Bertucci's lunch...it was okay, but it's a chain so....

Went to Bertucci's with the family for lunch today. It was okay. I suppose that's all I could expect from a chain, but usually I am pretty happy with Bertucci's. The restaurant was very quiet for a Saturday at 12:30. That didn't bode well for our rolls which were cold and hard. Seemed like they were leftover from yesterday. Ugh!

We asked for new ones and those were slightly warmer and slightly more fresh, but still not the piping hot, soft rolls we usually get there. Oh well.

We ordered two appetizers: the Mozzarella Fritta and the Artichoke Fonduta. I have to say that these were both excellent. The mozzarella was hot and gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside. The Artichoke Fonduta was surprisingly delicious with the tang of the artichoke throughout the dip. The pita crisps that it came with were nice and crunchy and had some sort of seasoning on them that gave them a little kick. By the way, the Fonduta had a little kick in it as well.

We then got salad for the table which came with my husband's lunch. So, needless to say, after eating a roll, some mozzarella, about 3/4's of the Fonduta with pita crisps and a bit of salad, I had not room left for the lasagna that I shouldn't have ordered. In fact, it's in my refrigerator waiting to become my lunch tomorrow.

My daughter loved her Fettuccine Alfredo with asparagus and chicken. My husband had Chicken Piccata and said that his chicken was overcooked and dry. My stepson had the Rigatoni Abruzzi and, well, he didn't say much about it and he did not take home the leftovers. You decide how well he liked it. My other daughter ordered a child's meal, ate the chicken and left the pasta.

So, as I said, it was okay.

The Carnegie Deli...still the Best Cheesecake!

Took my daughter to NYC last weekend to do some sight seeing and spend some time together. We met up with some friends of mine on Saturday evening and had dinner at the iconic Carnegie Deli at 854 7th Avenue at 55th Street.

My daughter and I shared the Prime Brisket of Beef Pot Roast with potato pancake and vegetables. We shared because the meals are HUGE! The pot roast was nice and tender and came with a delicious brown gravy. The potato pancake was thick and dense and, frankly, kind of tasteless and bland. The vegetables were steamed and, well, just vegetables.

My friends shared an equally HUGE Reuben which they said they enjoyed very much. What I saw when their plate arrived was a mountain of corned beef covered by a layer of swiss cheese. Apparently the rest of the components of a Reuben were buried underneath.

The piece de resistance, however, was and always is, the cheesecake. We ordered one simple cheesecake with strawberries. It was also HUGE. Actually, we divided it up among five people and we were all quite satisfied with how much we got. The Carnegie Deli cheesecake is the SMOOTHIEST, CREAMIEST cheesecake on the planet...bar none. The strawberries were sweet and plump and perfect on the top.

I have loved the Carnegie Deli since I first went there back in 1993. They did not disappoint me this time either.

Visit them at: http://www.carnegiedeli.com/home.php