The Cheesecake Factory, Park Meadows

Had the story of Pandora and her box been true, I wonder what would have gone through her mind at the moment of realization.  As she cracked the forbidden box’s lid, would evil have screamed past her, burning her face with ferocity and shame, or would it have been silent and subtle.  If her experience was anything like mine, it would be a quiet knowledge that something is not right.  Something has been done that can never be undone.  The world will never be the same, and I am to blame.

Ok, I’m being a bit melodramatic.  I don’t hold the keys to good and evil in my hand, but I sometimes hold a fork – which can be an instrument of destruction.  Such was the case on that late summer evening, when the air stood still and dessert beckoned with promises of respite and friendly conversation.  Though I wasn’t in the least bit hungry, I wanted to find something coffee-ish, and found opportunity at The Cheesecake Factory.

The Kahlua® Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake is described as: a rich brownie topped with Kahlua® Cheesecake, creamy chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache.  To complete the experience, I asked the waitress which coffee drink she would recommend.  She pointed out several of the popular drinks - all creamy, sugary, caramel-laced, froofy things – but then said that she prefers the cappuccino.  The cappuccino is a double espresso and foamy steamed milk.  As my first experience with restaurant coffee, it seemed like an appropriate choice.  I’ve tried to avoid restaurant coffee and chain stores, simply because it seems almost irreverent to the coffee quest.  To drink coffee of unknown origin has seemed pointless.  I realize though, that it is part of the coffee culture.  If I am to truly understand coffee and all that surrounds it, I must explore its various venues.

As I waited for the order, I thought for a moment that I could already taste coffee.  It was very strange.  I’m not sure how one’s brain can conjure up so strong a taste memory as to fool one’s senses.  I haven’t been able to determine whether this taste-mirage was an indication of excitement or dread.  Nevertheless, the cheesecake and cappuccino soon arrived.

The cheesecake was exactly as cheesecake ought to be.  It’s light creaminess melted chocolate and heavenly fluff together in delicious unity… but I couldn’t taste any coffee.  In fact, the coffee flavor was so subtle that I had to really concentrate for several bites to detect its presence.  The flavor built up gradually, but it was still not overwhelming.  If I hadn’t detested even the suggestion of coffee in the past, I would have probably enjoyed the cheesecake - even as the true coffee hater I used to be.

I paused before sipping the cappuccino, grinning mischievously over the poised cup, and found Andrea grinning back, eyebrows raised.  She laughed, “I’m waiting for the face, I’m sorry.”  I tried to thwart her expectations by not cringing.  Instead, I took on a thoughtful pose, looking into the distance, eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed to the side.  It didn’t work.  She thought that was funnier than my cringing faces.  Can’t win for losing. Haha. 

My immediate thought was of mud.  I’m not sure why, but I got this picture in my head of thick, dense, smooth, brown mud.  The flavor was very strong, but not overly intense, not burnt, and not sharp.  It was kind of like running into a coffee-shaped wall.  It didn’t grab me, or choke me, or twist my tongue into little origami shapes.  It smacked me upside the face – like running into a door jam that I had not prepared for, despite its having been in the same place forever.  Yes, I dohave extensive experience with running into stuff.  There seemed to be slight nuances of caramelized pecans, but I had no way to know if it came from being paired with cheesecake.  I don’t think I would order the cappuccino again.  It was not horrible as an experience, but I found no pleasure in it.

So, we come to the end.  Perhaps you are wondering how all of this brought about such a strong correlation to Pandora and her fateful box?  It is this: coffee is everywhere, but most especially in desserts.  That is very bad.  I have unlocked the forbidden door.  The time may soon come when I will have to choose between coffee and food.  If I am to review coffee or dessert, I will have to refrain from eating my fill of other nutrients.  I have this vague notion that I may end up with Stockholm syndrome.  By being held captive by the necessity of coffee for the purpose of blogging, I may begin to relate to my coffee-captor with unnatural affection, thus defiling the purpose of the blog.  This could be a vicious cycle!  The alternative would be to eat normally, drink coffee, and eat dessert with alarming alacrity, until I feel as if I’ve eaten a whale, and begin to take on a whale’s characteristics.  They say, “You are what you eat.”  I am not prepared to be a whale.  I believe I would have some difficulty driving to work.


http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com