Meg Haworth

Ok, I admit it, I’m a sex addict -- Sex and The City , that is.  On some of my worst weeks, with no dates and numerous self-imposed writing assignments, I've actually watched the show up to 15 times on TBS.  Even I feel sickened at that number.  So, when my girlfriend, actress Chanda Counts, said; “Let‘s go out opening weekend, see the movie, drink cosmos and shop for shoes with our girlfriends”, I said “Yes!”

We went to the Arclight Cinemas in Sherman Oaks where we could do all three things without leaving the property.  We started at the Cheesecake Factory.  Which, by the way is another thing I’m not proud to admit.  I’d much prefer to be dining at Craft LA with Michael Lipmann, our Barstool Gourmet here at EDOD but it just wasn’t on the docket for that day. 

So, there we were, four gorgeous blondes, all of us over 40, sipping cosmos and sharing answers to questions like; “When did you see your first Sex episode?” and “Which character do you most identify with?”  Although my Mr. Big still eludes me, Carrie was my obvious choice, what with the whole writer thing. 

Our food server was named Marqui.  She said her mom left the ‘s’ off the end so people wouldn’t pronounce it improperly.  Marqui was great.  She was the kind of food server every food allergic person should have.  She was cheerful, concerned, very happy to ask the chef questions and eager to learn something new about food from me.  This is somewhat rare in Los Angeles where 98% of the food servers are actors who really want to be big stars, not serving food.  So, thank you Marqui.

I learned that one of the best bets in food at the Cheesecake Factory for the wheat, dairy and soy free is the seared tuna tataki.  It’s not a lot of food (which is completely opposite of every other dish served there) and it was delicious.  Even the wasabi dressing had no soy sauce in it.  Another great dish to order is the salmon with miso glaze.  This is not to be confused with the miso salmon, which has a whole lot of butter in the miso sauce -- you just have to look at the milky white sauce poured across the plate’s bottom to see that.  And still, I suggest you order the salmon with the miso glaze on the side as it is sweet and may be a bit overpowering to the fish. 

Also a great choice for the food allergic is the “weight management chicken”.  I cracked up when I read that.  Naming dishes like that is just another way of saying that eating healthy makes you the odd one out -- which you are at the Cheesecake Factory if you eat a simple dish of chicken, steamed veggies and rice.  There’s more fat per square inch at this restaurant than at the hazardous waste disposal at a plastic surgeon’s office in the Midwest.  I honestly think it’s the fat content at the Cheesecake Factory that keeps lines out the door at their restaurants from coast to coast.  Americans are suckers for massive calories.      

That one cosmo knocked me on my tookus very quickly.  We did a quick sweep of DSW shoes where I bought a pair of silver shoes on impulse that actually have turned out to be my favorites.  Then it was off to the movie where we laughed, cried and got really peeved at Mr. Big only to have him redeem himself in the end.  

In closing, if you’re going to see Sex , drink cosmos, shop for shoes, and plan for another cosmo after the movie, mainly for medicinal purposes.  Then shop for shoes.  You may find a little retail relief will be of help after.  Oh, and a tip for you men, never target a shoe store to pick up women in.  We are on the hunt for the perfect lover there and that, in a shoe store, is never a man. 

Got a dish you like at a big chain restaurant that is perfect for the food allergic?  Post your comment or suggestions right here.  Shoe and Sex tips also welcome here . . .      

For more information about Doctor Meg, log on to www.DeliciousAndHealthy.com and sign up for her bi-weekly newsletter, Delicious and Healthy Living.