Gotta Love Cheesecake
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Frosted Oatmeal Cookie
White Chocolate and Michigan Cherry Cookie
Turtle Cheesecake
Banana Pudding Cheesecake
Recently opened in the Northwest, a tucked away Strip-mall location a few hundred yards from Santa Fe Station Casino, Gotta Love Cheesecake has received a fair bit of press for a mom n’ pop – or, rather, mother and daughter – sort of place, and stopping in just after 2pm following a rather hefty lunch at Old School Pizzeria I found mother Kathy present and happy to chat, her childhood outside of Toronto and years in Michigan showing familiar sensibilities to my upbringing no less than thirty miles away and the sort of work ethic that seems well honed by those raised in Midwest.
Rarely one to ‘seek out’ cheesecake, mostly because there are simply other desserts that I prefer but also because the dessert intrinsically runs quite heavy, it was with rumors that this version proves much ‘lighter’ than average that I approached my order and discussing the fact that ‘almost any’ flavor can be created with enough advanced notice I decided to invest my appetite in the two selections that most tickled my fancy, both of them apparently amongst the store’s three best sellers, as well as four cookies to a total tally of just over thirteen bucks.
Charming in décor, themes of hope, God, and family featuring prominently amidst old photographs and cozy tables with Free WiFi for those choosing to dine-in, it was largely due to later plans that I opted to take my goods to go, and sitting down to sample the goods just over an hour later along with some coffee the trio of cookies proved good, if not particularly memorable, as flavors trended a bit sweeter than I’d have preferred; a lone exception found in the smallish dried cherry versions that benefitted the butteriness of white chocolate to help rein in the sugary dough.
Moving on to the bakery’s eponymous item, each ‘personal sized’ cake selling for a mere $4.95, it was with some skepticism that cut into the caramel swirled Turtle, and first tasting the cake before adding nutty chocolate topping to the rest I’m happy to say that rumors of fluffiness are indeed fact, each bite more akin to a panna cotta or semi-freddo in heft than it is to the New York style popularized by Juniors’ while neither richness nor flavor is forsaken.
Setting aside part of the Turtle for later, and moving on to a similarly textured cake topped with soft banana pudding atop a graham cracker crust that is thick enough to require a little bit of work but mildly flavored enough to not overwhelm the cream cheese taste, those who fancy the Southern Classic would be well served to stop by and sample this masterpiece because although certainly not ‘authentic’ the flavor profile is every bit on point, and completely devoid of the artificial banana tones that oft mar the original and render it cloyingly sweet.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Considering the name of the space it should seem logical that the Cheesecakes are where anyone visiting Gotta Love Cheesecake should invest their appetites and expect to be well rewarded, the cookies and other treats such as cupcakes and cookies apparently of varying quality based on reports from both myself and others.
RECOMMENDED: Turtle Cheesecake, Banana Pudding Cheesecake.
AVOID: Frosted Oatmeal Cookie
TIP: Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10a-6p, those interested in ordering a large-scale cheesecake or requesting a special flavor are encouraged to stop in or contact the team directly as most items can be created with 24-48 hours’ notice.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.gottalovecheesecake.com
