Cajun Jambalaya Pasta from Cheesecake Factory - $14.95

132 Christiana Mall, Newark, DE - 302.454.9444

http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com

Firstable, I sorta guessed the price, so don't get all finicky on me for being wrong.

This was my first ever experience at Cheesecake Factory after numerous previous attempts so there was a bit of hype and.... and it fared pretty well in my mind.

I drove my takeout order about 30 minutes away before chowing down and the chicken was STILL tender and juicy. I really love how they placed a fat layer of shrimp and chicken over the bed of al dente pasta. I almost want to say everything was spot on for this dish, but alas, there is a complaint - the lack of Andouille sausage. That's my favorite part of Jambalaya! How can you make jambalaya without the Andouille sausage!?

That "flaw" alone is reason enough for me to choose something else on the menu the next time I go - but that's also because I have a hidden agenda to explore some of their other tantalizing dishes (e.g. chicken madeira... mmmm).

Shrimp Toast from Lao Sze Chuan - $5.95

1331 West Ogden Avenue, Downers Grove, IL - 630.663.0303

Here's a yummy little Chinese appetizer. It's essentially a fried dumpling with shrimp inside. I liken it to a Chinese shrimp-flavored version of Burger King's French toast sticks - probably because of the texture. Nothing particularly fancy about this item.

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun from Ming Chu – ~$1

Chinese Hawker Stalls all over Malaysia.

Hong Kong style Chee Cheong Fun is what I sometimes have for supper when at work. Normally you only get it when you “yum cha” (literally drink tea, it means to have dim sum for breakfast/brunch as per Hong Kong customs – they call it “drink tea” because they usually sit there after dim sum and just chat over continuous refills of chinese tea for many hours…… or so I’ve been told), but this is Malaysia so we get it at hawker stalls that open till late, 3am even.

It’s not a very filling dish so I normally have 2 helpings. It’s very thin rice erm….. I don’t even know what you call it but it’s made of rice and  stretched out very thinly and then steamed, when stretched out it is slightly translucent. It looks like a very thin wet cloth when they move it around. Then ingredients are put in the middle, re-steamed and the whole thing is rolled into a strip and cut into pieces. I MAY have gotten the order of events wrong, I don’t actually remember when they re-steam it. Your choice of ingredients are either “char siew” (barbecued pork) or shrimp, or both. Served with soy sauce and dried chilli oil, left of picture.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp from Riva - ???

2020 Calamos Court, Naperville, IL - (630)718-1010

I ate this a long time ago so I don't quite remember its exact name or its price. I DO recall that it was tasty, but bordering the I'm-not-sure-it's-worth-the-price mark. Riva is a classier joint though, so I'm a bit more forgiving.

Aussie Trio from Matilda's Pub & Barbie - $12.99

801 South College Avenue, Newark, DE - 302.737.4800

"An awesome trio of Emu, coconut prawns, and Roo, served with three sauces: sesame ginger, teriyaki sauce, and manga salsa."

Okay, first look at the food. Then look at the price. Now look at the food again. If you're anything like me, then your brain just went, "Really? Is that all I get for $13?"

This appetizer was disappointing in almost about every way thinkable. I say "almost" because the coconut prawns' flavor wasn't bad. However, you'd think an animal the size of a kangaroo or an emu would be able to produce more meat than this. Give me some pouch or thigh for crying out loud!

Even if you put the size factor aside and judge the quality only, you'll still be let down. Had one of the skewers tasted okay, I might have cared to find out which skewer was which animal. But no, the meat was tough, dry and flavorless, so now I know to avoid them both.

Pasta Mardi Gras from Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen - $21.95

921 Pasquinelli Dr, Westmont, IL - (630) 455-9846

Pasta Mardi Gras - Linguine tossed with crawfish, andouille sausage & crimini mushrooms in a marinara cream sauce topped with jumbo grilled shrimp.

I can't deny that the above menu description sounds awesome, nor can i deny that the dish was tasty. But at $22 for a bowl of pasta, there needs to be more. Someone told me you get a large discount when you sit at the bar during lunch hours. I didn't hear about this until after I went so I can't confirm it, but 50% off (yes, I was told 50% off) is definitely worth a shot. And if I could get this same dish for $11, I would make the trip all the time.

Thin Crust Shrimp Pizza from Giordano's - $15.85

119 South Main Street, Naperville, IL - (630) 428-2111

This price will get you the thin crust, medium, 12" shrimp pizza. Not worth it.

There are so many things wrong here. Firstable, what am I doing getting a thin crust pizza from a joint that specializes in deep dish? Secondly, that doesn't look like $4 worth of shrimp topping. Also, ordering shrimp from a pizza joint located in the Midwest isn't the greatest idea either.

But hey, sometimes you have to be adventurous to find that special dish. And it wasn't completely bad - the shrimp pizza was actually pretty good. It just wasn't worth the price.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo from Buca di Beppo - $19.99

90 Yorktown Road, Lombard, IL - 630.932.7673

Fra Diavolo (Italian for "Brother Devil") is the name given to a spicy sauce for pasta or seafood. Most versions are tomato-based and use chili peppers for spice, but the term is also used for sauces that include no tomato, or that use cayenne or other forms of pepper.
- Excerpt from wikipedia

Although this pasta looks like it's loaded with peppers, it wasn't all that spicy. In fact, I didn't even know it was supposed to be spicy until I looked up the meaning of "fra diavolo" just now.

In spite of that, the dish was really great. The noodles were a bit dry, but not in a bad way, unless you like your noodles sopping with sauce. The sautéed garlic shrimp were cooked well too. The price may seem steep, but the serving size is large enough to feed two even though we only ordered a small. All in all, I would happily order this dish again, if not for the chance to discover other great dishes on their menu.

Shrimp & Asparagus Risotto from Olive Garden - $14.75

1279 New Churchman's Road, Christiana, DE - (302)731-5430

The Oliver Garden site's description of this dish is "Large sautéed shrimp served over creamy parmesan risotto with asparagus." That pretty much sums it up.

Personally, I think this is too pricey for what it is. It tasted okay, but I'd rather pay a lot less and make Uncle Ben's Rice instead. The shrimp and asparagus are both good, but not good enough to pay that much for cheesy rice.

The dish also comes with a soup or salad (I chose the minestrone soup) and breadsticks. The minestrone soup had too much bean for my tastes. The breadsticks are awesome, but you only get two when you get the order to go, whereas it's unlimited when you dine in.

Shrimp with Eggplant in Garlic Sauce from Taste of China - $8.95

1228 Capitol Trail, Newark, DE - (302)368-2100

Taste of China is probably the best local Chinese restaurant and nearly everyone at my workplace is prone to agree. Although, that statement doesn't say much because 1) I haven't tried too many other Chinese places in the area, 2) the Chinese food selection is pretty limited here, and 3) I'm surrounded by close-minded buffoons who refuse to eat Chinese food based on the hunch that they think it's made of stray cats and dogs.

Anyway, the dish for today is called Shrimp with Eggplant in Garlic Sauce. It looks to be a mixture of shrimp, eggplant, baby corn, green bell peppers, and carrots in garlic sauce. It has a star next to the name on the menu to indicate the dish is "Hot and Spicy," but I couldn't detect even the slightest bit of spice. In spite of that letdown, the dish was still fairly tasty and I would recommend it to anyone that doesn't mind a lot of eggplant.