CHEESECAKE FACTORY

Forum Shops at Caesars, 3500 S Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Nevada, (702) 792-6888, Mon-Fri 11:00 am to 11:30 pm, Sat-Sun 10:30 am to 12:30 am

Beverly Hills, 364 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, Ca. (310) 278-7270, Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week and late hours Fri. and Sat.

We went to two cheesecake factories while on vacation.  One was in the forum shops area of Caesars, the other was in Beverly Hills just off Rodeo Drive.  They are absolutely amazing restaurants!!

CAESARS

While examining their giant menu we decided on a nice Berringer Cabernet Sauvignon which is sold here under their label.

After we ordered our wine, a basket of fresh breads arrived at our table.

Their menu is quite extensive and varied, which makes selection so hard, however my wife and I chose the same dish, herb crusted salmon.

Despite being so covered in herbs, it tasted divine and not a bit over done.  The mashed potatoes under the fish were melt in your mouth and the asparagus spears were cooked perfectly and not mushy.  This meal was excellent!

Normally I avoid dessert after such a large portion, but since it was the Cheese Factory, I had to indulge.  So we examined the dessert menu of cheesecakes and other desserts.

Since the mains were so large we decided to split the dessert and chose the Tiramisu cheesecake.  It was light not heavy and spectacular!!!

My wife accompanied it with a coffee and I had a double espresso.

The meal was incredible and any dishes I saw come out of the kitchen were impressive.  The price was very reasonable for what we had.

BEVERLY  HILLS

We also managed to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory near Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills - it too was amazing!! 

My wife had the fetuccine alfredo it was divine!

I had a half turkey sandwich and salad (the pic did not turn out well).

 We absolutely enjoyed both cheesecake factories and would certainly return.  They are well run, have great food and service and are very reasonably priced - a winning combination!! They have become one of our favourite restaurants!!

http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/

RED CROW COFFEE 

211 James Street South, Hamilton, Ontario (905) 521-2124, for hours of operation see there website provided below.

Went to Red Crow with my son Tom for their Brunch and a coffee.  He had been here before and suggested we try their brunch.  It included a selection of omelettes, so we both selected their mushroom and potato omelette.  We were going to order an americano coffee, but Bob at the counter suggested we try their Red Crow version.  It was very strong and satisfying version that was just the way Tom and I like our coffee.

 The Brunch selections were written in a blackboard, and today the omelette selection was $5!  

It was accompanied by a nice salad, watermelon, and a multigrain toast.  It was a tasty brunch that was not greasy, but very tasty and good value for $5.  There are a variety of seating choices and it was quite full on a Victoria Day holiday Monday.

We sat at a bar table at the front window overlooking James Street South.

The inside is typical of many independent coffee bars.

The menu is posted on a board:

We found Red Crow friendly, inviting and reasonably priced.  The Red was a great coffee and we will definitely return.  It has a relaxing atmosphere and a good variety of food choices.

http://www.redcrowcoffee.com/

THE EXPRESS ITALIAN EATERY WESTDALE 

1034 King Street West, Hamilton, On., (289) 389-2008, Sun. - Wed. 11:30 - 10:00 pm, Thurs. - Sat. 11:30 - 11:00 pm

Went to the Express, in the Westdale Village in Hamilton, early on a Saturday evening for a light dinner.  It is a relatively new establishment in Westdale, that serves wood oven pizza in an open kitchen, panini, soup, salads, pastas etc..  It is licensed and the house red was only $6 a glass.

It has a quaint bar area

and a variety of seating, including a window view of the village.

There is a wood oven and take out service.

I checked the menu. 

I chose the Muffaletta panini.  It included salami, mortadella, prosciutto, arugala and provolone and came with a soup or salad for $12.

The soup was prosciutto and potato, it was rich but quite salty (because it contained large chunks of prosciutto).

The panini was crisp and quite thick with rich meats.

By the time I was finished the restaurant was filling up.

All in all it was a nice meal.  The service was efficient, the food was tasty (albeit very salty) and the prices were reasonable.  There is another much larger Express located at the other end of Hamilton in Stoney Creek on Grays Road.

http://www.expressrestaurant.com/

GOOD BREAD COMPANY

GOOD BREAD COMPANY 

While driving around some side roads in Norfolk County we came upon Good Bread Company in the village of Vittoria.  They pride themselves as a local artisan bakery and our impression was that they are artisans.  They bake an extensive selection of breads including raisin bread, sourdough, rustic ryes, and others which vary by season.

They also bake a variety of baked goods, including pies, muffins and croissants.

We selected a light rye loaf and half a dozen butter tarts that are made in house.  The butter tarts are SPECTACULAR!  They were sweet, rich and melted in your mouth.  We selected three pecan and three raisin and thoroughly enjoyed both.  We sat on a picnic bench out in front of the bakery and ate them all.

The staff and owner are very friendly and proud of their products and rightly so.  Located in the village of Vittoria 15 minutes south of Simcoe it is well worth a visit.

http://goodbreadcompany.ca/index.html