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Monday, June 29, 2009
Any way you slice it, cheesecake rules
By Rivkela Brodsky
Of the Journal
Cheesecake enthusiast Mark Delaney has created his own slice of heaven and you can enjoy a piece, too.
Having dreamed of being a baker since he was 14, Delaney, 47, and fiancee Marilyn Howard, opened Oh Heavens Cheesecakes in April.
He was inspired to make cheesecake back in 1999 when he ordered a $6 slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory in Kansas City, Mo.
"When I lived in Kansas City I used to go to the Cheesecake Factory and I used to think there was no way I could beat their cheesecake," he said. "I went and I paid $6 for a slice and I thought 'yeah, it's good, but I bet I could make a cheesecake that's just as good and less expensive.'"
He spent two years coming up with the "perfect" cheesecake recipe before moving back to Albuquerque.
Delaney has now cooked up more than 300 recipes available to you by ordering in advance, by visiting at a few city restaurants (Two Fools Tavern and Hadley's Tea) or by the slice at the walk-up window at 2531 Jefferson NE Suite 150 (near Menaul and Washington NE). A slice or square costs $3 or less and flavors differ by day. Wedding cakes are also available by order.
Here's just a sample of some of the flavors: lemon swirl, resurrection by chocolate (three different kinds of chocolate), white chocolate raspberry — and he's working on a green chile, raspberry chipolte pretzel crust cheesecake, too.
And this stuff isn't of the thick consistency that sticks to the roof of your mouth. It's light and fluffy enough to melt in your mouth.
"The part that I love is seeing people's first expression when they take their first bite," Delaney said.
Walk up hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call 463-5288 or visit ohheavenscheesecakes.com if you're looking for more than a slice of Oh Heavens Cheesecakes. You can order a whole cheesecake at the window, too, but they need 24 hours to make it.
New in Cottonwood Mall area
Local jewelry designer Diane Ignaccolo-Provencio now has a place to sell her jewelry and other pieces by local artists.
Jewels of Fanta Se Inc. took over the Whitehall Jewelers location at Cottonwood Mall on May 1.
"What I really want to so with this gallery is really represent New Mexico artists," she told the Journal. If you look around the store, you will find pieces from locals Chan, G.L. Miller and Charlene Walker among others.
You will hear Ignaccolo-Provencio's slight French Canadian accent when you talk to her and, just a hint, her first name is pronounced Dee-Ann.
She hails from Canada but has been living here for more than 14 years.
The name of the shop is supposed to be more like fantasy rather than a play on Santa Fe.
The name comes from a jewelry line Ignaccolo-Provencio and a former fiance ran together as part of a business called James Rogers Silversmith after moving with him to the area in 1995. James Rogers died in 1996 and his family asked her to continue the business.
Ignaccolo-Provencio had been wholesaling and selling her jewelry at shows before deciding to open up shop at Cottonwood Mall.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tony Roma's at Cottonwood Mall disappeared in April for reasons that are still unclear, but the restaurant at 10015 Coors Blvd. NW will soon become a Buffalo Wild Wings location — the second in Albuquerque.
Word has it the franchise partners will renovate the property and are planning to open the location before the end of the year.
Also, a Boba Tea location has also opened at the mall. It's the fifth Albuquerque location run by local owners Hoa Tran-Luong and Vi Luong.
More good stuff
You can now make the food you love at the Range Cafe thanks to a cookbook by the restaurant's owners, Matt DiGregory and Tom Fenton, that came out earlier this month. "At Home With the Range Cafe" features recipes for Bread Zeppelins, Green Chile Ice Cream, Life by Chocolate and Death by Lemon as well as vignettes on customers, the cafe's history, art, chile and more. It's available at all three Range locations for $29.99 and online at www.rangecafe.com.
Café Cubano, the food part of the Laru Ni Hati salon, has a new chef on board.
Amelia Chavez, a recent graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas, Nev., joins the team at the Nob Hill shop and has already changed up the menu getting rid of the traditional Cuban dishes, "a lot of fat, a lot of pork and no spices," she said, and adding "more healthy alternatives," something Chavez has termed Cuban fusion. Vegan and vegetarian options can be found on the menu, too.
The menu also offers wine parings and a full beer and wine list. The cafe is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 9 p.m.
More healthy options
Annapurna World Vegetarian Cafe will open its third location — second in Albuquerque — at 7520 Fourth Street NW on July 6. The menu will be the same as its other Albuquerque location in the University area at 2201 Silver Avenue SE, said owner and chef Yashoda Naidoo.
"We have a local following in the North Valley, West Side and Corrales who have been banging the door down for years," she told the Journal. "With gas prices being what they are it's harder for these customers to driver here (UNM location)."
The eatery, which focuses on "healing cuisine," serves Ayurvedic, organic, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free food. Annapurna also has its own Ayurvedic cooking school and a location in Santa Fe.
A grand opening celebration at the new 3,000-square-foot space in the North Valley will be held July 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. with free food and music. Initial hours for the restaurant are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Send me morsels of retail and restaurant news by e-mail at rbrodsky@abqjournal.com or by phone at 823-3820.
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