True story from our waiter:
The Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake at Junior’s in NYC is gluten-free. How? I have no idea but he claims it is and I am sticking to that. A patron allergic to gluten was once told this information as well and after 5 years of avoiding desserts, ordered the cheesecake. One bite in- tears flowed. That is the power of the cheesecake that Mina and I had (along with others of course) at Junior’s in Times Square, NYC.
Pictured below you see the *gluten-free* Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Carrot Cake Cheesecake. Before I go on, I would like to make a shameless plug- we ordered the Carrot Cake one because Mina recently made her own carrot cake for the first time ever and this carrot cake is THE BEST carrot cake you will ever have. Recipe is up on this blog and if you are a fan of carrot cakes, you have to give it a go! Back to your regularly scheduled review.
All of the cheesecakes at Junior’s are made with the same original base so if you are adventurous, definitely try a flavor. The Strawberry is the most similar to their Famous Original, in it, you can taste the rich recipe that is the foundation to all of the cheesecakes. Pictured first is their Chocolate Mousse, which I am convinced was long ago created with me in mind. It is a chocolate lover’s dream! Fluffy mousse tops their cheesecake base, all coated with a chocolate ganache and more chocolate chips. The mousse is homemade and keeps the slice extra creamy but not overly sweet and the real kicker is the crust, the hidden gem to any good cheesecake. The Strawberry cake as mentioned is pure and simple. I understand many people do not have a love for sweets (although I do not understand these people), which is then the cheesecake for you. It is classic and delicate and has just enough balance of cream cheese flavor. Topped with strawberry pie filling and a graham cracker crust, you can practically taste the tradition throughout. The best part for me here was the surrounding macaroon crunch, very subtle but a perfect little detail that only further made this cheesecake better than every other strawberry cheesecake you’ve had before. Last but certainly not least, the Carrot Cake. Normally, I would never order a carrot cake let alone carrot cake flavored anything, but boy am I glad we did. Junior’s own carrot cake layers the cheesecake base and a homemade cream cheese frosting. The cake is moist and you can see the carrots freshly baked in with a slight taste of cinnamon. Their cream cheese frosting again provides a perfect balance and the combination of carrot cake and cheesecake is surprisingly brilliant.
Yes, these really are perfect cheesecakes. Nothing needs to be added and nothing is taken away. It is no wonder native New Yorkers will recommend Juniors as the place to go when looking for a NY cheesecake. I’m not the gluten-free lady in the story the waiter told, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I shed a tear on these amazing desserts myself.
