Press Sample
I was first introduced to Cheddar’s Casual Cafe way back in my undergrad years. I can’t tell you how many times us college students visited because of the great food and great prices. My family and I recently had the opportunity to sample some of Cheddar’s great menu selection and I again was so pleased with the great food and great prices!
With the holiday season upon us, Cheddar’s Casual Café’s Executive Chef Robert Pesch takes a page from his home and restaurant kitchens to offer readers festive ways to elevate holiday meals with presentation and for making holiday parties memorable and beautiful.
The holidays are the season for savoring moments with loved ones shared over delicious foods. For everything from buffet get-togethers to intimate dinners, Cheddar’s Casual Cafe, a leader in the high-value, American casual dining segment, has festive suggestions for making holiday parties memorable and beautiful.
Think about presentation: Holiday favorites seem new again with a different presentation. Pre-plate meals in the kitchen, carefully arranging foods before serving. Take a cue from the unique way Cheddar’s serves its famous Homemade Onion Rings, artfully stacked high and garnished with chopped parsley and sea salt.
Vary colors and textures: Add bright colors to the plate, perhaps with fresh, steamed vegetables in bright green or orange. Robert Pesch, Cheddar’s executive chef and director of culinary R&D, does this with Cheddar’s Asian Salad using fresh greens and adds carrots and mango stacked between two fresh wonton crisps for color and texture.
Create a signature cocktail or mocktail: A fun drink is memorable with or without alcohol. Think of colors or flavors of the season, and let your imagination run free. For example, Cheddar’s creatively finishes off the Painkiller, its signature cocktail, with a toasted coconut rim.
Get more mileage from your foods: A lovely continental breakfast featuring coffee and croissants can become a base for bread pudding. Cheddar’s takes just this approach with its Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding, featuring croissants blended with chocolate chips and topped with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and almonds – a great option that reimagines a breakfast favorite as a sumptuous holiday dessert.
Don’t forget about healthy, lower-calorie options: Sure, roasted turkey is healthy, but make sure the sides aren’t all heavy, starchy and covered in sauce or gravy. Offer steamed vegetables, salads with a light vinaigrette or baked squash to round out the meal.
My take: As a family of five with a very inquistive 16 month old toddler we don’t tend to go out to eat very often. I rarely find eating out enjoyable because I am trying to keep the kids occupied and quiet so as not to distract other diners. But when the gift certificate to Cheddar’s arrived, I told my husband that we were going to be brave and venture out on a Saturday night and eat at the restaurant. From beginning to end all of my worries were for naught as everything was wonderful. As soon as we tried to find a parking spot I was a little worried because the lot was pretty full so I had my husband run inside to check the wait time. He came back with a little square buzzer and said the wait would be 10-15 minutes. My boys being typical boys just loved taking turns holding onto the buzzer in hopes that it would light up and buzz while it was their turn to hold it. We arrived to a pretty packed waiting room but quickly found the best way to quietly wait our turn….the gigantic fish tank. I swear those 10 minutes went by so quickly because the kids (including the toddler) were entranced.
Once our pager alerted us that are table was ready our hostess immediately brought us to our table and to my relief it was a section full of parents with small kids. The kids could be as loud as they liked because they just blended in with the surronding children. Our waiter as awesome and he continually kept us supplied with beverages, let us know wait times for our food and even offered to bring crackers for the little one. The kids were of course famished so we decided to start with an appetizer,
Triple Treat Sampler – 7.99
A combination of beef, bean and cheese nachos plus your choice of two others: loaded potato skins, crispy chicken tenders or mozzarella cheese sticks. We decided to try the mozzarella cheese sticks and chicken tenders and no one was left empty-handed.
Onto our entrees:
Junior Burger – 4.49
A quarter-pound burger served plain with french fries, edamame or a fresh vegetable.
Penne Pasta Marinara – 4.49
A bowl of penne pasta with our mild marinara sauce.
Baked Spasagna® – 7.99
Spaghetti layered with cheeses and spices, baked and then topped with homemade meat or marinara sauce. Served with warm garlic bread.
Grilled Salmon – 10.99
Choose grilled, blackened or bourbon glazed salmon. Served on a bed of savory rice with two sides.
I also chose the
Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup – Cup – 2.99
Grilled all-white-meat chicken, tomatoes and onions with Southwestern spices, cheddar cheese and tortilla strips because I fondly remembered that from my college days.
Now the boys and I have frequented Cheddar’s almost every holiday/spring/fall break because of the last thing we somehow found enough room for in our stomachs:
Cheddar’s Legendary Monster Cookie – 4.49
A colossal homemade chocolate chip cookie baked in a skillet, topped with premium vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, chopped nuts and a cherry. Baked fresh just for you, please allow a few minutes.
While I will save you the horrible iPhone pictures of our food except for one because if this is not a perfect compliment to a very very good meal I don’t know what is:
We were stuffed and completely enjoyed our meal from the first bite of the appetizer to the last delicious morsel of the Monster Cookie. Every single portion was large and tasted great and the most surprising thing to us is that the entire meal was under $50. I was pleasantly surprised when the boys both chose the apples and yogurt as sides instead of fries. My soup was just as I remembered it and the Baked Spasagna was the perfect combination of spaghetti and lasagna- in fact I think my 16 month old ate just as much of it as I did and I still had enough leftover for lunch the next day. My husband said the salmon was grilled to perfection. So if you are looking for a great restaurant to entertain friends, take your family to, or go on a date Cheddar’s is a great choice!
To help during the hectic holidays and to get mom out of the kitchen, Cheddar’s would love to provide a $30 gift certificate to two lucky MommyPR readers!
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