Zanze's Cheesecake, Delicate as Ever

Jonathan Kauffman

Zanze's cheesecake only looks solid.

​ When the Zanzes started their shop, cheesecake was at the height of its popularity ― these were the days when the Cheesecake Factory was just starting to expand across Southern California ― but now it rarely appears on restaurant menus. Eating one of the cakes feels like a lost pleasure regained. Based on German flourless cakes rather than the dense New York style, Zanze's cakes come in plain, chocolate, and mocha, with fruits such as blueberries or sour cherries they marinate in kirsch. (The basic cakes cost $14 for a 6-inch, $21 for an 8-inch, and $27 for a 10-inch round.)

Though they're baked, the Zanze's cakes are so mousse-like, so easy to dimple or squash, that it's hard to believe they aren't simply piped into a mold and chilled. There are graham cracker crumbs on top and bottom, but they're more garnish than crust. Joyce packages up every cheesecake to order ― carefully, carefully ― and demonstrates how to use the length of clear plastic fishing line that she tapes onto the top to cut clean slices, pulling the line out through the bottom of the cake after each cut as if you're flossing a particularly tricky tooth.

While there are no bubbles, the cake seems to deflate in the mouth, millions of microscopic air pockets collapsing into a wash of cream, a delicate tang. I put the last half of the cake I bought into the freezer to store, as Joyce instructed, but then found myself cutting off slices to eat it like a semifreddo, enjoying the feel of the mousse melt on my tongue.

Zanze's Cheesecake 405 Ocean (at Junipero Serra), 334-2264; open Weds.-Fri. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.