Cheesecake Factory

First things first, I did not have any cheesecake. It wasn't that I was not tempted just not in the mood for it at the time. Believe it or not, this was our first trip to the Cheesecake Factory. Not sure why we have not gone before - maybe partly because numerous peolple had told us the waits were horrible. That was not the case last night for us. We were meeting friends around 7 so we decided to get there a bit earlier just in case there was a wait. We walked in and asked how long for a party of 4 and guess what? No wait!
The best part about the place is the enormous menu. There is something for everyone. If you are not sure what you are in the mood for then this is a good choice. I was a little worried before going because I had also heard that the portions were huge and that they might not have the healthiest of menus and I like to eat as healthy as possible. I was pleasantly surprised when there were several somewhat healthy options and of course you can also make things healthier if you choose to do so. I had the angel hair pasta with marinara and it was light and very good. I ate the whole thing and didn't feel stuffed but satisfied. Adam had the spicy chicken sandwich (no cheese) and it was served with fries. He thought it was good but not the best that he has had.
Now the service started out great. The host was very friendly and at first our server seemed to be very eager to please us and had a fun personality. This changed about half way through the meal. We barely saw her so getting refills or anything else was a task. Finally, when the checks came and we placed our cards in the holders to be taken, that took forever. We are sticklers on good service and tip based on performance. Bad service equals bad tip in our book.
Of course, we do recommend the Cheesecake factory to others. The overall experience and the fact that we were able to hang out with friends over a good meal was great.