Why would someone order anything other than cheesecake here?
People always rave about the Cheesecake factory (some famous sports figures even admit to spending thousands a week here.) Tonight was the perfect opportunity for me to step up to the cake with a post graduation celebration.
I heard the usual wait times for Cheesecake factory was 1 hour and pulling up we saw there was a line wrapped around the restaurant. I tried calling my concierge to see if she could cut down the wait, but alas after talking to the restaurant there was nothing she could do. We ended up just getting in line and surprisingly enough it was maybe 20 minutes before we got a table.
"Plates arrived steaming hot from the bowels of hell, but alas the food was all good, but not great."
The decor is the standard cheesecake factory setup which consists of dreary (not romantic, dreary) lighting, middle of the road tables, chairs, etc. The Cheesecake factory seems to be trying to imitate an upper class dining experience, but as the prices suggest, this is middle-class fare. I mean even the filet mignon is only $30...
We ordered lots of food, orange chicken, calamari, buffalo busters, crab artichoke dip, chips with guacamole, etc. It took about 10 minutes for the appetizers to come then another 15 for the entrees. Plates arrived steaming hot from the bowels of hell, but alas the food was all good, but not great. All the dishes aside from Cheesecake factory exclusives fell under "it's good, but I've had better elsewhere." It seems the Cheesecake Factory has cornered itself into an odd place where it's a jack of all trades, master of none. Still the prices were fairly decent for pretty good food and great portions. The waitress kept stopping by to make sure the drinks were full, although she did forget my margarita until I asked for it again. Cheesecake was superb, but again...it's better elsewhere (I can name a place in New York that "takes the cake")
Overall, I can see why people like the Cheesecake Factory. It has a vast menu coupled with affordable prices. They also don't seem to skimp on quality ingredients. The food however lacks the flavor profile and identity that a specialist in making the different genres of food they offer would create. Everything comes off as "generic" and lacks certain things that come from the culture behind the dish.
3 out of 5 stars
The Cheesecake Factory
16134 N 83rd Ave Peoria, AZ 85382
thecheescakefactory.com