Cheesecake Showdown

I love a good cheesecake.  After 11 ½ years of marriage, it still gets me a little sad to realize I will never share a piece of yummy cheesecake with my husband.  And, yes, for those of you out there that weren’t sure if cream cheese falls under the “I hate all cheese except mozzarella” category for Jake, it sure does. 

I have two favorite places to go for a scrumptious slice of cheesecake.  I’m sure most of you could guess that The Cheesecake Factory would have topnotch cheesecake.  And they do.  A page-long (sometimes longer) list of cheesecake options is what awaits you at this delicacy chain.  My favorite is the Chocolate Tuxedo Cream, with a chocolate graham cracker crust, a thin layer of chocolate cake, then chocolate cheesecake topped with a white chocolate cheesecake mousse.  And more chocolate and more chocolate.  But the mousse layer and cake layers are light enough that it doesn’t weigh you down.  This will cost you about $7.99, but I think it’s worth it every now and then. 

http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/

Would most of you have known that Old Chicago is my other favorite place to go for amazing cheesecake?  I’ve told this well-kept secret to many people, after being introduced to it myself by my good friend Kim.  Apparently Old Chicago makes their own, taking 2 full days to get it just right.  And it is.  Just right, that is.  It’s so creamy and delicious.  The graham cracker crust is almost caramelized at the bottom, probably a benefit of that 2-day creation process.  And there is just a bit of strawberry jam filling swirled at the bottom, though you barely, if ever, notice it (for those of you like myself who would normally be put off by such an addition).  The picture really makes it seem as if there’s more jam than there normally is.  I’ve never tried anything other than their traditional plain cheesecake, since it is just that good.  But I do think they have a turtle variety that wouldn’t disappoint either.  Oh, and be sure to either come hungry or be prepared to share it.  For $4.99, you get an enormous piece. 

http://www.oldchicago.com/

These two kinds of cheesecake are amazing, and I’d be hard pressed to decide between them.  You decide!