Is the Cheesecake Factory worth it?

[disneyjunebug]

Thanks for the tips! We went to Nashville for a couple of days of Christmas shopping last year, and we tried Loveless on that trip. I had the best fried chicken of my life there! I guess we just lucked out that night or maybe it was before they had been featured on so many food shows, but we didn't have to wait at all. As good as Loveless was, I think we'd like to try some new places this time. Last time Loveless and the Noshville Deli were the only places that we ate outside the Oprymills Mall.

Any other suggestions? I'm super excited about going to the Farmer's Market, too!

My goodness, we do have a lot of restaurants, most of them small places that most people have never heard of. One that has just gotten a pretty experienced foodie is Prince's Hot Chicken, which just impressed Thomas Keller with their food. Now Prince's is not a high class place and hot chicken is fried chicken that is spicy, spicy. (When they serve fried "Baked" chicken at my school, they serve it with a packet of hot sauce.) He loved it, by the way.

Down in the district, two new places have just opened that I haven't had a chance to try. One is called Wild Bill's Beignets and Bikes (they have sandwiches and seafood baskets too), and Diana's Sweet shop (sandwiches, desserts, etc.). I haven't been down there yet to try them.

I love Chappy's, who is a transplant from New Orleans and has great Cajun food, Midtown Cafe, Flyte, Jimmy Kelly's (old school steakhouse -- my daddy used to take my momma to this for a special night out years ago and momma is almost 84!) and Sportsman's Grille are a couple of my favorites. There are many many more. These cover all price ranges, so hopefully you can find something that will spark your fancy.

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

 

[lemondog]

Thanks for the tips! We went to Nashville for a couple of days of Christmas shopping last year, and we tried Loveless on that trip. I had the best fried chicken of my life there! I guess we just lucked out that night or maybe it was before they had been featured on so many food shows, but we didn't have to wait at all. As good as Loveless was, I think we'd like to try some new places this time. Last time Loveless and the Noshville Deli were the only places that we ate outside the Oprymills Mall.

Any other suggestions? I'm super excited about going to the Farmer's Market, too!

Well if you are wanting chain food I would suggest California Pizza Kitchen which is less than a mile down the road from Cheesecake Factory. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their salads!!! I am not a big Cheesecake Factory fan, though.

As far as great food here, wow there are a ton of places. I would also suggest Monell's for an authentic, southern family-style dining experience. I am not a fan of Loveless either, which is sad because I live about 5 minutes from it! LOL (DisneyJuneBug we must be Bellevue neighbors!) Although they do have good fried chicken and biscuits, so you made a good choice. Arnold's Country Kitchen also has great southern food!

Some of my favorite local (i.e. non chain) restaurants are Firefly Grille, Whitfield's, Mafiaoza's, Joey's House of Pizza, Jim & Nicks (although this might be a chain) and Rotier's.

You MUST do breakfast at Pancake Pantry! Their Sweet Potato pancakes are TO DIE FOR! It's dirt cheap, too. Doesn't get much better than that!

 

[lemondog]

My goodness, we do have a lot of restaurants, most of them small places that most people have never heard of. One that has just gotten a pretty experienced foodie is Prince's Hot Chicken, which just impressed Thomas Keller with their food. Now Prince's is not a high class place and hot chicken is fried chicken that is spicy, spicy. (When they serve fried "Baked" chicken at my school, they serve it with a packet of hot sauce.) He loved it, by the way.

Down in the district, two new places have just opened that I haven't had a chance to try. One is called Wild Bill's Beignets and Bikes (they have sandwiches and seafood baskets too), and Diana's Sweet shop (sandwiches, desserts, etc.). I haven't been down there yet to try them.

I love Chappy's, who is a transplant from New Orleans and has great Cajun food, Midtown Cafe, Flyte, Jimmy Kelly's (old school steakhouse -- my daddy used to take my momma to this for a special night out years ago and momma is almost 84!) and Sportsman's Grille are a couple of my favorites. There are many many more. These cover all price ranges, so hopefully you can find something that will spark your fancy.

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

DisneyJuneBug, have you tried that new Wild Cow in East Nashville? I have been wanting to check it out. And that Wild Bill's sounds awesome, I am a HUGE beignet fan. I have never even heard of it, when did it open?

I went to the Hot Chicken festival last summer in hopes of trying some, and the line was already 500 people long when we got there!!!! I guess I'll have to venture across town to Prince's, although I think I am kind of scared of the heat, lol.

 

[PixieTopaz]

People who eat at Olive Garden and think it's good quality Italian food amuse me even more.

I wont eat at the one in my hometown because we have too many great restauarants

HOWEVER-when we travel, there are certain places we go with only chain restaurants and Ive eaten at Olive garden and have really liked the "specials' i've gotten.

 

[ms.yt]

My goodness, we do have a lot of restaurants, most of them small places that most people have never heard of. One that has just gotten a pretty experienced foodie is Prince's Hot Chicken, which just impressed Thomas Keller with their food. Now Prince's is not a high class place and hot chicken is fried chicken that is spicy, spicy. (When they serve fried "Baked" chicken at my school, they serve it with a packet of hot sauce.) He loved it, by the way.

Down in the district, two new places have just opened that I haven't had a chance to try. One is called Wild Bill's Beignets and Bikes (they have sandwiches and seafood baskets too), and Diana's Sweet shop (sandwiches, desserts, etc.). I haven't been down there yet to try them.

I love Chappy's, who is a transplant from New Orleans and has great Cajun food, Midtown Cafe, Flyte, Jimmy Kelly's (old school steakhouse -- my daddy used to take my momma to this for a special night out years ago and momma is almost 84!) and Sportsman's Grille are a couple of my favorites. There are many many more. These cover all price ranges, so hopefully you can find something that will spark your fancy.

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

I'm loving the sound of Prince's Hot Chicken. I think we'll definitely have to try that! We loved Gus's Fried Chicken in Memphis, and Prince's sounds like a slightly spicier version of it! Thanks!

 

[mjkacmom]

Food snobs amuse me.

What's wrong with being a food snob? The most $ I spend on a bottle of wine is $15. My sister, on the other hand, would spend $100 on a bottle. We just have different tastes. We have hundreds of local non-chain restaurants here in the NYC area. When you never eat chain food, you're just not used to it. We sometimes will suffer though Friendly's or IHOP for the kids, but give me a local diner anytime!

I do understand that, in other regions, chains are really all that is available, and I have heard the CF is one of the better ones (I actually really enjoyed my meal at Leagal Seafood). I just prefer food that is made fresh.

 

[ms.yt]

lemondog & DisneyJuneBug, what local places would you suggest that aren't too far away from the Opryland Hotel area? My husband and older son are going to be at a convention there during the day, so my little one and I will be lunching on our own. What are some good but kid-friendly places nearby? Thanks!

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

What's wrong with being a food snob? The most $ I spend on a bottle of wine is $15. My sister, on the other hand, would spend $100 on a bottle. We just have different tastes. We have hundreds of local non-chain restaurants here in the NYC area. When you never eat chain food, you're just not used to it. We sometimes will suffer though Friendly's or IHOP for the kids, but give me a local diner anytime!

I do understand that, in other regions, chains are really all that is available, and I have heard the CF is one of the better ones (I actually really enjoyed my meal at Leagal Seafood). I just prefer food that is made fresh.

Nothing... as long as you aren't putting down other people's preferences. As with most things, the way something is worded can change the whole tone of the conversation.

If you prefer local restaurants to chains, that's great. If you prefer chains to local restaurants, that's great too. If you think that you're superior because you like one over the other, well then....

We have great local restaurants here, but no Chick-Fil-A. Guess what I would prefer?

 

[DebbieB]

I travel alot for work and am always happy to see a Cheesecake Factory. I know I will find something I like and it will be good. The menu is huge.

 

[lemondog]

lemondog & DisneyJuneBug, what local places would you suggest that aren't too far away from the Opryland Hotel area? My husband and older son are going to be at a convention there during the day, so my little one and I will be lunching on our own. What are some good but kid-friendly places nearby? Thanks!

Well you can walk over to Opry Mills and eat at either Rainforest Cafe or Aquarium. The food is typical chain food and nothing special, IMO, but they are wildly themed and kids love them.

As far as other restaurants in the area, I am honestly not terribly familiar with that area of town. I go over there to shop at the Mall, then go home. If I am at the mall my favorite place to eat is Romano's Macaroni Grill. In the food court my favorite is Blue Coast Burrito. Also, there is a little kiosk in the mall right outside of Black Lion and Off 5th Saks Fifth Avenue called Gigi's Cupcakes. You have GOT to have one, they are to-die-for good!!!

They just opened a Crocs Outlet and J Crew Outlet over there, so I need to stay away, or else I'll go broke!

Oh, I just thought of something else! If you are anywhere near a Sweet CeCe's, you have to try it!!! It's a build-your-own sundae bar. They rotate out flavors of frozen yogurt, all of which are fat free and they taste FABULOUS!!! They have every topping you can imagine, it's easy to go crazy. I will warn you that you pay by the pound so it's pricey, but a great treat. Try and go to the one in Franklin if you're out that way...Taylor Swift is in there a lot getting her fix. I swear the stuff is like crack. http://sweetceces.com/

 

[Planogirl]

Why does anyone care where people enjoy eating? How can a thread about the Cheesecake Factory turn into an argument for crying out loud?

I like their cheesecake and their salads are good and seem fresh enough. As for the Olive Garden it's fine for simple food and just that. It sure seems popular but then what do they masses know....

 

[Planogirl]

What's wrong with being a food snob? The most $ I spend on a bottle of wine is $15. My sister, on the other hand, would spend $100 on a bottle. We just have different tastes. We have hundreds of local non-chain restaurants here in the NYC area. When you never eat chain food, you're just not used to it. We sometimes will suffer though Friendly's or IHOP for the kids, but give me a local diner anytime!

I do understand that, in other regions, chains are really all that is available, and I have heard the CF is one of the better ones (I actually really enjoyed my meal at Leagal Seafood). I just prefer food that is made fresh.

We have plenty of both and what's odd is that the Mom and Pop places really struggle as do many of the fancier restaurants. People seem to prefer the chains.

 

[Pembo]

If you go, don't look at their nutrition guides beforehand. Wow is their food high in calories. My favorite cheesecake is more calories than I should eat in one day!

 

[Floridagal23]

If you're going to be in Nashville, there are tons of other places I would go to.

Try Judge Bean's for some delicious bbq or Swett's for some fried chicken.

 

[Floridagal23]

Thanks for the tips! We went to Nashville for a couple of days of Christmas shopping last year, and we tried Loveless on that trip. I had the best fried chicken of my life there! I guess we just lucked out that night or maybe it was before they had been featured on so many food shows, but we didn't have to wait at all. As good as Loveless was, I think we'd like to try some new places this time. Last time Loveless and the Noshville Deli were the only places that we ate outside the Oprymills Mall.

Any other suggestions? I'm super excited about going to the Farmer's Market, too!

We did a quick weekend away in Nashville a few weeks ago (stayed at the hermitage, so lovely) and liked loveless for biscuits only (breakfast was not worth the 2 hr wait, IMO) but really enjoyed pancake pantry. Our friends also recommended hearing music at bluebird cafe, eating at jimmy kelly's steak place, and I'll try to think of the other breakfast place. I want to say it was Margot or something like that..supposed to be nice. Have fun!

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

If I were visiting a new city, the last place I would go is to a chain restaurant. Not to say there is anything at all wrong with the Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, etc. but I really like seeing what other places of the country have to offer.

As far as the CF goes, I am not a fan of their seating layout. I feel like I am always sitting with two additional families on each side of me. I don't know if your layout is the same as ours in Milwaukee.......

*I believe I had their lemon cheesecake which was to-die-for. ANY cheesecake is delicious.....all in moderation

 

[Aisling]

How can a thread about the Cheesecake Factory turn into an argument for crying out loud?

 

[ms.yt]

Well, we did the Cheesecake Factory as we got into town yesterday, and it was very good. We ordered the buffalo blasts as an appetizer, and that was everybody's favorite part of the meal. I had the barbecue ranch chicken salad, and although I got the lunch size, it was huge! I have a big appetite, and I knew if I finished it I wouldn't have any room for cheesecake. We all shared a piece of the pineapple upside down cheesecake, and it was wonderful! I'm glad we tried it!

We've ate at Johnny Rockets in the mall last night just because we were there. This morning we were going to try the Pancake Pantry, but it was pouring too much to get to our car without getting soaked. So, we just ate at the Water's Edge Buffet in the hotel. At lunch today I ate at the Farmer's Market food court, and for dinner we had probably our best meal yet, Monell's. It was awesome! I loved the way it was served, too! It was just like being at someone's house for dinner!

I don't know where else we'll make it to tomorrow before we leave. I just hope we can get out tomorrow with all the flooding!

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

Glad you had a good time! Safe travels to you

 

[disykat]

If I were visiting a new city, the last place I would go is to a chain restaurant. Not to say there is anything at all wrong with the Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, etc. but I really like seeing what other places of the country have to offer. )

For some of us, visiting those chains is seeing what another city has to offer! We find ourselves visting chains on vacation sometimes because we've heard of them and seen them advertised and always wondered if they were good. Cheesecake Factory is that way for us - we went on vacation.

I can see your point if they are restaurants you could go to at home. I would never go to an Olive Garden on vacation, because we have one here I could go to anytime I wanted to.