Saitz.Blog

An early fathers day treat..

written by bsaitz

Anyone who knows me, knows I love The Cheesecake Factory restaurant more than any other eatery on the planet. It’s a goal of mine to eat at as many of them as possible, and I will report back to the Cheesecake Factory loving world my personal review.

Here’s the inside comments from the Cheesecake master:

• I don’t go specifically for the cheesecake, I go for the Passion Fruit laced Iced Tea and the Thai Chicken Pasta
• Mack and Miles love the Roadside Sliders, mini-hamburgers appetizer
• New awesome appetizer – Thai Lettuce Wraps
• My wife goes for the french fries and burgers usually
• I’ve had many cheesecakes, but I like the new “Vanilla Bean” the best, it’s SICKLY good!
• They also have a new “Honey Vanilla Latte” which is worth the trip alone
• I just bought my first piece of TCF clothing, a cool baseball t-shirt
• May 30, 2006: I got to a Cheesecake in Chicago for the first time!
• Detailed quote/news for TCF, ticker “CAKE” (recent earnings call)

Location	Review
Chicago, IL Hancock building on Michigan Ave	May 2006 – My first “new” Cheesecake in years, how exciting!!! I went with Mike Simanoff, from work, and we both had the Thai Chicken Pasta! And loved it, and iced tea, and oreo cheesecake . It’s in the lobby/basement of the Hancock building on Michigan Ave, the shopping mecca of Chicago. The food and service were great and as it was a Tuesday evening, no real wait. The chicken wasnt stellar, but the pasta was right on target.. No complaints, 4 out of 5 cakes!
White Plains, NY Fortunoff Source Mall	October 2003 – The first time it was supposed to be a make-up of a prior bad incident (see West Nyack, Ny) – it went ok, good food, but no true TLC.  However, I was offered a chance to take a mulligan on the make-up and it went AWESOME.  The food, as usual, was excellent, and Jimmy Z (the manager) hooked us up with all the VIP treatment!!!  The manager is a very nice guy, if you ever go – say HI to Jimmy Z!  Special thanks to Pat at corporate for helping make things right.
Littleton, CO Park Meadows Mall	Sept 2003 – Even though to read a map, I’m not sure this is in Littleton, I have made the tri-fecta and visited all 3 Colorado TCF locations.  This is a nice big one in a very nice mall – and even though the kids were a bit “rambunctious,” the service was great & friendly.  The food was solid and we saw a few new dishes for future visits.  OK OK, I’ll probably stick with Thai Chicken Pasta, but I figure I need a backup in case they ever run out of the TCP ingredients.
West Nyack, NY 1612 Palisades Center Drive , West Nyack, NY 10994 (845) 727-1000	08/2003 – WOW!  A TCF close to home.  In short, the food was great, but we had a number of service issues.  I documented these and escalated to sr. management back at the home office.  They have responded with the professionalism and service focus I expected.  My mom was sent a personal note and gift card and I was invited to the opening of the new White Plains restaurant!  They called me on the phone to apologize – all is well, once again!
Woodland Hills, California 6324 Canoga Avenue Woodland Hills, CA 91367 Tel: (818) 883-9900	1/2003 – I finally got to this one, near where my sister lives. It was cool, we ate outside, by the propane heaters, and enjoyed the standard fare of TCF wonderfulness. The location was a new one for me – a corporate park area and a big gym with outdoor tennis court. But the food and servive were on par with the best, and my brother-in-law introduced me to Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp, a great new dish! I’ll probably still get my Thai Chicken Pasta, but hey, I tried a new dish!
Sherman Oaks, California 15301 Ventura Boulevard P-1 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 Tel: (818) 906-0700	1/2003 – In, what looks like a great mall, but all that’s there is a movie theatre, a bunch of restaurants, Ben & Jerrys, and some assorted stores. But, the TCF was solid as always – great food and service. We had a nice dinner and tried a new appetizer (Artichokes), which was OK, but I’ll be sticking to my specialities.
Boulder, Colorado 1401 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302 Tel: (303) 546-0222	9/2002 – My first visit to this one, a fairly new one and my first “first” visit to a new TCF in a long time. But boy am I glad I made the trip. No wait, great service and food and this one is right on Pearl Street, a charming little block in downtown Boulder. If in the area, it’s worth the trip. The TCP was great and I hope to get back there soon.
Beverly Hills 364 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Tel: (310) 278-7270	My first visit to the shrine was here, and it’s still the place with my earliest memories. I have even had more than my usual dish here. It was before I discovered the “TCP.”
Marina del Rey 4142 Via Marina, Marina del Rey, CA 90292 Tel: (310) 306-3344	I’ve only been here once, but it was solid across the board. Lovely location by the marina (durr!).
Denver 1201 – 16th Street, Denver, CO 80202 Tel: (303) 595-0333	This one is a newer one and a VERY large one. But, the food and service were as good as any other, it’s downtown, so stop in!
Boca Raton 5530 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431 Tel: (561) 393-0344	This one is always busy, with the retired population as visitors. But the food here is solid, and they have valet parking too!
Sunrise 2612 Sawgrass Mills Circle, Sunrise, FL 33323 Tel: (954) 835-0966	I just went to this one for the first time, we ate outside and had a fantastic meal – attached a mammoth shopping mall, so walk off dinner and spend some more money.
Westbury 1504 Old Country Road, Westbury, NY 11590 Tel: (516) 222-5500	This is one closest to my home, so a semi-regular stop. The food is quality, and it, too, is attached to a HUGE mall, so a good place to wait or walk the meal off.
San Francisco 251 Geary Street, 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102 Tel: (415) 391-4444	The bastard stepchild in the family. It’s inside a Macy’s, one of the smaller ones I’ve seen (I gave up waiting and ate at the bar), and worst of all, the food was noticably worse than any other in the family. I don’t know what to say, other than, skip this one. UPDATE: I went back in June 2001, and while it’s improving, still the least best of the bunch. Also, the wait times can be brutal.
Hackensack, New Jewsey! 197 Riverside Square, Hackensack, NJ 07601 (201) 488-0330	This place is solid, but WAY too small, so expect to wait, a looong time

written by admin