The Cheesecake Factory

Tweet I can't stop day-dreaming about a recent visit some mama friends and I made to The Cheesecake Factory. For some reason, it was only recently that I fell under the spell of TCF- I'm always the last to join the trends. I had actually been once before, maybe to a free cheesecake day? It was good, but for some reason I have slowly been losing my taste for cheesecake- which is odd, given I have an insane sweet tooth. So I wasn't too thrilled about going to TCF, but it was conveniently located. The menu is like a spiral bound notebook- it's huge! They even had a separate binder for nutrition information, which I knew not to look at from those irritating Eat This, Not That Yahoo articles I click on out of boredom. There were so many menu options, I had no idea what to choose and was getting perturbed- who needs 200 varieties of cheesecake anyway? Cheesecake with peanut butter cups and fudge, cheesecake with caramel and macadamias, cheesecake with earthworms and a garden hose. I finally spotted the strawberry shortcake, which sounded good, and picked the fried zucchini as a "small plate" appetizer to share (at a reasonably priced $4). My friend got cheesecake with Snickers bars and fishnet stockings, or something like that.
Oh.My.God. That strawberry shortcake was possibly the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. It was huuuuuge. The bottom shortcake was swimming in a pool of sweet strawberry juices and sucking up all that gooey goodness like a sponge. Vanilla ice cream was sandwiched between the cakes, adding a cold and creamy contrast. There was probably a pound of strawberries swimming around, and a huge dollop of whipped cream on top of it all- and it's listed as having a figure-friendly 1,000+ calories. I kid you not. I didn't eat the whole thing- I would have, if I could have, but I didn't feel like passing out in the parking lot on the way to my car (I had a dress on). And let's not forget the fried zucchini- crispy, tasty small spears with a tangy, smooth ranch dipping sauce- they were excellent, and a fairly sized portion too.
So, in other words: Cheesecake Factory, I love you. I am thinking about applying for a bussing job there so I can eat all the leftover food. I can't wait to go back.
Disclaimer: I must tell you that TCF has NOT paid me for this review, nor provided me with any of their fattening, delicious food. And really, I think that's a shame, since I gave them such a glowing commendation. Cheescake Factory, are you reading this? I'm free Saturday.