Tested : The Cheesecake Factory (Walnut Creek, CA)

By Mummy B.

 

Two weeks ago (time goes by so fast!), we moved into our new home in Walnut Creek. I will probably talk about it with a lot of details later, but here is a short description : it is a city in East Bay (which means :  if you want to go to San Francisco by car, you’ll have to queue at the Bay Bridge!), about 25 miles from SF, served by BART (public transportation) but if you are more of the lazy-cocooning kind, you will find everything just like in The City (well, almost).

This weekend, we had planned to explore San Francisco. And finally, because of the tireness of the previous weekend, we preferred to stay in our new city.

 

 

Saturday night. Empty stomach. We don’t feel like cooking.

Let’s go Downtown (10 minutes walk from home) to see what we can find! Actually, everything. Really … there are a multitude of restaurants, pubs, diners and fast food of all kinds. All cuisines are represented, all price ranges and all possible atmospheres too! Small unknown cafes to worldwide famous brands!

 

 

As big fans of series, we chose … The Cheesecake Factory!

Why? Because of this :

[kad_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOQNUmtJLE” ]

 

Moreover you just can’t miss the façade which is just the perfect representation of american standard… big!

 

And what better way to spend that first night than put ourselves in the shoes of Sheldon and Leonard … but avoid absolutely any conversation about Star Trek or the “Theory of Everything”! It’s not like we don’t know anything about it… but Mimi B. would not understand a word! And we still prefer to wait a little before getting told that our “old folks conversations” are so boring!

 

 

We hesitate to turn back when we are warned that the wait time will be 20 minutes, but then we remember that it is somewhat standard in the USA (and that it was the same for Din Tai Fung in Singapore!). The hostess, very nice (and very pretty!) asks for Daddy B’s phone number (helloooo! the redhead next to him is not the babysitter, darling!) … in order to text us as soon as our table is available (please, accept my apologies, miss, you are very helpful …).

 

 

I have time to take some pictures of the place, a chic-and-sleek mix with antique decor and glitter, soft lighting and popular (and a bit loud) music. A little flashy but it seems to work as the restaurant is crowded!

 

We are guided to our table and we are still surprised by the American service: perfect! The waitress asks us what we want to drink quickly and brings us directly some water, bread and butter … always with a smile and nice words!

 

The menu is worthy of a novel by Victor Hugo … endless! It certainly includes all that our planet receives as wildlife and plants (I do not swear anyway, because I did not have the strength to read it fully…), with an impressive variety to accommodate them! Added to this, you also have a kid menu and another one more healthy. Next time, I promise, I will check the menu available on internet before coming so that I know in advance what to choose!

 

We eventually order milk with Spaghetti and Meatballs for Mimi B. (which arrived well before our own dishes … as I said before: perfect service!). We also take a Sangria, a Martini Tropical, a White Chicken Chili for Daddy B. and a combo Diane Steak and Shrimp Scampi with Mashed Potatoes for Mummy B. Everything is delicious!

 

 

Apart from the musical background, our dinner is punctuated by a lot of “Happy Birthday” sung by the waiters… there are so many that it seems everyone, except us, came to celebrate a birthday!

Mimi B. is so tired that she ends up sleeping on the couch. We are able to enjoy our meal as if we were the only ones in the world (almost). As we already told you … our little one is very convenient!

 

As the quantities of our dishes are a little too well served (but not enough to bring some at home), we choose to skip dessert. We will come back another afternoon to taste their famous cheesecakes. However the meal of Mimi B. was enormous! So we take away what she did not eat (ie 90%). It will be enough for diner the next evening… for the three of us!

 

The addition comes adorned with a small heart … Daddy B. is definitely very attractive tonight! Ooops … somebody tells me in the atrium that the waitress just wanted a nice “tip” (funny fact : “tip” sounds like “type” in french which means “guy”).

 

Our experience so “Big Bang Theory” was a success. We surely won’t make it a weekly tradition as our friends from Cal-Tech, but will certainly be back!

 

Wanna try? Mummy B. tells you everything!

 

Did you know this restaurant? Have you ever been there? Do you have any other ideas to “be in the shoes of a serie or movie hero”?