The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory
251 Geary St. (at Macy's, top floor)
Union Square
San Francisco
(415) 391-4444
Food type: American, with Asian and Latin selections
Average entrée price: $14
Bender Rating: 2
Credit cards: All major

Famous dish: Cheesecake (more than 30 varieties)

Livin' Large at the Cheesecake Factory

  Big, ambitious and noisy, the newest location of The Cheesecake Factory has arrived in San Francisco, and diners are happily waiting from 30 minutes to an hour-plus to sample their vast, wide-ranging menu and with any luck, grab some sunshine on the eighth-floor patio overlooking bustling Union Square.

Choose from more than a dozen pastas, including one with spicy sausage, Pad Thai, four cheeses with marinara, and a popular Cajun jambalaya pasta; twelve chicken dishes, including Crusted Chicken Romano and spicy Mandarin-style; quesadillas and tacos, burgers and huge salads that nearly block your view of Niketown across Union Square. There's a "Factory meatloaf" with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables; a Caribbean steak marinated with herbs and served with grilled onions, black beans and plantains; and huge sandwiches like the California cheesesteak and a shrimp poor boy. There is also a selection of eggs, french toasts and other brunch fare.

The décor is a little bit Vegas -- odd Egyptian pillars -- and a little bit Wolfgang Puck (plenty of colorful mosaics), and the service is prompt and genuinely friendly. But the food needs work -- just because something is served in giant portions doesn't mean you'll actually want to eat all of it. Plus, a pesky barbecue sauce seems to turn up in the most unwelcome places: smothering a quesadilla, or tossed into a Cobb salad.

Cheesecake and other desserts may be the best reason to brave the crowds at Macy's and the long wait: in addition to Black-Out Cake, warm apple crisp, tiramisu and fresh strawberry shortcake, there are more than 30 cheesecake flavors, like Kahlua almond fudge, vanilla bean, lemon mousse, and white chocolate macadamia nut, to look forward to.

-- Lisa Tsering