Editor’s Note: Our columnist is not a trained or paid professional, nor does he get complimentary meals from the restaurants visited. He and his party arrive unannounced and do not reveal that they will be doing a review. Comments or questions may be sent to Sam Geati, greengeezer9@comcast.net.
This week, we chose to go to a Woodfield Mall restaurant that neither we nor our friends Tom and Marlene had ever been to for dinner. Somehow, we just never got around to trying one of The Cheesecake Factory chain establishments. This turned out to be one of the best decisions we’ve made as far as the many choices of restaurants we have to review. Some might say, “That’s a long way to go for dinner,” but actually it was “a piece of cake” getting there because the traffic going to Woodfield on I-90 moves at the posted speed all the way there.
Quality of food, value, service, and ambiance: *****
Price range – $$$
Comments: If you are among the few who haven’t sampled this establishment, what are you waiting for?
The Cheesecake Factory Restaurant – Located in Woodfield Mall on the upper level between Penney’s and Macy’s. Best to park at the entrance closest to Macy’s if you don’t want to do too much walking. 847-952-1111.
Before going to this restaurant, I did have some pre-conceived notions that it was all built around desserts. Was I in for a wonderful surprise! As we walked in and were seated immediately, we couldn’t help but be impressed by the décor and size of the restaurant. We were seated at a booth and quickly met by Laura, our server, who proved to be one of the best servers in my memory. Her personality, knowledge, and attentiveness was outstanding. All of us agreed that without a doubt, she helped make this a very delightful experience for each of us.
We started off with some of us having alcoholic beverages or water. Tom commented that his drink was a full, good-sized glass and was well mixed. When we asked about salads, Laura told us that we might want to get the small Caesar salad, around $5, which was large enough for two people to split. She was right on, as it was delicious and a bargain. She placed two different breads on the table, including a whole wheat baguette topped with oats and flavored with molasses that was a big hit. We all probably ate too much of that special bread.
For entrees, the menu was enormous and filled with great variety, including brunch-type items. It might help to go online to peruse the menu before going there. Marlene chose the tomato basil pasta with chicken at $12.95. She said it was excellent, nicely seasoned, and had plenty to take home. Judy chose the pan-seared salmon with angel hair pasta. It included sautéed spinach, mushrooms, and capers in a delicious cream sauce. She especially enjoyed the way the fish was prepared with crispy edges. The price of this dish was $16.95, and she was able to take home about half of the portion served. Tom went for the Teriyaki chicken, priced at $16.95, which included a charred banana (Tom loves bananas) with a brown sugar topping, a grilled pineapple slice, and a mountain of white rice. Tom liked his dish so much that he couldn’t stop eating it until there was nothing to take home. I chose the chicken piccata, which at $16.95 included angel hair pasta, mushrooms, thin lemon slices, and capers all in a light cream sauce. This was too large a portion for me to finish, so I had take-home also. That was great because it was just as good the next day, when I had it for my leftover lunch.
Finally, Laura brought the dessert menu and everyone picked a different dessert. Laura supplied extra utensils so that we could get a taste of everyone else’s choice. Here are the four desserts, all of them to die for, that we chose: Hershey chocolate cheesecake, chocolate raspberry truffle cheesecake, Dutch apple caramel streusel, and lemoncello torte with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. What a great finish to a fantastic meal! It may have been our first trip to The Cheesecake Factory, but hopefully it won’t be our last.
