New York Cheesecake

As an avid pie fan, I felt it prudent to sample a few slices while in New York City. America is known for its pie skills, you see. Pecan, key lime, coconut cream...it's a delicious list. During my investigations, I happily happened upon a truly divine pie shop and sampled the most superb pies I have ever tasted. Oh, but you'll have to wait a few more posts for those details. For now, I have a classic slice of New York Cheesecake for you.

Let's talk cheesecake.

I am not a big cheesecake fan, in the classical or common sense. Rather, I prefer the less sweet, lovely and lumpier ricotta cheese-based cake to the cream cheese creations. The latter I find far too sweet and a little boring. Though I did not wish this personal preference to impede my pie research, and thus (with the encouragement of two sets of cousins) Ben and I headed to Junior's, located in the grand Grand Central Terminal food court.

Junior's boasts the most fabulous cheesecake in the city. Let's see...

We ordered one slice of plain, classic cheesecake to share. This proud portion was incredibly dense and sweetly smooth, with a friendly sponge cake-like base. I suppose the "plain" moniker was quite true, in that it was certainly without the bells and whistles of many cheesecakes out there. There were no nuts or chocolate chips or toppings or swirls...thank goodness. Though I nevertheless found this pie to be too sweet for my taste. If they dialled back the sweetness I dare say I might enjoy this slice of New York Cheesecake. And I count that as an investigative win.

Oh, and we also shared a slice of Momofuku Crack Pie. Yes indeed! I simply had to try his well loved creation - once you start you're apparently unable to stop...

Except that Ben and I did manage to stop. After a few bites, in fact. I found it to be overwhelmingly sweet and the texture a little boring. I prefer a bit of chunk and tenderness to my pie. But, as us hard working pie investigators say, you can't feel like smashing your face into all the pies out there... The cheesecake won this round, my friends. Totally face-smash worthy.

I'll return in my next post with a summary of our New York City recommendations. Oh my, it's going to be a big one...

Heidi xo