Zanze's Cheesecake .... why did I wait so long?

[gordon wing]

Had my first slice of Zanze's cheesecake last night .... it was very light in texture - almost fluffy but satisfyingly rich at the same time. Besides the store on Ocean Avenue (2405) his cakes are available at Tower Market in the freezer case. They freeze very well. We had the traditional version - but there are flavored ones as well. Give it a try if you like cheesecake but don't expect the solid/dense version. I understand that shopping at the store can be somewhat of an experience.

[Robert Lauriston]

This stuff is great, I'm surprised I haven't heard more about it over the years. Vanilla-lemony flavor and creamy like NY cheesecake but light and fluffy like Italian, only more so. I think he must use gelatin to get that texture. My friends said it was a good thing they'd reserved the cake because by the time they got there he had sold out for the day.

[Trumpetguy]

Still there? I used to eat that cheesecake in the early/mid 80's :)

[Robert Lauriston]

The Chron says he's been in business for 28 years.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article...

[gordon wing]

And that SF Gate article is from April of 2007 so update it to 33 years Mr. Zanze has been keeping people happy with his craft.

[Robert Lauriston]

I meant to link to the article from a week ago: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article...

[Trumpetguy]

Very cool! I think I would go to his shop in 82-83' :) We're both older now!

[Cynsa]

No Holiday orders for December 2012 - maxed out as of this morning.

[Sitka]

Zanze's will be closed for about a month now after the Christmas rush. He is the nicest man - after hearing that I was taking the cheesecake to LA, he wrapped it for travel. His cheesecakes are the best!

[Nancy Berry]

Usually, when Zanze's closes for a long period, they supply Tower Market (Mollie Stone's Twin Peaks) with a large number of frozen cheesecakes. If you thaw these in the refrigerator, they taste just like the freshly made ones. Delicious!!

[Sarah]

Even though my dentist is a few doors away, that store is NEVER open, so unfortunately I have no experience of any kind to report!

[gordon wing]

Yes, apparently he is not a slave to his business :~ ) Here is a link to a photo so you at least can see what you're missing. If you look closely, there is a piece of monofiliment line on top of the cake - he provides that so you can cleanly cut the cake. Nice touch.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34516136...

[Sarah]

--not a slave to his business--
You should be an obit writer -- everyone would have been a saint! Thanks for the photo, someday he'll see fit to open, perhaps my next cleaning...

[anna]

Sarah, I would suggest calling in advance to see when Zanze is open so you can try the cheesecake. I live a few blocks away and still call in advance before heading over, just in case. The cheesecake there is definitely some of the finest I've had. It's worth the trouble in calling ahead

[Sarah]

I'm going to do that before my next scheduled appointment - thanks and happy new year to all!