Cheddar's adds new menu items

Recently, I dined along with my parents on a Sunday for lunch at Cheddar's. The Midwest City location, 7405 S.E. 29th Street, recently began serving an updated menu.

The restaurant added edamame to its appetizer menu; a Roasted Pear Spring salad (with or without chicken) to the salad menu; Napa Chicken Ciabatta and Grilled Portobello Ciabatta to the sandwich menu; shepherd's pie, fish tacos and cornmeal catfish to the classics menu; and Monte Dogs to the children's menu.

I opted for the Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich ($6.59). The sandwich features a grilled, marinated chicken breast topped with melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and honey mustard dressing on a sandwich bun. I skipped the tomatoes and pickles and requested the dressing on the side. With many side choices, including steamed broccoli, seasoned rice, buttered off-the-cob corn, sweet baby carrots, coleslaw, French fries, red beans and rice, mashed potatoes, "loaded" baked potato, broccoli-cheese casserole or southern green beans, I selected the steamed broccoli, which was very fresh and bright green, as good steamed vegetables should be.

The chicken breast was extremely tender while totally Teriyaki-flavored. The sweetness of the Teriyaki flavors coupled with the melted Swiss cheese and the tangy mustard sauce all blended together into a delightful sandwich. It is quite filling and, with the broccoli as the side, not at all a guilty pleasure.

My mother opted for the Dijon Chicken and Mushrooms ($8.99), which the menu said was grilled chicken breasts basted with a honey Dijon sauce and covered with sautéed fresh mushrooms, served on a bed of seasoned rice with two sides. For her, that included the broccoli and red beans and rice. It was a hearty portion, which meant that part of the meal was lunch for her the following day.

New menu
A new menu feature is the fish tacos ($6.29), my father's choice. The hand-breaded fillets were fried white fish in two flour tortillas, with roasted corn slaw and Cajun tartar sauce served with a choice of one side. The fish may also be grilled. He selected the French fries as his side, which were golden brown and crispy.

Although we did not make any dessert selections, the eatery offers quite a few options for those wanting to indulge a sweet tooth. Choices include apple pie a la mode ($3.99), Hot Fudge Cake Sundae ($4.99), Cheddar's Legendary Monster Cookie ($3.99) along with Hand-Dipped Shakes ($2.99) and fruity frozen Virgin Daiquiris ($2.99).

Cheddar's opened its first store in Arlington, Texas, in 1979. The hours are 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant chain also has locations in Norman and Tulsa.