| rev:text
| - Wow - i'm stunned by the negative reviews on here. I am a huge fan of The Cheesecake Factory, i have been to several locations in the US including the Walden Galleria location (check out my review!). One thing remains the same - great quality, great service, amazing variety and huge portions!
We arrived at Yorkdale Mall at 12pm. The idea was lunch and if the line up and wait time was too long, we would leave and eat somewhere else. The first thing i noticed when walking in was there was no direction or signs posted to let people know where to check in to give their names, or to line up if there was one. There was a counter to the left with 3 people behind it and a podium to the right with 1 person behind it, so i walked over to the podium. I asked if there was a wait time and how long it was. The answer was "75-90 min with no guarantee". That threw me off because other than people walking in & out of the mall, the entrance was clear. I asked her where we could leave our name etc. and she answered back "there is a line up in front of Victoria's Secret". Glad i asked otherwise there are no signs or anyone directing people that are trying to get in to the restaurant other than Security once someone tries to walk in. FYI at that time, she hadn't bothered to tell me that the line up in front of Victoria's Secret was just a line up that we had to wait in, to come back to her and give our names. That was my biggest issue with the process, not the wait time! It's a mall people. If you can't find something to do with a buzzer in your hand that allows you to go as far as Sporting Life, then that's your issue.
We lined up at 12:15pm. It didn't look too bad and moved 3 times in 30 min which got us back to the main podium near the door at 12:45pm. I was given a buzzer and told to come back in 75-90 min. We sat on the benches in front of the Godiva Store with a bunch of other people also waiting for a table. We did some shopping and window shopping to pass the time. Kids had some snacks & their tablets to keep them busy. Honestly, if it were a stand alone location, there was no chance in he$$ we would've waited even half of that. Thankful for the mall being there and so much to see & do to keep busy.
We were finally seated by 2:45pm. Our server (Brittany) was great! She apologized for the wait time after introducing herself. I mentioned our daughter's peanut/nut allergy right after she greeted us. She listened carefully and said she would talk to the kitchen before any of our orders were put through. She took the kids orders and our appetizer order and went to get our drinks. We never had to flag her down or look for her. She was at our table & others frequently and made sure drinks were topped up, empty plates were cleared and ALWAYS asked if we needed anything else and how we were doing and how our meal was.
Our order:
Hibachi Hanger Steak w/shiitake mushrooms, onions & bean sprouts, wasabi mashed potatoes and tempura battered asparagus. My hubby loved this dish! His steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare. I couldn't try it as i have an allergy to shiitake mushrooms, but he said it was perfectly cooked & seasoned and it was a nice large portion and definitely something he would order again!
I ordered the Grilled Steak Tacos - OMG this was super super delish! Honestly, i was looking at the large salads & burgers that i usually have, but decided to try something new. Hands down one of THE best steak tacos i've ever had at a restaurant - ok, other than in Mexico! 4 small tacos filled with perfectly grilled tender steak seasoned so well that i could eat nothing else and be happy! It was topped with chopped avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, crispy onions & chipotle sauce. On the side: a small bowl of black beans & a side of rice.
Our 7 yr old with the peanut/nut allergy wanted macaroni & cheese. Her food was brought out right after our appetizer by another server. She explained that it took a little longer because all the bowls & utensils to make her food were cleaned for her order to ensure no cross contamination or contact with any nut products. I was floored by this. Who does this at restaurants?! AMAZING! My daughter LOVED the macaroni & cheese!
Our 4 yr old ordered chicken tenders & fries - 5 lightly battered crispy chicken tender strips. Served with 2 dipping sauces - huge hit!
Red Velvet Cheesecake - OMG YUM - just try it!
FYI - you can order take out at the counter to the left of the mall entrance. There is a counter with cash register & menus. Wait time is 20-30 min. If you want to order dessert to go, there is a line up at the bakery inside, or you can put an order in through your server when you are ordering your food. It saves time! They don't serve any frozen food - everything is made fresh to order.
Would love to see a location at Markville Mall after their current expansion. Or Vaughan Mills. Another location would certainly help the wait times & line ups. We can't wait to go back!
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)