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I know you were looking for the best cheesecake in NY, but to find the best cheesecake in the world take the GW across to Clifton, NJ for Marc's Cheesecake! It is much more than worth the trip!

I don't think we're arguing what cheesecake is the most authentic. The people who claim that the only authentic cheesecakes are made from cream cheese are sorely mistaken. There are several traditional recipes: New York/Jewish (Cream Cheese), Italian (Ricotta), and some cheesecakes use a mixture of cheeses, such as mascarpone and chevre. These cheeses are very popular in French cuisine. The best cheesecake I've ever tasted was made in France. It was actually a chevre and cream cheese combination with a walnut crust; a wonderful cheesecake that I make to this day. Plain cream cheese and graham cracker crust is just too boring for me and most people who like to have their taste buds excited. It's like traditional apple pie...very boring. If you're palate is satisfied with plain jane cheesecake then opt for New York style.

There's nothing wrong with sour cream in a cheesecake. At my restaurant we used some butter milk in the mix, to lend a mildly tart taste. It worked perfectly. A bit of grated lemon rind supported the richness. We never used a graham cracker crust.. Our pastry guy James Shupe got raves for his work, people asked for seconds. Of course we used the best cream cheese -- Philly.

@polly302 - Carnegie Deli has the best cheesecake I have eaten also. I have no idea where they get the cheesecake from, but it is tops in my book. I have eaten Eileens and Juniors but CD is my favorite.

There are many "secrets" to cheesecake, depending on what
you're used to. If you're used to the original Lindy's (not the modern
restaurant of the same name) or Turf cheesecake in NY, the
"secrets" are:

1. Never use any cheese but Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese.
That's ANY cheese. No cheeses other than cream cheese. No
cream cheese other than Philly. Especially, no "baker's
cheese"--an abomination for this recipe. The NY Times Cook
book used to have the "right" recipe. But the latest
edition adds extra ingredients. The latest edition of the
NY Times International Cookbook has the right recipe, except
they use a graham cracker crust, which isn't quite authentic.

2. No sour cream. None. Zero.

3. Cake crust, not a graham cracker crust.

Molly Lukens' "New York Cookbook" has two recipes that are almost
right--the Lindy's and the Junior's. What I would do for the
absolute, true taam is make the crust from the Lindy's recipe
in Lukens' book, and the filling from the NY Times International
Cookbook.

Note that I'm of a certain age such that I've eaten both originals,
at Lindy's and Turf's--both long gone.

Cheesecake has been my specialty since I was a teenager. Real, NY style cheesecake is not made with anything but cream cheese (as the "cheese"). No sour cream, no mascarpone, no chevre and no ricotta.

I love to sample all kinds of cheesecakes - whether they're NY style, Italian, or any other variety. There is, however, only one NY style cheesecake - it's dense and rich and smooth and made with very few ingredients.

@Semarr - I'm really surprised the people on line didn't applaud! NYers love that kind of declaration. If I were in line, I would have applauded.

The Cheesecake Factory's food is much better than their cheesecake.

@lemonfair - I like certain desserts that are fluffy, like chocolate mousse. I'm sure other SEers like fluffy desserts. They might even enjoy a fluffy cheesecake every now and then. But those fluffy cheesecakes are not NY Cheesecakes. A NY Cheesecake, by definition, is "deliciously dense" as you put it. What SEers who are enjoying fluffy cakes are actually eating is west coast style cheesecake.

I could eat a turkey and call it a pig - it doesn't change the fact that I'm eating turkey.

These SE taste tests are too subjective to judge what is "the best". I just bought a 6" raspberry swirl cheesecake from Junior's Times Square, and, although it may not be "the best", it was certainly not too dense or heavy.
If anyone reading this is in the neighborhood of Scotch Plains, NJ, the homemade cheesecake at Swiss Pastry Shoppe on E. 2nd St. makes the best around here. A 7" cheesecake costs $12, and is made personally by the owner, who used to be the head pastry chef at Sardi's.

Zatarain's Creole Mustard

Hengstenberg Medium Hot German Mustard, great flavor without the vinegar taste of most yellow mustards.

i buy trader joe's dijon because it's so much cheaper than maille, which was my standard for years. would love to see how your panel compares the two.