On Friday, Best Friend A, Best Friend E, and I went to the Estelle/Gym Class Heroes/Roots concert down at Rams Head Live! here in Baltimore. We got there a little after 6 pm, and picked up the tickets from will call. The doors were scheduled to open at 6:30, but since the venue was having problems with soundcheck, we ended up waiting outside until damn near 8pm.

Although this was my 2nd time seeing GCH, it was my first time seeing The Roots live. I've heard from various people that they put on an excellent live show, so that only made me want to see them more. I forgot my camera like a dumbass but I did snap a few pics on my camera phone. Check for 'em after the break.

Estelle was a good opening act for the concert, and her music was ok. Gym Class Heroes came on performing some of their classics plus material from their new album. They definitely put on a good show. I wish they would've performed more tracks off of The Quilt though.

Although the first two acts of the night were excellent, the highlight of the night was the performance by The Legendary Roots Crew. The term "The Roots put on a good show" was an understatement. It's hard to explain because I don't know how to put their performance into words, but just know that when they came on, they shut it down. They performed some tracks, but the majority of their set was just live music. They covered all the genres from blues and soul, to straight up rock and roll. It was a great show and I recommend that you check it out if comes to a city near you.

Last night, I went to the DMV Blogger meet up which was hosted by SistaSocialite. It took place at The Cheesecake Factory in Friendship Heights (DC). Fellow bloggers Dave, KayelleJaye (which is pronouced KLJ), Leon (who's just as funny in person as he is on the site), e2deep, my homie 1/3. and Coca Cola Cutie were in attendance. 1/3 and I got there a little late since we were coming all the way from Baltimore, but it was all good because they hadn't ordered yet. We met up, shared a few laughs, had a Q & A session about Orange Chicken with our waitress, and had an overall good time. I'm definitely looking forward to the next meet up.

This will most likely be my last Saturday off until I head to South Florida to visit The Haitians in January, so it was definitely a good day. Tomorrow, I'm gonna be back to work per usual.

Random Thought of the Moment: (I'm watching Boxing on HBO, btw) "Well damn, is someone gonna throw a punch, or are ya'll gonna just waltz around each other all night?"

The Song of the Moment: "I Got it Made" by Special Ed.

The build up to our first date started early our senior year at uni. It began with his casual, non-chalant visits to my door because he "happened to be walking by." Then he woo'd me with his sweet and personal emails, letters, and CD compilations of music he thought I'd like, complete with his own artistic CD labels and cases. For not really knowing me that well, he did a good job in the music selection department. His kind gestures were cute and got my attention. Soon something clicked for the both of us and we each decided we could be good for each other... why not give it a go.

Paul asked me out and I said yes. Off to the Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills we went. Over a Chinese chicken salad for myself and the Thai peanut noodles for Paul, we talked, laughed and tried to hide our nerves. He was the perfect gentleman picking me up with flowers in hand, opening all the doors and of course, he paid the bill. He was sweet, we had a great time and as the saying goes, the rest is history. Whenever I think about that day in 1999, I still get all warm and fuzzy inside. I guess we've still got it after all those years.

By the way, doesn't 1999 seem so long ago? Like a whole other century! God, we're getting old.

OK here's some cake fresh out of the oven for ya. Now, is this one hot or what? Those who like a like a lil extra dessert can have enough for a week. Wooow.  I wouldn't mind having a quick "fling" for a week with this one or just a chance to rub that "ass". Talkin bout a release! LOL.  Here name is "Latin Spice" and you can find her on "mycams".  When you type in her name you have to do it like this: XLATINXSPICEX.  Save me some cake too! Chat soon.

the margarita (on the rocks with salt rim) and taquitos were pretty tasty.

taquitos were pretty good

we had two orders of guacamole...these were $9 each!

i had a carne asada steak, done medium.  it tasted delicious but  Mexican steaks will never stack up to Ruth's Chris' so next time i would stick with the motherland favorites

if someone rich (say like, the company) is sponsoring lunch, then this place is a fine choice on Olvera Street.  otherwise, it's a little bit on the expensive side ($9 for an order of guacamole?), although it's almost expected, since Olvera street is a tourist trap

http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-paseo-inn-los-angeles#hrid:1tWKVoJGmGC1bJyQxH5ktQ

Cheesecake Factory (Americana, Glendale, CA)
New Amerian. 

Thumbs up for $1.50 Cheesecake
Thumbs up to our waiter for his attentive service at the bar area
Thumbs down for explosive diarrhea
Thumbs down for Cheesecake Factory, the chain/concept

Today Cheesecake Factory was offering their 30th anniversary special with $1.50 slices of cheesecake.

Lured by the gimmick (like those 'buy more to save more' ones), we decided to take advantage on the discount on dessert.

My friends grabbed a table early at the bar and we had excellent service by our waiter.  Great directions to our friend on the road, meaningful answers to questions, complimentary extra guacamole, etc.  We gave the waiter a 25% tip.

I had the rye bread, a Factory Bellini, and nachos.  It tasted great going down, but within a short time of leaving, I started to feel sick.  

Let's just say driving while your intestines are about to explode + your exit from the freeway to go home is blocked off = not a good time.  I usually get the same explosive feelings when i eat kimchi from korean places.  I'm just thankful that I made it to my bathroom before unleashing a bowl of fury.

In general, I'm just not a fan of Cheesecake Factory.  Nothing in the menu excites me like the ones at hole-in-the-walls do, although I do find things I would like to try if I am obligated to eat there.  I just feel like it's an overpriced excuse to eat together.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-cheesecake-factory-glendale#hrid:_w126dBXgMUnrGSIoMdX7Q

Factory Bellini - delicious.  the rye bread was pretty good

nachos - good to share with multiple people.  the cheese gets hard fast.  i wasn't hungry, so i shared this with T and D

K got a pasta... looks like chicken

ahh, the cheesecake, what we came for.  I got the Snickers cheesecake - doesn't really feel/taste like it except for the chopped peanuts?

white chocolate raspberry truffle

fresh strawberry

banana cream

Det bar av till Mike's för en till BBQ kväll tillsammans med Andrew, Liv, Kristina, Sean, en till som jag inte minns namnet på, Liam och självklart Porter ;) Dracks och åt mycket gott. Saker spraymålades och hela gänget gick på skogspromenix. Underbart! EmmO joinade oss när hon hade slutat men kunde inte stanna så länge tyvärr :(

I fredags rev det i magarna på både mig och Emmo så vi beslöt oss för att sätta oss på CF, för omväxlingsskull ;) Självklart va både Eric och Anders där.. :P Vår servitör va dock av den sega, glömska sorten, så jag fick ett riktigt irritationsutbrott i slutet av vår måltid. Inte kul. Trevlig middag annars.

Därifrån stack vi hem till mig och byllsade på oss 100 lager kläder och filtar inför vår kvällspicnic. Självklart glömde vi bort själva picnicdelen, men det gjorde inte så mycket ;) Vi hade kul ändå.

Idag har jag och L haft för oss lite av varje. Solen sken och det var riktigt skönt ute! Perfekt slut på veckan!

Sitter nu och pustar innan ännu en måndag knackar på dörren och säger att det är dags att gå tillbaka till veckorutinen..

Now, don't take my cynicism wrong. I grew up in Southlake, north side in fact. Of course, by the time I graduated high school the north side was the wrong side of the highway. Anyway, when I was a kid 1709 was barely two lanes, no shoulders, and fields filled with cows. Now, it is 6 lanes wide, no fields, but there are still a lot of cows oddly enough. Anyway, we get in, park, and head straight to James Avery where I had a ring resized. Funny, Jaclyn bought it for me our first Christmas together while dating for $30. It cost $27 to have it up-sized one size 13 years later. Thank you boomer generation. We headed immediately to the Cheesecake Factory, which was a short 3 mile hike to the back end of the town SQUARE. We asked to be seated on the patio in order to catch a glimpse of someone I surely thought was Paris Hilton, but sadly she had only paid a good deal of money to make herself look just like her.

As we quietly sat at our table, at least as quietly as you can with our two boys who did a great job at first being quiet which was amazing (perhaps they were awed by the awesome imitation star power of the Paris Hilton look alike), trying to decide what we would like to order a gaggle of tennis moms came in. Now, when you are as high-powered as the Southlake elite soccermomdom is below your standard. A group of 7-8 ladies came in in coordinating tennis outfits, yes I did write "coordinating tennis outfits". Unfortunately, they probably should spend some more time playing tennis rather than stopping for lunch at the CHEESECAKE Factory. At this point, I just tried to tame my sharp sarcasm rather than letting it all out as Jaclyn looked at me with a look telling me to shut up while smirking at the glorious Seinfeld material that these ladies were. I will leave the story of the silicone quads for Jaclyn to tell as she had the better view than I did. Oh what a fabulous day in Yuppie World that day.

After eating we ventured out into the bonanza of shopping available. We marveled at the offerings at stores like The Paper Closet, Jos. A Banks, Baby Bliss, and more. And so our few hours at Yuppie World came to a close. We got back in our van and came back home. I then took a long shower to wash the cooties off of me. Until our next adventure, stay grounded my friends.

Ambience: 5
Food: 5
Price: 5
Service: 5
Cleanliness: 5

I am heading back to Richmond this weekend with my girlfriend to visit with friends and family.  I'm really excited because tonight we are celebrating Donna's birthday by going out to the Cheesecake Factory and then going out for some drinks afterwards.  My jaw is still sore, but I'll push on through to regain my fat kid status.  I always have a great time hanging out with the Hennigs and it's going to be even better having my mom and sister join us.  I haven't been back to Richmond since my accident and I've missed everyone dearly.  I can't wait to get back tonight and have some fun.  Happy Birthday Donna, I hope you have a great time as well.

You know the expression, "A time and place for everything..."

A couple close girlfriends and I go out to lunch quite a bit, but what's on our plates--or not on our plates--has never been an issue or a topic of discussion.

Everyone has their likes/dislikes, and people make choices for various reasons. And even if someone thinks it, no one has ever called me out on being like Sally in "When Harry Met Sally" before I, myself, could comment about my pickiness.

This week, however, I was traveling with four male companions (whom I rarely interact with) and suddenly, it was as though my eating habits were exposed, on display for all to see.

I actually felt downright uncomfortable on several occasions--even high-maintenance, which is a million times worse than just "picky!"

The thing is, I wasn't trying to draw attention to myself, and I wasn't making comments about the food--not about what I, or they, were eating.

But as we ate the boxed lunches the first day, someone commented, "No bread?" when I discretely (or so I thought) took the turkey, lettuce and tomato off my sandwich and cut it.

(Sorry, but a soggy sub roll -- nasty conference food -- doesn't cut it for me! Not worth the calories or points!)

At breakfast the next day, one said, "Dry eggs? What is that all about?"

And then, while turning a few shades of crimson (as I hate drawing attention to the fact that I am always watching what I eat), when I explained why I get my food prepared dry (they didn't know what it meant), I got a shocked look and a "No oil!?"

And then he had the audacity to tease, "Wow, you and I would definitely not be compatible!!" (As if!)

See, they didn't know me chubby (pre-Weight Watchers) so they probably wouldn't suspect I'd be quite as annoying a dining companion as I admittedly am.

I know deep down they didn't mean any harm and surely were just being boys, and their wives maybe don't eat the same way I do, but I hated being in the hot-seat.

I order how I order, and was 99% sure I'd gotten over the "what will others think?" concerns. But then this week, it was like my food choices felt amplified in surround sound--Bose speakers or something!--for all to poke at.

The icing on the cake came Wednesday when one of my co-workers and I went to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, a favorite of mine from when I lived in DC. It's a place where I always order the most naked salad possible so I can indulge in a couple bites of cheesecake and savor them.

I ordered the dinner portion of the Luau Salad figuring I could always take some home. I was specific, as always: "No macadamia nuts, no sesame seeds, no wontons, and the reduced fat vinaigrette on the side, please. Basically veggies, chicken, mango. Thanks!"

Well... it wasn't meant to be.

My salad came out in a lunch portion (as did my co-worker's pasta dish), and it was literally drenched in dressing.

I didn't want to be a PITA--and I didn't blame the waiter at all--but I did send it back with a sheepish, "I'm sorry" shrug, explaining what was wrong.

My coworker was cool about it and said not to worry and the waiter apologized profusely. Turns out someone back in the kitchen had been screwing up left and right all week long and this was the last straw. (They're probably fired by now as I write this...)

So I nibbled on a piece of warm whole grain bread while I waited. The salad came out a second time 15 minutes later, and this time I could see a different dressing (this time white) all over it. You can imagine my disappointment.

I didn't want to cause a fuss, but I was hungry and at this point, annoyed. I could tell my coworker was starting to see a side of me he didn't know; he seemed surprised I didn't just eat it.

And truth be told, I was feeling a little embarassed to seem so high-maintenance. But I wanted what I wanted, darn it!

That said, I downplayed it and just told him I didn't have the Points for the dressing, and he seemed to understand and continued to eat his lunch, giving me sidelong glances that he probably didn't even realize I caught.

The thing is, I don't believe in eating extra calories in an "oops" moment anymore.

Maybe in the beginning, I would have chalked it up to a mistake, but this close to goal (again) every calorie, quite frankly, counts and even if I am not obsessing over them by the number, I don't need any extras I hadn't planned for -- and I knew I wanted a taste of cheesecake for dessert! THAT was where I wanted to "spend" my Points!

So I was picking at my plate when the waiter came by to ask if everything was ok this go-around. I explained to him that I hated to say it, but they'd messed up again.

Now he was really upset; not with me--but with the staff in the back. Having waited tables every summer break during college, I knew how frustrating it can be as a server when the food comes out wrong--and this time it wasn't once, but twice.

Since I could totally feel his frustration (aimed at the food staff), I tried to be the cool, calm customer, and asked him to have them make a new one and just wrap it to go--and then asked for the dessert menu.

The waiter was awesome and took mine off the bill, but it was one of those moments where I just wish I could have been a more flexible diner who wasn't high maintenance and went with the flow.

But not at the sacrifice of my health. Who wants to spend 6-7 points on dressing?! Not me!

In retrospect, I know eating the dressing wouldn't have made me fat, but it was the principle of the thing. I just wish my eating habits weren't amplified the way they were, especially at lunch.

I don't like coming off as prissy or high maintenance, and I realize I did this week.

There's no going back, and while I don't think I was wrong for returning the food--maybe a kvetch, but not wrong... I didn't like being "that girl...," the one people probably rolled their eyes at and groaned at under their breath.

Honestly, it's been years since I've cared about this stuff. My friends, family, and husband all know how I order and just accept it, or tease me gently about it.

But being in the hot-seat on more than one occasion this week among "strangers", I certainly felt the heat.

How about you? Would you have sent back a meal twice if it was not prepared in the healthy way you'd requested it? Or would you have sucked it up in the company of "strangers" (i.e., not your significant others or close friends)?

This year marks the 30th anniversary of The Cheesecake Factory's first restaurant opening and the Company will be serving up several sweet initiatives throughout the year, including the launch of a special website that will highlight various anniversary activities. Among other initiatives, a limited edition cheesecake - the 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake - will be introduced on July 30, with $0.25 from the sale of each slice sold this year benefiting the national hunger-relief organization, America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network.

"National Cheesecake Day is a terrific day for us to kick-off our 30th anniversary activities and a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the occasion with our guests," said David Overton, Chairman and CEO. "Still utilizing my mother's original cheesecake recipe is a tribute to her sense of quality and taste, and that magic is still alive today.

"We are pleased to commemorate this milestone with the introduction of our special anniversary cheesecake and to donate a portion of the proceeds to support America's Second Harvest. This organization helps supply food to 25 million people each year in the communities that we are part of. We are proud to be affiliated with America's Second Harvest," concluded Overton.

About The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ: CAKE) created the upscale casual dining segment in 1978 with the introduction of its namesake concept and continues to define it today. The Company operates 143 restaurants throughout the U.S. under The Cheesecake Factory(R) name with an extensive menu of more than 200 items. Grand Lux Cafe(R), the Company's second concept, has 13 units in operation across the U.S. offering a broad menu of more than 150 items. The Company also operates one unit of its newest concept, RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen(TM), and two bakery production facilities in Calabasas Hills, CA and Rocky Mount, NC that produce over 60 varieties of quality cheesecakes and other baked products. Additionally, the Company licenses two bakery cafe outlets to another foodservice operator under The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe(R) mark. For more information, please visit thecheesecakefactory.com.

SOURCE: The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated
Investor contact:
Jill Peters, 818-871-8342
jpeters@thecheesecakefactory.com
or
B/W/R Public Relations
Media contacts:
Kelly Striewski, 310-248-6164
kstriewski@bwr-la.com
Heather McGuire, 310-248-6141
hmcguire@bwr-la.com