Editor Pick
The Cheesecake Factory
- August 5, 2000
- Rated 3 of 5 by
barbara from Atlanta, Georgia
The Cheesecake Factory is a very popular, upscale chain restaurant. The largest location in the Atlanta area is found in the heart of Buckhead. For my mother-in-law's 50th birthday, we chose to dine at the Perimeter Mall location on Ashford-Dunwoody right next to I-285 East. As is always the case, there was a long line at the front door to the restaurant. The Perimeter Cheesecake Factory does NOT take reservations over the phone. With over an hour-long wait in front of us, it was nice to have the option of shopping in some of the more upscale stores inside of Perimeter Mall.
When we were finally given a table, we found our party of six was scrunched together in a corner booth (seating for large groups seemed to be fairly limited.); fortunately, it was a 'family-love' event, and we didn't mind. We just ordered a round of drinks and settled into reviewing the BOOK of a menu. While there is not a kids' menu, there are options that are pleasing to children, and most other diners will find something appetizing in the several pages-long of choices. The interior of the Cheesecake Factory is decorated in an Egyptian motif with high, painted ceilings though the food is a mixture of everything Americans seem to love most from large and juicy hamburgers to penne pasta to carefully prepared steaks. Still, the service (while pleasant) was a little slow. After a little-longer-than-it-should've-been wait, our wonderfully hearty meals were served. All the portions were HUGE, and I found that I was happy I had decided against ordering an appetizer. I had the VERY spicy black-peppered jumbalaya shrimp with rice and black beans. It was most tasty. Pasta, meatloaf and other shrimp dishes were also ordered by our party, and everyone enjoyed the food. However, no one was able to eat everything on his or her plate. We were all saving room for dessert!
The cheesecake is what this restaurant is known for, and they have a VERY extensive list of choices. We settled on a White chocolate and macadamia nut cheesecake along with a piece of Oreo cheesecake to share among us. They were very, very scrumptious. By the time we got up to leave, I noticed that over 3 hours had gone by from the time we first arrived at the restaurant to put our name on the seating list. For this reason alone, I would choose to go back to the Cheesecake Factory for just dessert and coffee rather than a full meal. IF you are hungry, however, and want to spend a very leisurely evening enjoying your food without thought of how long the meal takes, I would recommend the Cheesecake Factory. After all, restaurants are never that busy without good reason, and you will almost certainly enjoy your meal.
From journal Atlanta Restaurants