Post-Plywood: A Taste of RockSugar

We had a little preview taste at RockSugar, the Cheesecake Factory's new pan-Asian restaurant about to debut at the Westfield Century City Mall, over the weekend. It's unfair to criticize any restaurant during mock service or even in the first couple days, so we won't weigh heavily on the food---decent at best, very global (Thai green curry, Vietnamese pho, Malaysian laksa, Indian tikka, kaffir lime tofu cheesecake), a huge menu, super sweet cocktails, everything you'd expect an Asian version of the Cheesecake Factory to be. The room is big, extremely ornate, with elements that remind us of Tao in Vegas, and it was packed to the high wood-beam rafters (the kind that just aches for a Hidden Dragon-type fight scene), which is probably what it will be like on a regular basis. The most important lesson learned: Parking at that mall on a Friday night absolutely blows. The server was shocked to hear all four of us complain that it took 20-30 minutes to find a parking spot anywhere (the valet line was no better) and even, slightly patronizingly, asked if we're "from LA." Um, yeah, that's why we were bitching---it redefined parking ridiculousness for LA. RockSugar opens for dinner on Thursday, June 19.
· RockSugar Revealed: Like Vegas at the Mall [~ELA~]