Classic Cheesecake: Chicago Style @ Eli's

New York isn't the only city with a rich, creamy dessert worth mentioning.  Eli's Cheesecake in Chicago, Illinois, has been a windy city staple for over 30 years.  Originally starting as a popular dessert at the original eatery, Eli's - The Place for Steak, Eli later decided to start a separate business, just because of the cult-like following, for his decadent treats.  The steakhouse has since closed in 2005, but the cheesecakes are still going strong!  Now with the constant evolution of internet and social media, Eli's makes it very easy to order their confections, and communicate with the company.  And, when you're a social media junkie like myself, you end up getting some pretty cool freebies, including, an entire Eli's Cheesecake shipped to my door!  How awesome is that?!

Eli's at my doorstep, very carefully sealed, and packed in dry ice!

Just I had hoped, Eli's sent me the sampler cheesecake, containing Classic, Chocolate Chip, Classic with a Strawberry topping, and Heath Bar varieties.  Typically, I'm not the biggest fan of cheesecake, because most restaurants don't include a sauce/garnish/flavor to help cut the richness that cheesecake is known for.  Sometimes, cheesecake recipes get way too whimsical, and unlike the original dessert they were trying to improve upon.  Eli's keeps things simple and delicious.  My favorite, was the chocolate chip cheesecake.  Not only did the chocolate flavor, cut the richness of the cream cheese, but the texture of the chips, also gave another dynamic, to an otherwise monochrome dessert.  Eli's makes a delicious, creamy cheesecake, that is traditional enough to be very familiar, but not too whimsical to where you lose that timeless flavor.

Eli's Original Favorites Sampler

Did I mention you can get these tasty wheels of cream cheesy goodness shipped to your door?  Yeah, they do that too.  No excuses this time!  Indulge, and enjoy :)