My Thoughts for the Day

Last night I ate at The Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach. I haven't been to one in a long time so I wanted to try it out. The food was good to say the least. It is one of the few left that seem to give you some type of food at the beginning of the meal. They give you bread and butter which is good. There are a few restaurants out there that still do it but not many. I ended up ordering the Pasta Carbonara with chicken. It was ok. Now don't get me wrong, I understand this is America and as Americans we like to put our own spin on things but let me tell you. It was not even near to the real thing. In fact in all the places I have eaten at and ordered it nothing comes close to the real thing. I guess living in Italy for three years has made me skeptical when it comes to that dish. 

I love the way its made in Italy, the correct way. Its supposed to made with egg, cheese, bacon and black pepper. Its supposed to be done with spaghetti but some places use a different type of pasta like fettuccine. Either way this dish, like I said was ok. The atmosphere at the restaurant was nice. It was crowded of course being a Friday evening which made it difficult to hear but it was fun and intimate. The desert was good as well, I ordered the Dutch Apple Cheesecake which was delicious!

I would go back there again but with the prices being in the upper area since its in Redondo Beach, it will be awhile. However I do recommend it but, like I said every once in awhile do to price, unless you can afford it that is. 

Funny thing, a lot of people believe that pasta is fattening. Well its really not. The pasta itself is fine, its what goes with the pasta that is fattening. Look at the Italians for instance. They eat pasta all the time, day and night but they are skinny. That is one of the things I learning when first getting over there is that pasta is good for you. That you just have to watch what you put on it to make sure that you don't get fatter by it. It is a great food to enjoy but just be careful what you put with it and you will be fine. 

When I came back to the states from Italy in 2000 it took me a bit to be able to eat Italian food again because nothing compared or came close to the real thing. When my family went to Olive Garden or some other place that served Italian food I would not go or just get something off the menu that was not supposed to be from there. One thing that people don't realize either is that the pizza it Italy is made totally different and it's very delicious!! I have, to this day, not found anything at all that comes close to their delicious pizza and the way it is made. It was the best that I have ever had in my life. Believe me if you ever get a chance to go to Italy and order one of their pizzas, please do. It was awesome!! I wish I could have taken a picture to show but, of course, back then we didn't have the technology we do now. Oh well maybe that can be another article for the blog at another time.