Sherman's Food Adventures: Cheesecake Etc

Cheesecake Etc

It seems like some places are totally out-of-sight, out-of-mind until a situation presents itself. After eating at Hapa Izakaya, we wanted to grab some dessert and Cheesecake Etc seemed like a logical choice since it wasn't too far away. Viv and I haven't been here in ages. When I say ages, I mean like as in 10+ years! I'm usually not a big dessert person; but one of the exceptions is cheesecake. However, it took me a while to recover from a "cheesecake" incident way back in the 90's. Two overzealous friends of mine decided to make baked NY cheesecake (my birthday cake) for the first time. I am not sure what they did to it, but it had the consistency of a cheese block. The middle had a crater as deep as the Grand Canyon and it tasted like baked tofu. Don't get me wrong, I totally appreciated it; but what do you say when they ask, "It's good isn't it?" Later, I found out the rest of my friends had taken their slices downstairs and flushed it down the toilet - clogging it! Imagine my reaction when I discovered it afterwards! Well, I got over that and I still enjoy cheesecake, especially the baked New York style.

Viv, on the other hand, can't stand baked NY-style cheesecake; instead she likes the lighter whipped version. Cheesecake Etc. serves a "whipped-like" version; however it is still baked (thanks for the correction Mike and Edith!). Thus, I am a little biased when it comes to rating the cheesecake here since I like the NY-style more. However, in terms of taste, it is very good; but ultimately lacks the richness, texture and aroma of a NY cheesecake. Furthermore, the strawberry sauce is not fresh. However, it is difficult to find fresh strawberries on cheesecake. Yet, I've had it at the Cheesecake Factory in the US and it's hard to go back once you've tried it. One interesting thing was missing from the cheesecake - the crust. I wasn't really all that annoyed because I don't like the crust. With that being said, I do not dislike the cheesecake from Cheesecake Etc. One positive is that I can actually finish the slice of cheesecake. One thing that I remembered about Cheesecake Etc. was its extremely dark ambiance. Well, that hasn't changed, it's so dark we could barely see what we were eating. Value-wise, the cheesecakes are moderately priced. Personally, it's not my first choice for cheesecake; but it's acceptable.

The Good:
- Cheesecakes are light, not hard to finish one
- Cheesecakes are not too sweet

The Bad:
- I realize it's for ambiance's sake, but it's really dark inside
- If you like NY-style cheesecake, you won't find it here
- Where's the crust?

Cheesecake Etc. on Urbanspoon

5 comments:

drea said...

This place makes me angry at the world. Such injustice in my mouth.

Anson said...

Give me this kind of Cheesecake over the the RICH ++, can't finish it all in one setting cheesecake anyday.

:)

Sherman Chan said...

Hi Drea... LOL...

Hi Anson, yup, it's a very personal preference kind of thing. My wife loves whipped cheesecake, I don't. Enuff said.

Unknown said...

Hi--this is from Mike the guy, along with his wife Edith, that started Cheesecake, etc. thirty years ago. First of all, thank you for the review. Just to set the record straight, we do bake our cheesecake in an oven for 11/2 hours. The crust is a matter of taste. I, personally, find the traditional graham-cracker crust to be an unpleasant contrast with the smooth texture of the cheesecake. Again, thanks for coming and thanks for the review.

Sherman Chan said...

Hi Mike and Edith, thanks for the correction! My bad! Yes, I agree with your comment about the crust, I usually leave it on the plate and just eat the cheesecake. But apparently some people love it. Thanks for reading!

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