Bryant Park Picnic with My Favorite Cheesecake

My single favorite dessert in all of New York City is the devil's food cheesecake from Junior's Cheesecake.

An inch-and-a-half slab of cheesecake sits on top of a thin layer of cake and the richest, smoothest chocolate frosting I've ever had. Above the cheesecake is three more layers of frosting, separated by two layers of cake. The outer edge has yet another thick layer of frosting, covered with at least a candy bar's worth of chocolate shavings.

I've never been able to eat a whole piece by myself. I've never tried. In fact, after Paul and I have each had a whole meal, we've been known to reluctantly leave a bite or two of frosting behind. A slice is a little pricey at $6.95, but it's money well spent if you're a chocolate lover or cheesecake lover. Or -- like me -- both.

Last weekend we purposefully ate a smaller-than-normal dinner so we could stop by Junior's take-out counter near Times Square. The big question was where to eat our cheesecake. At first I thought we could snag a table and chairs in Times Square's pedestrian zone. It was so miserably crowded, however, that we didn't even try.

Our second thought was much better. We walked by Bryant Park on the walk to Junior's from the restaurant we ate at in Koreatown. It was still lit up and filled with people. Maybe we could grab a couple of chairs there.

We could. And it was beautiful. The sun had long since set, but the park was lit up by spotlights at least 20 stories up on an adjacent building. The lights did their best to shine through the leafy trees surrounding the park, covering the sidewalks with an eerie, magical glow. Everyone was chatting, eating or even sleeping on the grass.

The spotlight on Bryant Park

All was peaceful and quiet. That is, until 10:45 p.m., when a police officer chirped on his whistle and ushered everyone out. Yes, the parks actually close in the city that never sleeps. Paul and I scarfed down the last couple of bites of cheesecake and went on our way.

What I'll (Never Again) Do for Cheesecake

I did something stupid on Friday.

I waited in line for three hours for a slice of cheesecake. Scratch that. For half a slice of cheesecake.

I feel like there must have been a psychology student somewhere nearby, tracking my motions. Actually, I hope there was. At least then I could say my mistake was for the good of science.

Here's the story:

I heard earlier in the week that Junior's, my favorite purveyor of cheesecake, was selling 60 cent slices on Friday in honor of its 60th anniversary. It's right around the corner from Paul's work and on my way home, so we agreed to meet and get a piece.

I got there about 6:30 p.m., and Paul was already in line, about three-quarters of a block away from the entrance.

"Is there a celebrity in there or something?" a woman in a cab outside the restaurant yelled to us suckers in line.

By 7, Paul was ready to go home sans cheesecake, but I wanted to hold out. A half hour later, I was the once who wanted to leave, but Paul thought we could make it. Surely it wouldn't be too much longer.

We were invested. We weren't the only ones. People started getting in fights with the guard letting a few people into the restaurant at a time. Paul called him the bouncer.

Yes, we got our cheesecake. At 9 p.m.

I made sure to enjoy each and every bite when I got home that night. Time included, I think it was the most expensive cheesecake I'd ever purchased.

Cheesecake and Spam(alot)

On Sunday we met everyone at Junior's Cheesecake in Times Square for a pre-show dinner. The original is in Brooklyn, not far from where Paul works. He told me about the large portions, but he hadn't tried the signature dessert.

After we ordered, our waitress brought us a bowl of sauerkraut topped with pickles and a small bowl of pickled beets. No one else wanted the beets, and I had never tried any before. Not as good as the cheesecake, of course, but still pretty tasty.

I convinced Paul to split an entree with me so I would have more room for dessert. In fact, that's what each couple at our table did. Then came the main attraction. Paul and I quickly decided on the Devil's Food Cheesecake -- a layer of cheesecake about two inches thick surrounded by several layers of cake and fudgy frosting. I wish I would have taken a photo of it. We had enough left for a third person.

Junior's food is about average, but the cheesecake will definitely warrant a second trip.

We had tickets for the 7 p.m. show of Spamalot, and we could see the theater from our window seats at Junior's. I had never ever seen more than a couple of minutes of anything Monty Python-related, but I still thought the show was really funny.

Of course, we all took photos outside after the show.




By the time the show was over, it was dark and Times Square was bright. After a few more photos, we picked up Sam and Don's luggage from Jannette and Curtis' apartment and made our way to Bay Ridge. More about our day in Brooklyn later!