Cheese + Cake + American Menu = Sugar
Tampa, Florida, USA
Cuisine Style: American, Chain
Average Price: $$$
Overall Rating: 0.5/5
Dined in: April 2018
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the restaurant with the largest menu in the world was achieved by the restaurant Mófarguru (Hun) in Budapest, Hungary with 1810 different items available. Before looking up this fact, I would have sworn it was the Cheesecake Factory. The Cheesecake Factory story begins in Detroit, Michigan in the 1940s. Evelyn Overton found a recipe in the local newspaper that would inspire her “Original” Cheesecake. In 1972, with their children grown, Evelyn and her husband Oscar decided to pack up and move to Los Angeles to make one last attempt at owning their own business. They opened The Cheesecake Factory Bakery and began selling Evelyn’s cheesecakes to restaurants throughout Los Angeles.
Their son David decided to open a restaurant to showcase his mother’s selection of cheesecakes and in 1978, he opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills. The restaurant was an immediate success and today there are nearly 200 Cheesecake Factory restaurants around the world.
Menu:
- Small Plates, Snacks, and Appetizers
- Salads
- “Super” Foods
- Pizza
- Lunch Specials
- Glamburgers and Sandwiches
- Pasta
- Steaks, Chops, Fish, and Seafood
- Specialties
- Skinnylicious
- Eggs and Omelets
- Weekend Brunch
- Kids
- New Items
- Catering
- Desserts
My wife and I had just picked up my daughter from the airport, visiting us for Spring Break, and as traffic was bad heading back to St Petersburg, we stopped into the International Plaza Mall where there are several restaurants to include The Cheesecake Factory.
The restaurant was very crowded, and like our last visit, we sat at one of the bar cocktail tables to get served faster. Since my daughter was underage she had a Shirley Temple while my wife and I had some alcohol. She enjoyed an M. Chapotier Rosé while I had Jai Alai (hi lie) From the Cigar City Brewing Company, which has become one of my favorite local brews. There are several around Central Florida that are wonderful beers, but this is my go to. My wife wine according to the winemakers’ notes is a combination of mainly Grenache, then Cinsault and Syrah with aromas of red fruits and citrus, complemented by notes of exotic fruits. On the mouth, the wine is fresh, delicate and fruity.
As I mentioned in my last review and reintroduced in the starting paragraph of this article, The Cheesecake Factory has an extremely large menu with over two hundred plus selections to choose from. My wife had the Thai lettuce wraps dish served with satay chicken strips, carrots, bean sprouts, coconut curry noodles and lettuce leaves with three spicy Thai sauces; a peanut, sweet red chili, and tamarind-cashew. Later the next day since my wife boxed half of her dish, I tried one of the wraps and the satay flavor was right on point. A healthier dish to a not so healthy style American menu.
My daughter had the angel hair pasta dish with a shrimp addition sautéed with tomatoes, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and fresh basil on a bed of the angel hair with a touch of marinara sauce. Her dish was very basic and nothing really to write home about based on the tasting I had. She seemed to enjoy it though.
Finally for my entree I had the truffle-honey chicken which came with two deep fried pieces of breast meat served over mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. The chicken had lots of flavor to it, but I could tell that this was a pre-prepared product brought in frozen versus freshly house-made based on the style and texture of the taste. Now if I’m wrong, I encourage The Cheesecake Factory to correct me on this and then I will update.
Dessert:
We had a few more drinks and decided on dessert, which we did not do on the first visit as we were full after the meal. We were still full but figured that we had to order a cheesecake since its the namesake of the restaurant. All of the cheesecakes are shipped in from the main bakery out of state, but still, the one or two small bites that we had before boxing them up were heavenly and filled with sugar. Funny, did you know that sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine, and how many Americans or other people around the world are secretly addicted without knowing it, or not caring?
The first of two cheesecake we ordered was the Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups in the original cheesecake with layers of fudge cake and caramel (pictured above). The second was the white chocolate chunk cheesecake swirled with macadamia nuts and caramel on a blonde brownie crust.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Wine regulatory’s for the tastings in this article:
European Union:
France:
Other Noteworthy Chain Restaurant Articles and Restaurants:
BiCE Restaurant, Dubai Marina Acclaimed upmarket classic and innovative Italian in Dubai, UAE
Charleston’s Restaurant Casual American eatery; reviewed in Indianapolis, Indiana
Fleming’s Steakhouse High-end steakhouse chain (69+) with aged prime cuts, reviewed in Akron, Ohio
FLIP Burger Boutique Hip burger chain with the space-age decor, reviewed in Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia
Fogo de Chão Upscale Brazilian fair with 49 locations. Review based in Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia
Gino’s East Pizzeria Chain serving Chicago-style deep dish pizza & other Italian eats in Chicago, Illinois
Jack Allen’s Kitchen Farm-to-fork upscale local chain for Southwestern cuisine in Austin, Texas
Laurent Tourondel / BLT Swanky French-American steakhouse fair with 14 restaurants
Morimoto Asia Japanese and upscale Pan-Asian fare with sushi at Disney Springs Orlando, Florida
The Varsity Iconic drive-in restaurant fair serving hot dogs & other American classics in Atlanta, Georgia
Waffle House A Southern 24/7 breakfast chain known for their hash browns, based in Atlanta, Georgia
Wolfgang Puck Celebrity Chef’s California cuisine & fine dining chain; reviewed in Orlando, Florida
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Tampa restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
|
Events & Seasonal American cuisine dinner cruise
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
Sleek chain with Hawaiian menu + sushi
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
Eclectic & innovative gastropub using molecular gastronomy
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
A Few Florida Favorites:
|
Lively Bar and Grill
At the Hollander Hotel
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Modern café for southern Grub
St Augustine, Florida USA
|
Relaxed Tuscan-inspired Italian chain eatery
Sarasota, Florida, USA
|
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience, and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give The Cheesecake Factory a 0.5 out of 5 stars, meaning that they were a very basic dining experience like most restaurants, The first review score was 1 of 5 stars, so there rating has not decreased from my last visit.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
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Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings
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Max Points Possible:
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Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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10
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8
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1
|
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Food quality
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11
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5
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6
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Plate presentation
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11
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9
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2
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Customer service
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11
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6
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5
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Alcohol and other beverages
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9
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5
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4
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Total regular points awarded
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52
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33
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18
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
|
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0.634615384615385
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|
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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0
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0
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Total bonus percentage
|
|
0
|
|
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
|
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0.634615384615385
|
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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0.5
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
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Overall Star Rating:
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0.5 of 5 Stars:
95% Rating with a 0 point “wow” bonus
A Very Basic Dining Experience
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Corkage fees:
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This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge
$25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine Style:
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American Basic Chain
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Pescatarian, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
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Not Required, but Recommended
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wears flip-flops!
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Experiences:
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Contemporary, Modern, Trendy, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Valet, Public Lot
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Loud
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
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Currency:
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Price
|
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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££
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€€
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Alcohol prices:
$27.00 USD
The Cheesecake Factory:
International Plaza and Bay Street
2223 North Westshore Blvd
Tampa, Florida 33607
Contact Information:
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Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 813-353-4200
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Website contact:
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Sun-Thur
11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Fri-Sat
10:00 am - 12:30 am
Happy Hour
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
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Social Media
&
Accolades:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
|
Hip burger chain with space-age decor
Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
|
Colonial Portuguese Fusion with tapas
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Posh and artful French cuisine + culinary experimentalism at Intercontinental Hotel
Festival City, Dubai, UAE
|
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
