sides, where the more simple veggies and carbs (fries, sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes, rice, mac and cheese) were.

Side: Green Beans.  $6.95.
(October 2022).

I also got a side of green beans.  Let me explain.

I had some leftover bolognese in my hotel room, and one thing I always like with my lasagna, bolognese, etc, is a side of green beans.  I rarely eat green beans otherwise, but with bolognese, or other red sauce based dishes, I'm all in.  I threw I side order of them on to use with my dinner later, even though I can't say I've ever seen nor heard of anyone actually ordering side dishes at the Cheesecake Factory before (why would you, with the massive portions?).

The green beans were absolutely fine.  Not mushy, not amazingly snappy, but cooked fine.  A few did have stems still on them though.  The portion was reasonable for a side for 1 person, or 2 if you were sharing other things, but looked a bit small just due to the container size, that was Cheesecake Factory sized (and likely their smallest container?). I can't say it was an amazingly $6.95 spent, but, the beans were absolutely acceptable, and did go with my other leftovers quite well.  So, if you want green beans, they are fine.

***. 

Side: Grilled Asparagus. $7.95.
(October 2023).

I can safely say I've never thought to order a side of vegetables at Cheesecake Factory given how massive their dishes are, and how all the entrees already come with sides, but, when I wasn't ordering an entree, and was really craving asparagus, I was quite curious to see how this would be.  It was October, so certainly not asparagus season, so I didn't have particularly high hopes.

It was decent.  Well prepared, not too soft, slight a slight snap to it.  Nice grill marks.  A touch oily/buttery, but that is somewhat to be expected from the factory of decadence.  Reasonable amount of seasoning, although I wanted more salt and pepper.  It wasn't the most flavorful asparagus, or remarkable in any way, but, no issues with the execution, and it really met my cravings.  ***+.

The portion of 10 spears for $7.95 was fairly reasonable.

Drinks

The Cheesecake Factory has an extensive cocktail menu (like all parts of their menu), with a fair number of them available to go as well.  Cocktails that are available to-go come in sealed containers, so I think they are packaged elsewhere, not freshly made cocktails?

Red Sangria.  $20.
(October 2022).

"Serves 2. 11% ABV. Our Signature Recipe Featuring Cabernet Sauvignon Marinated for 12 Hours with Lots of Fresh Pineapple, Orange & Granny Smith Apples."

I'm not really sure why I picked the sangria.  I think I wanted wine, but only cocktails were an option, and this was the closest thing to wine.  After all, it did have wine in it ...

But, um, it tasted like fruity grape juice.  The pineapple made it kinda tropical, the rest just made it, well, fruity.  Like I said, fruity grape juice.  Easy drinking if you wanted fruit juice, but really no taste of alcohol that I could detect.

A poor order on my part, but fine sangria.  ***.

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Water Grill, Las Vegas

Las Vegas has no shortage of dining options, ranging from the high end would-be-Michelin-starred (if Vegas still had Michelin stars) to those with celebrity chefs at the helm to every chain restaurant you can desire.  You want it, Vegas has it.  So we had no shortage of choice when looking for a restaurant for our group of about 15 people our first night in town.

Our organizers settled on Water Grill, which thrilled me, as it is seafood focused (as you may have guessed by the name), had an incredible menu, and gets pretty stellar reviews.  I was delighted.  I found out later that Water Grill is a small chain, with locations in a few places in southern California, along with one each in Denver and Seattle, and obviously, one in Las Vegas.  I was unfamiliar with the brand before now.

Our group was large, but we were not required to do any kind of fixed menu, which I appreciated.  Sometimes with a large group ordering a la carte from the main menu though there are issues with food actually arriving around the same time since people are getting such different things, or with dishes being served at improper temperatures (e.g. hot food lukewarm as it was clearly sitting waiting for the rest of the dishes to be ready, etc), but we did not have those problems.  Service otherwise though was quite inconsistent - sometimes attentive, but other times, we went a long time with no drink refills, nor even the ability to flag someone down to order more, as they just never looked our way.  The restaurant was busy, but not overwhelmingly so, so this was a slight mark against them.

Besides the uneven service, and strict policy around seating groups only once everyone was there, I found the experience quite good.  The food was fairly exceptional, and I'd gladly return.  The best seafood meal I've had in a long time.  To give an indication of how good the savory food was, I left, completely satisfied and happy, without getting dessert (granted, that was partially because it had gotten pretty late, but, even though I had looked at the dessert menu in advance, and really did want nearly any of the desserts too, I didn't leave feeling wanting, and that is remarkable for sweet tooth me!).

Setting

The Las Vegas Water Grill location is located inside the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, which honestly is fairly charming, although it is a bit of a maze of a mall, and can be a touch tricky to find and navigate inside.

Curb Appeal!

It is located on what basically a charming outdoor street ... but, indoors (note the fake sky).

Entrance.

The restaurant is fairly large, with a bar area, and waiting area.  They seem to have a very strict policy around not seating your party until nearly everyone is there, just, FYI.  We had some stragglers, so were not allowed to sit (even though our table was ready, and the restaurant not very busy) until most were there.  Strangely, they didn't try to get us to order drinks or start a tab while we waited in this area.

Drinks 

The cocktail menu really jumped out at me, with so many very interesting drinks made with spirits I enjoy (e.g. not just rum, vodka, etc), so I skipped the wine list and went right for a cocktail. 

A Night in Osaka. $18.50.

"Suntory 'Toki' whiskey, Amaro Nonino, amontillado sherry, maple syrup & grapefruit bitters ... served up."

This was very tasty.  Strong bitter and citrus notes, balanced by a bit of natural maple sweetness.  Not a booze forward cocktail, although it definitely had plenty in it, as I felt it faster than expected.  Just really well crafted and balanced.

I really enjoyed, and would get again.  ****.

Appetizers

The menu at Water Grill is really quite large.  The menu is a book.  And three full pages of it are all starter / appetizer / share plates to begin your meal.  

Here you'll find everything from a decent sushi lineup (which, my group did get a few rolls, but I didn't try them because they have avocado, and I wasn't able to snap a photo as they were placed further away on the table anyway, but, folks seemed to like them), to a substantial raw bar (with a zillion kinds of oysters), to a ton of chilled shellfish options (multiple kinds of crab claws, plus dungeness crab or king crab nuggets if you prefer, lobster, urchin, mussels, scallops, etc, etc), available as platters with a combo of items too (we skipped all this due to budget reasons), to some salads, chowder, and a bunch of cooked apps. 

I was excited by much of these sections, and would have gladly tried most things.  We settled on 3 cooked appetizers, and the aforementioned sushi rolls for the group. 

Bread Service (Complimentary).

Bread was brought to us moments after we sat, before we had ordered any drinks, nor even received water.  It was served warm.

I knew this was sourdough, which I dislike, so I only took a small piece that someone else had ripped off.  It was delightfully hot, and I liked the shiny top and large salt crystals on top, but, but alas, yes, very sourdough.  The rest of the group seemed to enjoy.  Nice quality butter as well.

*** for me, because I can appreciate that it was a well made roll, just not one for me.

Wild Spanish Octopus. $26.

"Charcoal grilled with fingerling potato, niçoise olives, roasted tomato, lemon and olive oil."

Octopus!

I was very excited for this.  I had heard it was a signature dish, and, well, I love octopus.  I knew I wouldn't love the accompaniments, as I don't care for olives or cooked tomato, and although I like potatoes, in this form isn't really how I find them enjoyable, but with so many raves of how well prepared the octopus is, I still eagerly dug in.

It was ... fine.  It was a very attractive dish, a large tentacle, lovingly arranged.  But it really didn't have the char and grilled element I expected, and wanted, from a charcoal grilled item.  It wasn't too tough or chewy, but I didn't find it particularly tender either.  Basically, pretty average octopus.

As expected, the Mediterranean sides weren't really my thing.  I wanted an aioli or something with it.  Also, NOT listed on the menu was the fact that the accompaniments included pine nuts, and after my experience with pine mouth syndrome about 10+ years ago, I am frankly terrified of them, and avoid at all costs, so this was a big deterrent for me, and something I wish they had included in the description, because I would have tried to have them left out.

The only real letdown of the meal, both because I had read such great other reviews, and because it just wasn't anything notable.  ***.

Crisp Calamari. $22.

"Harissa aioli and cilantro-mint sweet chili sauce."

The group also ordered calamari.  I tried it.  It was also fine?  The breading didn't fall off to easily, it didn't dominate, so all good there.   The calamari within wasn't too chewy.  I think I wasn't quite in the mood for it, but also, we had so many other stellar dishes coming, this one was a bit boring in comparison.  It would have benefited from a lemon to squeeze over it as well (and interestingly, this was the only dish I found lacked acid).

Still, no complains about the actual execution of the dish.  ***+.

Harissa Aioli / Cilantro-Mint Sweet Chili Sauce.
(for calamari).

The cilantro-mint sweet chili sauce sounded more interesting than it was.  It still just was a sweet chili sauce, which for me, was too sweet with the calamari.  The aioli was fine.  

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. $25.

"Celery root remoulade."

I love crab, obviously, as I have a label devoted to it on my blog.  I wasn't actually planning to get the crab cake at Water Grill though, because, well, everywhere in Vegas has crab cakes.  I'm glad someone decided to get several for the table, because this was fantastic.  

I struggle to explain exactly why it was so good.  It wasn't a lump style with huge pieces of crab, although it had very little filler, it was mostly shredded.  It had a light breadcrumb coating and was lightly crispy.  Moist inside.  It was really well seasoned, and used extremely fresh high quality crab.  It was just really shockingly tasty, when it looked so standard.  ****+ crab cake.

The remoulade under it was creamy, balanced it well, had a nice acidity, excellent pairing.  ****.

And finally, the little side vegetable that was pickles and red onions, nice for a bit of crispness, and more acidity, but not particularly mind blowing.  ***+.

Tied for second favorite dish of the meal, and one I'd absolutely go back for.  Recommend with no hesitation.  I gleefully took seconds and thirds when others slowed down.

Specials

The daily menu had a few whole roasted fish (your choice of charcoal grilled or oven roasted), priced per pound, including several kinds of bream (pink or black), dover sole, and black sea bass.  But my eyes were quickly drawn to the other specials, all featuring first of the season halibut.

First of Season Wild Pacific Halibut Specials.

There were two appetizer choices (roasted cheeks or tail), or a seared filet as an entree.  The entree dish did sound very appealing, served with spring peas, braised leeks, and a lemon velouté, all things I enjoy, but I actually wanted something a bit smaller, so went for one of the appetizers instead.

I was very, very pleased with my choice.

Pan Roasted Wild Pacific Halibut Cheeks. $23.

"Braised fennel, brown butter lemon sauce."

I went for the appetizer dish, the halibut cheeks, as my main course, given that we had so many other appetizers, and I knew others would have more to share too.  The portion was perfect for me at that point.

This dish was absolutely incredible.  I'll just start with that.  Incredible.  

The sauce ... ZOMG.  I'm a sucker for a good cream sauce, and this was a very good cream sauce.  So much depth to it too, from the brown butter.  It looked slightly broken, but I think that may have been additional brown butter drizzled on top.  Adored the sauce, really.  ****+.

And then the halibut cheeks.  What a lovely treat.  I haven't had cheeks all that many times, but I adore them when I do.  It reminded me slightly of monkfish cheek, but more delicate.  Slightly stringy in a way that mirrors crab, but, not quite.  Tender.  Mild.  Sweet.  Just, such a delicious protein.  Nothing I would change about the halibut cheeks.  ****+.

The braised fennel was just one small piece.  I would have liked more.  There may have been fennel in the sauce too?

Anyway, stunning dish.  Blew me away.  A rare protein to see on a menu, and just really allowed to shine.  Best dish of the night.  Get this.  ****+.

Sides

Since I was getting just an appetizer as my main, I also opted to get a side dish (and suggested a few for the table).

Sides.

I liked the sound of most of the sides: mac & cheese at a great restaurant can be incredible, and this had 7 (!) cheeses, brussels I always like, but these were even further enhanced with bacon & chestnuts, and I'm a sucker for great mashed potatoes.  But I adore asparagus, and it was just coming into season, so that was a no brainer.

Vegetarian sides are $14, those with some meat are $15.

Sautéed Asparagus Gremolata. $14.

I really enjoyed this.  Nice char to it, cooked on the grill, even though the menu said sautéed (even better!)?  Perfectly tender, no woodsy stems, very fresh tasting.  Early season asparagus, just, shining.   The gremolata accented it well.

My forth favorite dish, but again, one I recommend with zero hesitation.  ****+.

Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes. $14.

Others ordered the mashed potatoes as a side, and when there was extra, of course I tried it.  This was crazy rich mash, which you can kinda tell just by looking at it, but it too was very very good.  

I was too stuffed at that point to truly appreciate, but, far above average mash, and I'd gladly get it again.  Fifth favorite dish?  ****.

Mains

And then, the main courses.  Another few pages on the menu.  Here you'll find a couple token sandwiches (burger, lobster roll), crustaceans (Dungeness crab, king crab legs, lobster),a slew of seafood options (ranging from Italian shrimp scampi or cioppino, to fish & chips, to Mediterranean style swordfish, Asian style black cod with soba, and many, many more.  Just pick your seafood, and they likely have a well curated dish with it. These dishes all generally have a specific sauce, side, and garnish.  And finally, for the non-seafood eaters, some meat: filet mignon in several sizes, new york strip, rib eye, yadda yadda, or, of course, the token grilled chicken.

The rest of my group selected regular main dishes for themselves individually, and all but one opted for seafood.  As I expected, others had plenty of extra, and let me try a few things.  I didn't get photos of all of them though, as our table was long.

Wild Ross Sea Chilean Sea Bass. $55.

"Butternut squash gnocchi, sage brown butter."

The sea bass was the dish I would have ordered if getting a full size entree myself (besides the special halibut), so I was delighted that multiple others got it, and had extra.

They raved about the fish, but said the gnocchi was just fine.  I still tried the gnocchi and actually really liked it, and think they didn't give it enough love.  I don't even consider myself someone who is generally excited by gnocchi.  It had a lovely sweetness to it from the butternut, was soft and fluffy inside, and lightly lightly crispy on the exterior.  Pretty much as good as a gnocchi really can be.  The extra butternut squash puree on the plate reinforced the flavors and sweetness, and added a lovely creamy element.  High **** for these components, maybe even ****+.

The sea bass really was expertly cooked.  Perfect sear.  Moist inside.  Mild flavor.  Infused with sage brown butter.  Yup.  Excellent dish.  My other dish tied for second place, along with those crab cakes.  I'd gladly have it again too.  ****.

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South City Kitchen, Atlanta

I was in Atlanta recently for a work summit, and of course, I did my research before my visit to scope out some restaurants to try if I got a free night.  I quickly determined that southern food was going to be my priority, and I was quite pleased when I saw our event hosts had a planned dinner (a full restaurant buyout!), for our group at one of the places on my short list of southern places to check out in the first place: South City Kitchen.

"Southern Hospitality with a Modern Twist." 

South City Kitchen is a bit more upscale than many of the others on my list, not just featuring fried proteins and long list of comfort food sides, but rather, more composed entrees and a curated selection of paired sides.  But of course, they do still have fried chicken, biscuits & cornbread, and other southern essentials.

Venue - Midtown

"We believe that great food isn't just about taste—it's about experience. At South City Kitchen, we serve familiar favorites with an unexpected twist, inviting you to rediscover Southern classics in an atmosphere that feels like home but with a bit more elegance. Come as you are, and leave with a memory."

South City Kitchen has four locations; I visited the one in Midtown Atlanta. It is open for breakfast and lunch weekdays, brunch on weekends, and dinner all nights. Our visit was at 6pm dinner.

Large Group Dining.

We had the entire restaurant as a buyout, as our group was supposed to be around 125 people.  However, things didn't quite go as planned, as mother nature decided to showcase a "once in a lifetime" event the week we were supposed to be in Atlanta (a location picked to be east coast but warmer than our other offices, ha!), and had a crazy cold snap with snow across Texas, Florida, and yes, Georgia.  At last minute, the organizers cancelled our in-person summit, and pivoted it to be virtual.  But myself, and some others, were already en route, and venues we had rented out did not allow cancellation with literally just two days notice, so thus, our intimate group of  <20 had an entire restaurant to ourselves.  It made the trip that much more memorable, but certainly makes this review a bit of a special case.

Our group was broken into two tables, each with different service staff. They did serve us basically all at once, and seemed quite adept at handling groups like this.  The meal was well paced for the most part, about 20 mins between courses, plates and cutlery cleared between courses, drinks kept refilled.  The only qualm I have with the service is that our appetizers came a full 10 minutes before I received my glass of wine, even though I ordered that as soon as we were seated.   I really like to pair my food with my drink, and I either had to just wait while things got cold, or eat without a drink (which, I did).

Food & Drink

Since our group was supposed to be 125 people, we had a special menu.

Event Menu.

The large event menu mostly draws from their regular menu, and features all of their most popular dishes. I was pleased that it wasn't going to be a buffet, or limited to the standard "beef, chicken, vegetarian" main dish choices. Instead, the format was 3 large family style starters for the table, individual choice of soup or salad, and then a choice of not the standard three, but 7 (!) options for individual main dishes (all with different sides).  And dual desserts.  Not a choice of dessert, but "&".  I was thrilled by that part in particular, to say the least.

A great lineup, but I sadly found the meal pretty average.

Red Blend Mending Wall 'Mortar and Stone'. $22.

For drinks, our hosts didn't have any restrictions, so the full cocktail menu and wine list were on offer.  I went for a glass of red wine, a red blend I had heard good things about.

I really enjoyed it.  It was complex, robust, smooth.  A generous pour.  I'd get this again without hesitation.  ****.

First Flavors

Our meal started with a trio of family style appetizers, dubbed "First Flavors" on the regular menu, along with South City Kitchen's signature breads.  Two of the three appetizers are southern classics from their regular menu, one was a bit of a hybrid of some of their other dishes only done for groups.  The meal started off with a high from one of the appetizers, and went downhill for me for the savory food from there.

Bread Basket.

Very soon after we were seated, bread baskets were brought out.  All diners, not just large groups like us, always get a bread basket, complimentary.  We also had butter on the table waiting for us.  The bread was warm.

Inside the basket was two kinds of bread: cornbread muffins at the base, and biscuits on top. Given so many rave reviews about both, I had high expectations for them, and I was kinda let down.  Both were barely average for me, and definitely not what I expected from a decent southern restaurant.  They seemed kinda generic hotel buffet quality, particularly the biscuits.

Cornbread Muffin / Biscuit.

Biscuit:
The biscuits were kinda dry.  Not much flavor.  No buttermilk tang.  Butter helped, but still these just had  underwhelming flavor.  They were well baked, lightly golden on top, but not flaky.  Low ***.  A biscuit can, and should, particularly in the south, be so much better.

Cornbread Muffin:

The muffins were a bit better.  I liked that they had some whole kernels of corn in them.  Golden tops.  But still, not remarkable.  ***.

The butter was just whipped butter.  I wanted honey butter, or a compound flavored butter.  Eh.

Pimento Cheese.

"Our b&b pickles, celery, benne seed crackers."

First up, pimento cheese, a menu regular.  Such a southern thing.  A dish unfamiliar to many at the table.  I appreciated it for being good exposure to southern cuisine for folks, and for being a homemade version.  It was decent. Lots of chopped pimentos, bit of kick.  ***. 

The dippers though were a let down.   The celery clearly had been prepped way in advance.  The ends of each piece, every single one, were dried out, white or brown.  It just wasn't fresh, and it was obvious.  The benne seed crackers were fine, but most of us just used our biscuits with the spread, as they were better.  Eh.  *+.

The pickles though ... I really did like them.  Sliced not too thick, not too thin.  Super high acid, which I liked.  Some onions.  Slightly sweet, but mostly nice bite to them.  I bet they'd be great with the pulled pork.  ****.

This platter went mostly unfinished.  The celery was visibly not fresh, we all had biscuits instead of crackers to spread stuff on, so those were basically untouched.  The pimento cheese was good, but was awkward to just eat as an appetizer.   I think it would be good as a spread on a sandwich or burger (which they do have on the lunch menu).  I gladly took the rest of the pickles home with me.

Fried Green Tomatoes.

"Goat cheese, red pepper coulis."

Sigh.  I love fried green tomatoes.  Love them.  Crispy fried things, yes.  Juicy tomatoes, yes.  Usually some kind of remoulade.  Absolutely yes.  Such a southern classic, yes.  A menu staple at SCK.  But ... South City Kitchen puts a spin on these, and makes them with a very hefty layer of goat cheese inside.  More like a jalapeño popper style, but with goat cheese instead of cream cheese.  Every review I read mentioned just how goat cheese-y they were.  I loathe goat cheese.

My aversion to goat cheese is so high that I actually didn't try one.  They looked crispy, the group seemed happy, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  Sadness.

Pulled Pork BBQ.

"Scallion hoe cakes, bbq sauce, horseradish slaw."

Our last starter is not from the regular menu.  However, the lunch menu does have a pulled pork bbq sandwich with presumably the same pulled pork and slaw, just on a bun, instead of on a hoecake.  Hoecakes are not on the menu at all.  I appreciated that they didn't just do these slider style, but adapted in this way.

The hoe cake is the element I was most excited for.  It was ... ok.  Kinda greasy, soggy as it was at the base of this mound.  I didn't taste scallion.  Still more interesting than a bun, but not crispy, and no real cornmeal flavor I could taste.  **.

The pulled pork was good, others remarked being pleased it wasn't greasy as pulled pork so often can be.  It was moist, juicy, tender.  The BBQ sauce was a bit pedestrian, but relatively balanced, not too sweet, a bit of smoke.  ***.

The slaw was the best element, and my absolute favorite bite of the whole meal.  It was fresh, crisp, creamy, well dressed, flavorful with a bit of kick from horseradish and a smoky nature.  Excellent slaw.  I wish I could get a big bowl of just that!  ****.

This dish did come together pretty nicely, particularly with the pickles from the pimento cheese platter, and it mostly made me more curious about the pulled pork sandwich.  My favorite of the savory dishes, but I probably wouldn't order it again (I'd just ask for that slaw!).

Soup & Salad

Next up, we had our first decision.  A choice of a very simple salad (as in, literally, just lettuces with viniagrette and cheese) or soup.  The regular menu has both of these items (the soup available as cup or bowl), along with more interesting salads, e.g. a caesar with crispy okra and grit croutons, all of which you can add grilled or fried chicken, sauteed or fried shrimp, or grilled salmon to.

This course was served after the first round of First Tastes had been cleared, our share plates and cutlery removed, and fresh utensils brought out.  It was a slightly amusing course in that the soup portion was really quite small, a tiny cup, and the salad was served in an amusing large bowl with huge hunks of lettuce ("it was like a whole head of lettuce in there!", the others said).  Yet the soup was very rich, and the salad literally just lettuce and extremely light.  The dichotomy between them was amusing laid out on the table.

She-Crab Soup.  Cup. $7.

"Cream, sherry."

While I'm not normally all that excited about soups, this one featured crab (an ingredient I have a label for on my blog for a reason as I opt for it whenever possible!), and it was a bisque, and hey, I like cream, so it was an easy choice for me.  

It was such a let down for me.  The crab you see on top, the single spoonful, was all the crab there was.  There was absolutely no other crab incorporated in.  One bite.  That is it.  I didn't get much of a sense of the taste of it from that sole bite. 

The body of the soup was extremely rich.  It coated the spoon in a way that wasn't very appealing.  It coated my entire mouth in the same way.  I love creamy, but this was just cream.  It was also fairly under seasoned.  I would have loved some kick, but even just some basic seasoning would really have helped.  I added salt & pepper from the shakers on the table to improve it.  The oil on top didn't match well with it either.

Alas, a complete miss for me.  *+.

Southern Inspirations

We had a whopping 7 choices for our main dish.  All but one come straight from their regular menu.  All their top dishes: the signature fried chicken, pork chop, shrimp & grits, and trout.  A token steak.  Two vegetarian options.  At my table (8? people) we had one pork chop, one steak, one vegetarian, and the rest all fried chicken.  The other table, had mostly fried chicken as well, with one person getting the trout.

I had a hard time deciding between the shrimp & grits (particularly as I know people love it at SCK, and I had a version on my Delta flight to Atlanta that was decent in some ways, but not others and left me wanting the real thing), the trout (because I love fish, and people rave about the crispy skin), and, um, one of the vegetarian dishes.  

Spiced Cauliflower. $19.

"Bbq’d peanuts, green tomato chow chow."

For my main dish, I made a bit of an odd selection.  One of the two vegetarian options, even though I'm not vegetarian, and I was pretty excited by both of the seafood options (shrimp & grits, or trout), both of which get great reviews.  But I was really craving cauliflower after having the mediocre version the night before at The Office Bar, I had seen several rave reviews of this dish, and our server talked it up.

It was a unique dish.  Very unlike anything I've had before.  At the base was the peanut sauce, "bbq'd peanuts", which were chopped, and sorta sauce-like.  But it didn't taste strongly of bbq flavor (which I really did want), and it certainly wasn't like a Thai style peanut sauce.  I enjoy peanuts, but this just wasn't a compelling condiment.  It was relatively low flavor somehow, not even particularly strong in the peanut taste.  This was a cold element.  *+.

Then of course, the cauliflower.  It was nicely charred, but a bit too soft for my taste, and again, just didn't taste like much.  It definitely lacked seasoning.  I believe it was supposed to be a hot/warm dish, but it was mildly lukewarm.  This I suspect was a victim of large group dining.  It was basically just quite boring.  Served as individual pieces, not a "cauliflower steak" as some restaurants do for a main dish.  **.

And then, the green tomato chow chow.  Here we had a real burst of southern cuisine.  This did have flavor, some vinegar, lots of red pepper (which, sadly, I don't love), onion, a little bit of green tomato, and lots of celery.  I did really like the celery.  Flavor, and interesting bits here, but still not something I found myself wanting more of.  It was also barely lukewarm. **.  

Overall, yes, there were 3 layers of components, and they were interesting, and it was unique, but there wasn't a single part of it that made me want another bite, and they didn't combine together to anything better than their individual parts.  I really regretted my choice.  Low, low **.

This dish is actually on the regular menu as a starter, er, "First Flavors", but it was an entree for us, I suspect slightly bigger portion?

Springer Mountain Farms Fried Chicken. $25. 

"Garlic collards, mashed yukon gold potatoes, honey-thyme jus."

The most popular dish at the restaurant, and the one our server definitely talked up, of course is the fried chicken.  The majority of my group got this.

They all seemed happy.  One diner remarked about how incredible a bite with all components from the plate together was.  The only slightly negative remark was around how plating it with the jus like this meant the base got soggy.

I did try the mashed potatoes, and they were quite good.  Rich, thick, rustic chunky style.  Mashed potatoes that I'd have a hard time not finishing.  **** potatoes.

Dessert

The regular menu has just 3 items on it.  Simple and to the point: southern favorite banana pudding,  chocolate bundt cake, and a seasonal hand pie.  I was definitely hoping the pudding would make an appearance on our menu, as I just adore pudding (hence, why my blog has a label dedicated to it).  I was also interested in the hand pie, because, pie!

We did have the pudding AND another southern classic, pecan pie (well, tart).  This isn't on their regular menu.  We were each served both, which I appreciated, but others who are less into dessert thought was too much.

Banana Pudding / Chocolate Pecan Tart.

Banana Pudding

"Banana pudding, banana jam, vanilla wafer, caramel, chantilly."

First up, the one I was most excited for, the banana pudding.  It was served as an individual trifle, not tiny, but reasonable individual size.  Served in these fairly narrow cups it was a bit hard to get a "perfect bite", as the spoon couldn't quite reach down all the way.  The first several bites were basically just whipped cream.  Good, thick, rich, house made whipped cream, don't get me wrong, and I love whipped cream, but, that is basically all we had on top.  It made up at least half the cup!  Oh, and of course the Nila wafer perched on top.  Great whipped cream, ***+, but, just out of balance, so *** overall.

Below that, was the banana jam, and that I really did enjoy.  Sweetened, stewed banana.  Yum.  ****. There were also some fresh banana slices, but just two in my cup.  

And finally, the base, which I guess was some banana pudding, but there wasn't much of it, and it was way at the bottom, so we barely got to taste it.  It was creamy, and had some banana flavor I think, but, the banana jam was so flavorful it was hard to distinguish.  It could easily have been basic instant pudding.  ***.

I don't think there were any vanilla wafers within, which honestly was fine with me, but I did miss the textural component of the softed cake-like wafers in a traditional banana pudding.

Basically, sure, I like whipped cream, and the banana jam was tasty, but this didn't come together all that well, at least as served in these little jars.  I think the version on the regular menu ($10) is larger, and has additional toppings/mix-ins?  *** because I still polished it off, but, banana pudding can be so much better.

Chocolate Pecan Tart

The chocolate pecan tart isn't on their regular menu, although it has been at times in the past (as has a pecan pie).  I love pecan pie, and Georgia is known for pecans, so this is another one that I do generally love, but ... you may read my blog regularly enough to know how I feel about tarts in general (compared to pie crust, or really, most other bases for dessert).  I also was a bit sad because it had chocolate, and I avoid caffeine at night, so I had to save for the next day.

Others commented that it was just too sweet, particularly alongside the banana pudding, and that it was too much whipped cream, given the mound on top of here and the entire top half of the pudding.  They also said they didn't think it actually had chocolate, despite being called a "chocolate pecan tart" on our menu (besides the visible drizzle of chocolate sauce on the plate).  I still brought mine home and waited to try it, as I prefer my pecan pie warm, with ice cream anyway.

They were right - there was no chocolate in here.  I *could* have eaten it fresh that night!  Regardless, I enjoyed the next day, probably even more than they did, as I heated mine up a bit, and did serve it with some vanilla ice cream.  It was a good little tart.

The tart shell was better than average, not just a generic compressed slightly sweet form, it was definitely thicker, darker, and more flavorful than most.  I didn't mind it at all, although of course I'd prefer flaky pie crust.  ***+ shell.

The filling was pretty classic pecan pie.  Crunch from pecans, nice level of sweetness, gooey.  Nothing surprising like honey or maple, just likely corn syrup, which truthfully is what I think makes a good pecan pie anyway.  ***+ filling, although the ratio of filling to tart shell left me wanting more filling.

I wouldn't go out of my way for this, and I still prefer pie over a tart (more filling, better shell), but this was good, and I'd happily eat another.  ***+.

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