So much more than just cheesecake! (The Cheesecake Factory)

Member Name: sakura8

Product:	The Cheesecake Factory
Date:	06/02/09 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great service, reasonable prices, huge portions!

Disadvantages: Can get very busy

On a recent trip to San Francisco we visited 'The Cheesecake Factory'. You could call this a horrible tourist trap, as it's a chain restaurant and this one is situated at the top of Macy's department store in Union Square. But we liked it so much we visited it 3 times as the portions are huge, the prices are reasonable and it's got a really relaxed feeling.

Despite the restaurant name, they also cook up a wide variety of food like pasta, steaks and seafood. They cater for all tastes but the menu has a global appeal so there are dishes influenced from all over the world. In the seafood section alone, you can let your taste buds explore Mexico (Fresh Fish Tacos), the Caribbean (Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp) or Japan (Miso Salmon).

<<< The Sweet >>>
On our first visit we went there for lunch to celebrate our 3-year anniversary. Well when I say lunch, I mean we just had cheesecake and coffee! I'd had the cheesecake at 'The Cheesecake Factory' in Orlando, so I knew how rich and filling it was, so I told my other half that we'd better skip the appetisers and main courses and go straight for dessert. The cheesecakes are truly rich and decadent - you will definitely feel like you're consuming your recommended daily calorie allowance with just one portion!

Another reason for just ordering cheesecake was the dilemma of choice from the huge menu book. There are over 25 cheesecakes to choose from, ranging from simple classics like Fresh Strawberry to more indulgent ones like Dulce de leche Caramel.
After perusing the menu for some time, my fiancé selected the Chocolate Oreo Mudslide Cheesecake and I had the Dutch Apple Caramel Cheesecake. Both were dense, creamy and delicious, but we struggled to get through half the portions so we took the rest home. After our waistlines had been hit with these delectable desserts and iced cafe mochas, we vowed not to have any more cheesecake for quite a while!

<<< The Savoury >>>
However, we went back for dinner that same day as we were enticed by the other food on the menu. We both wanted steak so I ordered the Grilled Skirt Steak, which came with the most delicious Mashed Potatoes and Sweetcorn Succotash. My fiancé ordered Steak Diane and unfortunately his steak was overcooked as he'd ordered it medium to well done (that is equivalent to medium-rare in the UK). The waiter was most apologetic and sorted out the problem straight away and my fiancé got a new dinner very quickly.

<<< The Excellent Service >>>
Now we're not big complainers and we didn't make a fuss, so we were totally surprised when the manager came over to apologise and offered us a free piece of cheesecake! If we hadn't had cheesecake overload at lunch we would have been a lot more excited, but we weren't going to turn down a freebie so we asked for the Fresh Strawberry and took that home with our steak dinner leftovers, which was enough for a complete meal!

Our third visit was after an excellent trip to Alcatraz. Unfortunately this time we arrived at 7pm on a busy Thursday night and the place was heaving so we had to wait about 30 minutes for a table. The staff are very organised though and if you have to wait for a table they give you a little pager which buzzes to tell you when you're table is available. This is handy if you want to wander off and look around to kill time whilst you're waiting and Macy's is open until 9pm so you can do some shopping before you dine.

Overall The Cheesecake Factory was a great place to eat, with really friendly helpful staff and we always left with our stomachs full and our wallet not too empty.

www.thecheesecakefactory.com

Summary: Make sure you go there hungry!