A more decadent Cheesecake Factory

Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake

There’s been a lot of chatter this week in social media channels and the GF blogosphere about The

Cheesecake Factory’s “new” gluten-free menu, and I’ve got the skinny.

Before you get too excited, heed this advice: Proceed with caution, because it's not here ... yet.

According to the Cheesecake Factory, it is, in fact, working on a GF menu and expects it to become available “sometime in 2013." In the meantime, the company is recommending that customers check with a manager prior to ordering.

“Our managers can confirm your selection and are happy to personally oversee the preparation of your meal,” said a guest services specialist. “Despite these efforts, we are not able to guarantee against the unintentional or unforeseen cross-contamination of ingredients.”

The company, which has eight locations in New Jersey,  has also identified (possibly) safe food items for its GF guests.

The featured GF entrees are Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken, served with mashed potatoes, carrots, watercress and a light lemon garlic-herb sauce, and the SkinnyLicious Pear and Endive Salad, which also contains grilled chicken, candied pecans, tomatoes and blue cheese, served with a low-calorie vinaigrette.

Items that can be modified to be GF are the Miso Salmon without Sake Butter Sauce; Fresh Grilled Salmon or Mahi Mahi, both without Tartar Sauce; Filet Mignon, including petite version, without onion rings and au jus; Classic Burger or Turkey Burger, both without the bun; and Caesar Salad without croutons.

Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken

For appetizers, the Cheesecake Factory suggests the Quesadilla with a corn tortilla substitute; Fire-Roasted Fresh Artichoke without Spicy Vinaigrette; Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes without Tomatillo Cream Sauce; and Ahi Carpaccio without Soy-Ginger Sauce and Togarashi Aioli.

Gluten-Free suggestions from the Kids’ Menu are the Grilled Chicken and the Quesadilla with a corn tortilla substitute and without French fries. Safe salad dressings include Caesar, Citrus Honey and SkinnyLicious Mustard Vinaigrette.

For dessert, there is surprisingly only one cheesecake option. The treats include fresh berries, ice cream and the flourless Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake, which the company says is made with wheat husk, but contains no gluten.

So, there you have it.

The company has restaurants in Cherry Hill, Bridgewater, Edison, Freehold, Hackensack, Lawrenceville, Short Hills (Millburn) and Wayne.

I haven’t been to the Cheesecake Factory in years, not since I was told by a server that the company’s cheesecakes, its signature items, are all made with wheat flour. For now, I’m waiting until the official GF menu is ready before trying it again. 

What are your thoughts?

Photo credits: The Cheesecake Factory