Review: The Cheesecake Factory is the restaurant America wants, deserves

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
21

If you read the Atul Gawande piece, the Cheesecake Factory has very high standards for quality control, so the food is pretty definitely being served as intended.

22

I haven’t been to a cheesecake factory in years. I used to love going to their hidden location on Calabasas Road where their offices are/were. They had a small restaurant.

The only thing I used to ever get there were salads. It was a good place to get really big salads.

23

Why the hate for Cheesecake Factory? I like the place. In fact, I’m willing to bet that the general population would rather go there than any of the fancy places or hole-in-the-wall restaurants that get mentioned here on FTC.

5 Likes
24

100% FTC is the outlier here.

25

Of course. That’s exactly their demographic.

26

Damn I want me some jambalaya pasta and Oreo cheesecake!

1 Like
27

Serving the food as intended doesn’t mean it tastes good or uses high quality non-frozen, non-canned ingredients. I guess it means you aren’t going to get food poisoning and the food, much like processed food, is specifically engineered to appeal to a middle-brow palate and perhaps to reach that “bliss” point that manufacturers of processed food aim for that tends to emphasize sweet (even in savory foods).

28

you’re kind of going around in circles claiming your viewpoint as the only correct viewpoint. Good is subjective, and let’s face it - lots of people think Cheesecake Factory is delicious, and would prefer it over a place like Felix (because Felix serves undercooked pasta in comparison, at a much higher price point).

1 Like
29

I think it’s respectable for what it is. In fact, I actually suggested that partner and I go there the other night (!) when we were on 3rd St Promenade and had very different hunger levels and thoughts of what we wanted to eat. The place serves its purpose, and I really do enjoy those avocado egg rolls…

My only main complaint (at least based on my last visit) was that the lighting level was TOO F*CKING DARK. As in, like, unsafe dark (there was a spill on the floor that hadn’t been cleaned up, and I could easily see people who less-than-stellar vision slipping and falling).

30

This discussion reminds me of my meal at Trader Vic’s last year. Some of the food was decent but we felt like the only foodies.

1 Like
32

Probably the ability not to make an opera production out of every meal has a lot to do with the “bliss” point.

33

I haven’t been in years, but I remember enjoying those. I agree that it’s a good option when everyone is craving something different. I may have to get back in there one of these days.

34

No need to rush, though. :wink: And bring a flashlight, if you’re going at night!

2 Likes
35

Love it or hate it, Lucas Kwan Peterson is right. The Cheesecake Factory is one of those few chains that can make every person happy. We try to schedule dinners with my in-laws there if it’s geographically convenient…they live in a town where their highlight is Sizzler…which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. But if I had to pick between the two, Cheesecake Factory would win hands down…they’ve got this cilantro-peanut vinaigrette dressing that the husband and I enjoy enough to purchase for home usage.

4 Likes
36

The ice water is good.

3 Likes
37

I certainly would not go there expecting authentic ethnic food, but they have some excellent dishes. I love the Thai chicken Lettuce Wrap appetizer. It has 3 excellent sauces to dip the DIY wraps in. The Raspberry White Chocolate cheesecake is a forbidden treat. I always share it, but so few places actually use REAL whipped cream for garnish, that it has to get points. I don’t go regularly, but it’s in my local mall, and every year I treat myself to lunch there after Christmas shopping. When traveling, you can’t always find the best hole in the wall ethnic spot. Sometimes it’s a relief to find a chain with some food you like, that is consistent. I’ve never been disappointed at a Cheesecake Factory.

3 Likes
38

I liked when Penny and Bernadette worked there.

1 Like
39

Writer is hilarious! The United Nations of bastardization.

P.S. My favorite is the Chicken & Biscuits and the Mango Keylime Cheesecake w/Coconut Macaroon Crust. :blush:

1 Like
40

I like to think of it’s menu as “inspired by” rather than authentic.

2 Likes
41

More proof TCF has something for everyone. I have a friend whose diet is mostly raw vegan (about 90% raw). He cares nothing about restaurants. But he mentioned having lunch with a friend at TCF recently. “What? What on earth did you eat there?” Answer “Vegan Cobb Salad.”

1 Like