More lemon zest please!
One of the best things about The Cheesecake Factory is the massive amount of calories they can fit into a meal. The second best thing is that they post the calorie counts so you can openly marvel at them. For example – 1,620 calories in ONE slice of Oreo® Dream Extreme Cheesecake? Fucking incredible.
The Cheesecake Factory has several types of pancakes: Lemon Ricotta (1,560 calories), Cinnamon Roll (2,040 calories), Buttermilk (1,370), and Buttermilk with Blueberries (1,460). The downside to posting calorie counts is that I really wanted the Cinnamon Roll pancakes but for some reason could not justify the 2,000 plus calorie price tag. Instead, I opted for my second choice, the Lemon Ricotta pancakes. Were the 480 calories I saved worth it? I’ll have to go back another time to check.
My friend, who has only ever been to The Cheesecake Factory twice(!), the second time being the time I am describing now, ordered the Monte Cristo. I know this is a pancake blog, but this dish looked delectable and I have been stuck with Monte Cristo cravings ever since. The Monte Cristo clocks in at an impressive 1,880 calories for anyone keeping track.
My Lemon Ricotta pancakes arrived in a Cheesecake Factory sized stack of three, with lemon zest curlicues sprinkled on top, and a small pile of strawberries. The strawberries weren’t super fresh, but at least they weren’t previously frozen.
Ricotta pancakes are hard to get right. These were good, but not great. The middle of the pancakes were slightly underdone. In addition, the syrup resembled sugar water in taste and consistency which is sad. I ended up only eating half and taking the other half to go.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from these leftovers. I even debated throwing them out. But I had a small taste of them cold and was surprised. They were actually kind of delightful. There was a creamy sweetness, without being overpowering. I reheated the rest in a pan and concluded that cooking them longer was a definite improvement.
My other criticism was the small amount of lemon flavor. More lemon zest please! The tendrils that arrived on top added a nice spark, and these could have used more of them. I did not get any lemon flavor in the pancakes themselves.
My rating increased a notch due to the leftover factor. But if you’re like most people and are expecting your ricotta pancakes to be cooked correctly on the first pass, you may want to try another dish here. Maybe the Barbeque Ranch Chicken Salad for a measly 2,150 calories?
JUST THE STACKS – 7/10 TASTY STACKS
Overall Taste: Mediocre on the first try, better re-heated. Good sweetness level.
Mouthfeel: Creamy & quite pleasant, but too much mush in the middle.
Size: Standard Cheesecake-size, which is large.
Presentation: A good looking stack with powdered sugar on top, but the berry pile seemed a little too small.
Price: $8.50 – $11.95
Location: 4142 Via Marina, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
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