Bites Nearby: Cheesecake Factory

Of all the places in all the world of Walnut Creek's famed dining scene that we could visit, my husband and I chose to eat at the the other night.

Yes, we chose this chain extravaganza-themed restaurant over more esteemed local eateries such as Va de Vi, Prima Ristorante, Lark Creek Walnut Creek, or Eleve.

What made this choice more interesting is that I hate cheesecake.

Yet we went. We had never been. We had heard so much about it, and we figured, why not give it a try? Before I say more about what the pleasant dining experience we ended up having, I need to state my theory that there are two kinds of people in the world: Those who adore cheesecake and those who abhor it.

I'm in the latter camp but that didn't stop my husband and me from enjoying a tasty meal and a non-cheesecake dessert at the restaurant, whose opening in February 2009 signaled the salvation of a valuable corner of Walnut Creek downtown real estate.  

The Cheesecake Factory started out in 1947 in true Mildred Pierce fashion, as a small shop run by a Southern California housewife and mom named Evelyn Orton. But she had a tough time juggling the shop and small kids. Later, after her kids were grown, she and her husband, Oscar, moved to Los Angeles, where they started their cheesecake business. They were an instant success, and now have around 150 restaurants, including Walnut Creek. 

Each restaurant is graced with its "distinctive decor." In Walnut Creek's version, this includes Egyptian columns. My husband called the design theme Vegas-meets-Art Deco. The large Walnut Creek site, located in the warehouse-sized space that formerly housed Andronico's grocery store in Plaza Escuela, features a similarly large menu: around 200 items. These items include generous portions of popular American standards--macaroni and cheese--and ethnic favorites: quesadillas and spicy ahi tuna rolls. Our Thai Lettuce wrap came with tender grilled chicken, lettuce, cabbage, rice noodles, and three dipping sauces including an exotically enticing sauce made of tamarind and ground cashews . 

Basically, you can get any kind of food you want at Cheesecake Factory, which makes it a safe bet for a family outing, especially if you're bringing kids who won't eat anything that doesn't come in the color white. There is pizza, pasta and burgers. You can also get grilled fish, salads, surf n' turf combinations, and even healthy "weight management salads." My meat loaf consisted of three dense, moist slabs of beef soaked in a rich dark sauce. It hit the spot as did the accompanying mashed potatoes.

The restaurant also has a Sunday brunch menu. 

For dessert, we could forgo cheese cake and choose to share a big (there's not another size option here) slice of sweet, moist carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and whipped cream. But if you're one of those cheesecake lovers, you have many tempting varieties to choose from.  There's the "original" with the sour cream and graham cracker crust, and there are the more elaborate varieties: wild blueberry white chocolate cheesecake: "ultimate" red velvet cheesecake; key lime; lemon raspberry, and strawberry. 

This is a restaurant that aims to please. Indeed, the staff was friendly, seemed very well trained, and our waitress was prompt, attentive and knowledgeable about all the items on the menu.  

• Lunch and dinner daily, starting at 11 a.m. Mon-Sat, 10 a.m. Sunday
• Full Bar  
• Outdoor Dining

1181 Locust St., (in the Plaza Escuela), Walnut Creek, (925) 952-8450, www.thecheesecakefactory.com.