Address:
Cheddar’s Casual Cafe
1301 Northwest 114th Street
Clive, IA 50325
(515) 222-3129
The Dish:
Grilled Cheese (Chloe)
Ribeye (Me)
Sirloin (Tress)
Two Diet Cokes and a kids milk
Monster cookie
$33 (Tax and tip included)
Grade: 1 Spoon, 1 Knife
I had heard that Cheddar’s was going to leave Clive so I wanted to visit while we still had the opportunity (note at the time of this writing this location was no more), so we took a trip down to Clive to take in Cheddar’s one last time.
Ambiance: I always had a love for their giant windmill like fan, and their upside down pole mounted ceiling fans. Other than these oddities, the place had a feel for a plant friendly dining area. Perhaps it was because they we’re going to close this location, but it seemed as though pictures that had once hung on the walls were now missing as evident by the hooks holding nothing. Not sure why they would do this prior to closing day but perhaps they were owned by someone else.
Menu/Price: Maybe due to why they are leaving, but everything seemed a lot less expensive than it used to be. They have a great selection of dishes and meal arrangements, but I did not see my beloved Chicken Mashers that I used to get back in the day. Oh ok, I’ll share with you what they were. It was a bowl with mashed red potatoes (skins included sometimes) with your choice of gravy topped with cheese and six chicken tenders. I know we can get better versions of this at KFC but back when I visited often, the KFC bowl did not exist. Currently you can get a decent steak for less than $8, it seems in the past this would have been around $12.
Meal: The ribeye I order was pretty good, but the sides it came with; mashed potato’s and veggies were just plain lousy. The potatoes seemed as though they were pureed and the vegetables were mushy. Tress’s plate was in the same state of affairs as mine. Chloe’s grill cheese was ok, but the fries that came with it were seasoned way too much for her tastes and mine. However our desert was awesome and will truly be missed. Their monster cookie which is A colossal homemade chocolate chip cookie baked in a skillet, topped with premium vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, chopped nuts and a cherry. Baked fresh just for you, please allow a few minutes.. A great treat to share between two to three people.
Service: I really did not want to make the last few weeks of work for someone miserable but I probably should have. Service folks were nice but you could tell they had a “meh I don’t care” attitude. There was no sense of urgency in requests and a general sense of apathy. I guess I cannot really blame them, but still stick it out through the end.
Overall: Not sure why Cheddar’s is closing its doors, although I could speculate. It is rumored another similar restaurant is going to take its place. It seems the fans, the monster cookie, and the steak quality saved them from getting just a 1 Spoon rating. Hopefully the place that replaces it has similar items.