Verdun, is one of the trendiest shopping places in Beirut, also, the most crowded area, holding prestigious hotels and shopping centers … Then came a restaurant, not just any restaurant mind you… a restaurant with an unconventional, yet renowned name… a factory… Cheesecake Factory… a new American chain in Lebanon…
The traffic was dense, especially in front of the newly opened restaurant, however the valet parking was doing a good job, and so quickly I was walking on the red carpet… red carpet yeah, they are not doing anything half measure… Cameramen and photographers at the door… multiple welcoming from left and right designed to make you feel important, designed to heighten your spirit and overload your sensory system… bien sur, the attention felt good…
I was ever so politely guided to my table, the greetings on the way didn’t stop… It didn’t annoy me though, it was new and I was trying to feel what they intended us to feel: important.
Chicho, was a few minutes behind me, so I ordered a glass of red wine while waiting for him.
- Would you like to try our house wine? asked the waiter
- Sure I replied… et pourquoi pas ?
The place was full, yet everything seemed to be in harmony… the waiters well groomed, very nice uniforms, the lights were dimmed just perfectly, enough to see clearly your surrounding and read the menu… enough to create a cozy warm atmosphere… and then Chicho came escorted by two of our friends, Hana and Nour…
We were ready to order, and comme par magie, the waiter knew just that and was right there smiling.
Hana had the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich, while Noor went for the Salmon Genovese, Chicho asked for the Roadside Sliders followed with the Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken, while moi, I asked for the Factory Nachos followed with a Rare Filet Mignon. The waiter made it all look very easy suggesting and explaining items on a very large menu…
The Chicken Sandwich Parmesan came first, and it was huge, definitely bigger than Hana’s stomach: You see, it’s made of chicken tenders apparently breaded with parmesan crumbs on a bed of melted cheese and grilled French baguette… I only had a bite to taste, but it was enough however, to distinguish all flavors and how they blended marvelously together, mostly thanks to the peppers and the tomato sauce who highlighted each savor… Hana was in love, but as I had previously thought, it was too much for her and couldn’t get to finish it all… of course, as we were good friends, we finished it for her…
The Factory Nachos made their way to the table along with the Roadside Sliders… again, huge portions, the nachos could easily feed 4 persons and the Roadside sliders? I mean come on, the menu says: “bite sized burger on mini buns” Vous vous moquez? Now don’t get me wrong… it is bite-sized… for a BEAR! non serieux, the portions were really big, and that’s really a good thing…
The Nachos were covered with melted cheese (of course), topped with Guacamole, Salsa and Sour cream – I was out of words here for 10 min – I’ll make it very simple, the salsa was simply magnificent, the sour cream and the guacamole were to die for… my problem however was with the tortilla and the cheese, the tortilla was a bit oily and a tad overcooked, the cheese was pored over them and got a sandy texture (maybe because of the oil, not sure) however, once you dip them in the sauces, you just forget about what now seems nonsense to you… God that guacamole and salsa were good…
The Mini Burgers were exactly what they pretended to be: the meat deliciously juicy with that melted cheddar that makes your mouth a touristic attraction, like say… the Niagara Falls..? yummy (Lebanon)…
The main dishes arrived in a perfect timing, we were just done with what was in front of us and were ready for the suite:
Chicho started with the Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken, a beautiful dish, I had only a bite of the chicken and another from the mashed potatoes… absolutely delicious: The chicken was tender and absorbed well the lemon garlic herb sauce, the carrot were perfectly cooked, color and consistency well preserved, the mashed potatoes were unique as in blended with chunks of skin on potatoes giving it consistency and an originality touch…
As I was tasting from Chicho’s, I was peeking at Noor’s plate: the Salmon Genovese… now I didn’t taste it, but the plate itself was a work of art, a most beautiful presentation with a festival of colors and warmth that tingled your glossopharyngeal nerve up to your gustatory cortex… deep deep in the brain… in short… made u real hungry and aching to taste… but my Fillet Mignon was here and ohhhh deception…
Deception deception deception, it was exactly the opposite of the salmon dish of Nour… it was like (if we compare both plates): the beauty and the beast… just a piece of grilled meat alone on a plate… (I had to cut it in half and arrange it for the photo to look a bit good) even the fries came separately as if they didn’t even want to get seen next to it… but then I started thinking, even the beast had a good heart and ended up being a prince with a curse… what if my Fillet had a curse?… So I tasted… And the magic happened: A jolt of lightning hit my parietal lobe… and I could see what that fillet was all about: A juicy tender classy velvety piece of the best tenderloins there was cooked rare (just as I had requested), impregnated with a wonderfully made sauce that I honest to God couldn’t identify… and I will remember it happily forever after…
The only thing that woke me up from my numbness after the experience are the four pieces of cheese cakes that made their way to our table, and here, I will just let you look at the pictures below, I mean, why bother talking about precious stones? Each was a unique gem, with its unique unbelievable taste, drop dead gorgeous looks… I’ll just stop typing… just look at those gems…
It was time to go, so we sent those SMS to the valet parking so they can prepare our cars… (Moment of silence looking at each other) … an SMS to get the car… (I know… right?) anyways… we did, and we were thanking the waiters for a job well done, when we were presented with the bill … (another moment of silence) … we didn’t know what to do with it since we were invited, but we were hey, let’s leave a tip, so we did and then walked out of the restaurant being thanked for coming over than 10 times on the way… The cars were there… we left…
I just hope for one thing… please keep it up… your prices comparing to service and portions are great, just keep it up… we will be visiting again to compare in the near future…
Gaston Ultimate Red Velvet Cheese Cake
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