The Cheesecake Factory - Toronto

Feb 7, 2021

After my experience with Ghost Kitchen's Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes, I wanted to get the real thing to compare. And the real thing is so much better! The slices were bigger and it was fresher and tastier than the Ghost Kitchen version (although those were cheaper, the portion sizes were double at the actual Cheesecake Factory). I preordered online so I just had to go in and pick up my cheesecake order (the other option was for them to bring it out, but I figured it'd be faster if I went in)

Tiramisu Cheesecake $10.50

Strong tiramisu flavour, not too much of the coffee or liqueur flavour, but it was distinctly the full combination of all the flavours that make up a tiramisu (mascarpone cheese, coffee, liqueur and cocoa). It was also nice that there were ladyfingers in the cheesecake. Very yummy!

Pineapple upside down cheesecake $10.95

The cheesecake came with two layers of pineapple upside down cake sandwiching a layer of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake in the middle. It was on the sweet side, but super delicious and sugary and perfect for lovers of pineapple upside down cake and cheesecake. It has become one of my favourite cheesecakes here - I would definitely get this again since it's so unique and tasty!

Feb 18, 2018

We were hoping the lineups to eat at the Cheesecake Factory would have died down by now, but there was still a line and a wait to eat here. 

 

The menu is intense - you almost have to know exactly what you want to eat. 

Complementary bread 

Farfalle with chicken and roasted garlic

Huge portion of food, but I thought it only tasted okay. It was really heavy on the cream sauce. 

Fish Tacos

Sizable portion (of mostly fish) - the condiments were kinda missing from the menu profile. 

Factory combination with herb crusted salmon and shrimp scampi  

A huge plate, but a rather haphazardly thrown together meal of a few asparagus stalks, mashed potatoes and shrimp. 

Factory Combination: Steak Diane and Chicken Madeira

Steak Diane with mashed potatoes

Overall: Not impressed by the food here - I think I'll save my Cheesecake Factory obsession for restaurants in the US. 

Jan 18, 2018

Hazelnut Cheesecake

This is probably my favourite cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. I love hazelnut and they do such an amazing cheesecake. It's just the perfect combination - nutty flavourful hazelnut and chocolate with a crumbly cookie crust and yummy New York style cheesecake. 

Jan 16, 2018

Toronto finally has a location of The Cheesecake Factory!!!

The lineups are also insane - but the takeout cheesecake line wasn't too terrible (worth waiting for!)

Mango Key Lime Cheesecake

This sounds like a dream combo since I love mango and key lime, but something about the sweet mango and tart key lime in this cheesecake don't work well for me. I also tried this in Vegas, and I still don't like it. Random thought: I wonder if they ship the cheesecakes from the US for the Toronto store. 

Website: https://locations.thecheesecakefactory.com/on/north-york-1501.html

Grand Electric Taqueria

Update: Location has closed.

Carne Asada $5.25 and Baja Fish $5

Yummy tacos and pretty reasonable prices. 

Website: http://grandelectrictoronto.com/parkdale/

Como En Casa

Tacos

Enchiladas $15.82

Pretty good enchiladas, but a tad on the expensive side for lunch.

Luma

Nov 6, 2018

We were going to see a show at the Princess of Wales Theatre, so it made sense to grab a meal close by at Luma.

 Calamari Tacos and Steak Frites
The steak was good with the chermoula, but I would skip the tacos next time.

 Short Rib Mac & Cheese
I liked the dish - the cheese sauce really tied it all together.

Grilled Salmon

Dec 31, 2012

On the second floor of the Tiff Bell Lightbox building is Luma, another Oliver & Bonacini restaurant. 

Another photography fail...I don't know why I thought these looked okay without flash. Generally, I try to avoid using flash photography in restaurants because I know it's really annoying and distracting to your companions and other restaurant patrons. It's a fine line between wanting your blog entries to be nice vs. driving people insane in the restaurant with your cameras (in this case the latter won)

Burrata cheese with butternut squash, spiced walnuts and black pepper maple vinaigrette $17

The mozzarella was soft with a delicate and light taste. The butternut squash purée and vinaigrette added a stronger flavour to the creamy cheese. It was beautifully presented. 

 

Arctic Char with parsnip purée, roasted salsify, parsley root and red wine vanilla jus $26

I really liked the medley of root vegetables especially the long strips of roasted salsify. The arctic char was also really nicely done with a crispy skin and tender flaky meat.

 

Steak frites with grilled strip loin with red wine braised shallots and truffle parmesan fries $29 

Truffle (or truffle oil) really does make everything better (it has an additional benefit of allowing restauranteurs and chefs to hike up the price tag on a dish). The fries were delicious and the steak was a nice medium rare. 

Pistachio Financier with cardamom poached pear, gianduja chocolate mousse and almond milk ice cream $9

Amazing! I loved the pistachio financier (small, light and moist French cake made with almond flour) - it was delicate, tasty and who doesn't love the combination of pistachio and almond? Add that to the beautifully spiced poached pears, dollops of rich hazelnut and chocolate mousse and light and creamy almond ice cream and you officially have one of the best desserts of 2012. WOW!

Sticky Toffee Pudding with whisky butter sauce, apple compote and chestnut ice cream $9

This dessert was a little disappointing considering the portion size and price. The plating looks artistic, but the sticky toffee pudding kind of tasted like fruitcake. It tasted better with the whisky butter sauce, apple compote and chestnut ice cream, but I'd prefer the pistachio financier. 

Overall: Great meal at Luma! The food was really nice, service was attentive and quick (they were considerate and accommodating around showtimes and schedules), and the ambiance was great. Little heads up: Luma is definitely on the pricier side of things. 

Website: http://www.oliverbonacini.com/Luma.aspx

Tacos El Gordo - Las Vegas

The tacos were $2.40 each

I can't believe how cheap they are! The lineups were long though.

Carne Asada, Al Pastor and some other tacos

Delicious! Everything was really good. 

Website: http://tacoselgordobc.com/

La Carnita @ Yonge & Eglinton

 

Tortilla chips with three dips: corn salsa, guacamole and spicy bean

All were pretty good, but the guacamole went the fastest. 

In cod we trust and carne asada

Pollo Frito and Mexican Chorizo

Tuna Ceviche tostada

Everything was very colourful and pretty tasty. 

Website: http://www.lacarnita.com/

Masa - Boston

Masa has a super cheap brunch option: 2 courses for $9.95. 

Caramelized Plantain Empanadas

Really cool and pretty tasty

Selection of corn bread and bread with jam, tapenade and something else

Breakfast Tacos 

Delicious Latin American flavours in a fun, stylish breakfast

Jalisco Chocolate chip pancakes with mango butter and Huevo Rancheros (sunnyside eggs and cheese, tortilla and beans)

The mango butter was really good which made the pancakes really good too! 

Creamy Chorizo scrambled eggs with home fries and toast

Hearty meal

Website: http://www.masarestaurant.com/

Mestiza - SF

Chips

Carne Asada, Filipino Pork Adobo and Khmer Lemongrass Chicken

The Asian fusion tacos were pretty interesting - some flavourful combinations. 

Website: https://www.mestizasf.com/new-folder

Toca Madera - Los Angeles

 

Santa Monica Pier

Views from Griffith Observatory

 

A very hip and happening atmosphere at Toca (Migos was at another table and I think we saw Lebron James)

Nachos - some of the thinnest chips I've ever had.

Guacamole!

Make your own tacos (5 tacos - chicken and carne molida) $15

Tacos were wrapped in foil 

Website: https://www.tocamadera.com/