It has been a long dreary winter, at least it has seemed that way for me. Because of this, my husband, Bobby, and I have not gotten out much. In turn, that has meant that Wendi’s Weekend Trips and Whatnot has been a little light on new content. So, when we decided to get out last Saturday, March 17, and go somewhere, I was pretty excited. Our big “outing” was going to be to Mansfield to shop at GFS (Gordon Food Supply), but still we were getting out. I was especially excited that we were going to Mansfield, as there is a Texas Roadhouse there. I love Texas Roadhouse. (You can read why by clicking here.) Bobby, however, said we should try something different. I grudgingly agreed. His friend, Chris Kick, had recommended Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen to Bobby awhile ago, so we headed there.
By the time we got there, I was hungry — really hungry. I told Bobby we were going to order an appetizer and probably dessert, too. And so started our feast at Cheddar’s. Right when we sat down, they had their table menu opened to appetizers. It all looked so good, but I thought we should get the sampler to try a little bit of everything. The Triple Treat Sampler comes with loaded Russet potato skins, chicken tenders and Wisconsin cheese bites.
Because we had never been there before, we didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully our waitress, Gabby, was quite knowledgeable about all things Cheddar’s. She gave us a run down of the menu. She also made recommendations. First recommending the Monte Cristo sandwich. Bobby and I both passed on that. But then came her suggestion of the Bourbon Glazed pork chop. It is a center-cut, bone-in pork chop served on a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with bourbon glaze and homemade onion rings. While I was going to ask them not to put the onion rings on it, Bobby said he would eat them.
Bobby asked how their ribs were. Gabby said, “They’re so good. They fall off the bone.” He was sold, so he ordered the top sirloin with ribs.
Gabby explained (since we had never been there before) that everything is made from scratch on site, so it might take a little bit more time to have our food out. This made me glad I had already ordered the appetizer. She also explained that the sides were very popular. In fact, they have a broccoli cheese casserole that people will order pounds of for holiday dinners. We had to order that — or I should say, I had to order that because broccoli cauliflower casserole used to be something we had every holiday. While Cheddar’s doesn’t include cauliflower, it does include rice. Bobby’s meal came with two sides, so he ordered a salad (that we would share) and macaroni and cheese — a favorite of his. Then I saw their homemade croissants with honey butter. I had to get those, too. (I was hungry — really hungry.)
Gabby went and put our meal order in, just as our appetizers were coming out. We started with this delectable dish of delightful food. The batter on the chicken and cheese was nice and light, but with a good crunch and just a tad of spice. I’m not sure what they did with the potato skins, but they were the best I have ever had. They were crispy and creamy. Bobby said we shouldn’t eat it all because we had ordered quite a bit of food, so we set some aside to take home with us.
The salad came out along with the croissants. But, then our dinners came out almost right after, so we decided to not touch the salad and move right to the entrees.
The pork was juicy and tender. (One of my main concerns was that it would be dry.) The bourbon glaze was perfect and the mashed potatoes added a little depth to the dish. I enjoyed the broccoli casserole, a lot.
The steak was cooked perfectly (we like ours rare — or at least I do, Bobby let’s us get it rare for me). The ribs were delicious. They did fall off the bone, just like Gabby said. I enjoyed the croissants, but Bobby said it seemed the dough was a little too fermented. I liked them because they were perfect with all the layers a croissant should have. (I’ve made homemade croissants and I know how time consuming it can be.)
While we had hardly put a dent in our food, I had been eyeing their “Cheddar’s Legendary Monster Cookie.” It is a chocolate chip cookie made from scratch, topped with vanilla ice cream, homemade chocolate fudge, whipped cream, chopped nuts and a cherry. It is served warm in a little skillet-like dish. It was so yummy. The cookie was soft and chewy. And even though I prefer chocolate ice cream over vanilla, the vanilla ice cream served as a nice balance to the richness of the chocolate.
I was no longer hungry, but instead, delightfully satiated. Plus we had so much food left over that we wouldn’t even have to think about what to have for our next meal at home! While we were discussing this, Seth, the managing partner, came to our table. He said Gabby had told him this was our first visit. He wanted to check with us to see how everything was. We enthusiastically shared how much we had enjoyed our visit. He made it even better by giving us two chocolate chip cookies to take home with us!
We packed up our food — it took two bags — and left happy. It was kind of funny, but when we were walking into the restaurant, a couple was walking out. The woman was carrying a bag that was full of containers. I thought they must have picked up something to go. Now, I’m not so sure.
I guess Cheddar’s in Mansfield has been around for awhile. Seth said 24 years! I looked online and it appears there are Cheddar’s all around the country. Who knew! I am glad that Bobby talked me into trying something new. Now our biggest dilemma is whether we go to Texas Roadhouse or Cheddar’s when we go to Mansfield.
