CANVAZ road trip day 10: simple eats in Vegas

Now that we're back in Vegas, the last two days of my trip are focused on family.  After all, the whole raison d'être of this trip was a family wedding and gathering!  My aunt and uncle wanted to catch up with the parental units before the wedding, so we arranged to have lunch today.  For reasons unbeknownst to me beforehand, Cheesecake Factory in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace was chosen as the venue.

As it turns out, my aunt had been told that this place was quiet and therefore a good place for conversation.  Well, I wasn't the least bit surprised when the music turned out to be pretty loud, but I was surprised when my aunt flagged down our waiter and asked him to turn the volume down!  As if the place wasn't noisy enough to start with, the Fall of Atlantis show is literally right outside the restaurant, so... nope, this ain't no place for a quiet conversation...

I've never eaten at a Cheesecake Factory, and was surprised at the large selection of dishes.  I, of course, spotted something that pushed a button in my mind immediately...

Macaroni and cheese burger - I just had to order this when I saw the name, so I didn't even bother to read the description.  If I had, I would have known not to expect a smothering of mac 'n' cheese... because it came as a fried mac 'n' cheese ball.

But it was still a very tasty and satisfying burger, with a juicy patty and creamy mac 'n' cheese.  Slurp!

Now, you can't come to Cheesecake Factory and leave without having any cheesecake, can you?!  So I made up my mind to get me a slice, and announced that I wasn't sharing my slice with the rest of the family... just mom... so my aunt decided that they will order another slice.  I did, in fact, share my slice with the family but kept a good portion to myself.

Salted caramel cheesecake - what's not to love?  Cheesecake AND salted caramel.  This being my first slice from Cheesecake Factory, I was a little surprised at how soft and fluffy it was.

Mango key lime cheesecake - not bad, and the taste of mango was distinctive.

We did a little shopping around the Strip, where the parental units and I each managed to pick up a pair of shoes.  A couple of hours later at dinner time, the parental units and I joined the rehearsal dinner for my cousin's wedding.

Brio is a chain of Italian restaurants, and at the location south of the strip they had a circular private space called "the coliseum" - which was entirely taken up by our party.  All the food was served family-style, and there was a ton of it!

Caesar's salad

The other salad had tomato, lettuce, cheese, and chopped bacon.  A little salty.

Shrimp pasta fra diavolo - with spicy tomato cream sauce.  This was reasonably tasty, and probably the best dish of the evening.

Tuscan grilled pork chops - served with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Overcooked.  While it hasn't gotten to the point of tough and chewy, it was definitely dry to me.  FAIL.

Gorgonzola crusted beef medallions - I was wondering whether the older, Chinese contingent of the party would take well to the Gorgonzola...

Very nicely done.  At least the beef was still pink in the middle and very tender.

Tiramisu - a little disappointing, as the taste of coffee was pretty weak here.

Given the size of the party tonight, I didn't have any expectations on food.  What was really important was the family gathering - I got to see my cousins again, as well as their cousins from the other side of their family.  Looking forward to the wedding tomorrow!