Grand Luxe Cafe: Like the Cheesecake factory but better

We went to the Grand Luxe Cafe for dinner over at the Beverly Center. It's owned by the Cheesecake Factory, and you can see a lot of similarities in the layout of the restaurant, as well as the big, varied menu, and the huge portions. The decor is a little fancier ... looks like it's inspired by the Venetian casino in Vegas. Update: I was just checking out the locations and there IS one of these at the Venetian in Vegas. Can I call it or WHAT? At any rate, the food was great. It wasn't great in a fine-dining way, but kind of in a Rachael Ray way, if you know what I mean.

The menu has so much to choose from that it's hard to decide what to get. Lots of interesting flavor combinations and re-creations of things traditional. We went with the deep-friend Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls. OMG.. those are like the ultimate bar food.
For the entree, I went with the Indochine Shrimp and Chicken and I LOVED it. It was sweet with just the right amount of curry. My boyfriend got the Shaking Beef. He thought it had a few too many onions, but I love onions so I loved this dish too. The beef had a wonderful, freshly grilled flavor and tenderness. Oh, and the Key Lime pie was delicious too. : )

It looks like there aren't very many of these restaurants around the country yet, but I am guessing it will catch on.

Grand Luxe Cafe
Beverly Center
121 North La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310-855-1122
http://www.grandluxcafe.com/