by Ted Sherman

Created on: April 03, 2008   Last Updated: April 24, 2008

Last month, when my son was house-sitting for a friend, we went to a modest little cafe in a Henderson strip mall. Even for Vegas, it was intriguing: Cheesecake and Crime. To me, eating cheesecake is no crime, even despite my hardening arteries and expanding waistline, and I'd never turn down an opportunity to eat that heavenly dessert. It was a Sunday morning, and the cafe was full of people listening to an author talk about his new book on his grandpop, who was a Russian police chief the late 1800s.

Everyone in the audience was munching cheesecake while the author discussed crime and politics that led to the Russian Revolution. The many shelves of mystery and crime books surrounding the dining area explained the name of the restaurant/bookstore. As my son and I sat, the owner, Leland, came over and shoved a menu into my hand. It listed many kinds of cheesecake, made fresh daily. Cherry, blueberry, chocolate, plain and many others. My son ordered the plain and I had a slice of the artery-busting blueberry.

After the Q&A session, I asked Leland to spend a few minutes with me. We talk while he busily sliced and packed cheesecake out of his refrigerated display case. He also supplies cheesecakes to other restaurants and hotels in Vegas areas, caters to local parties and celebrations, and ships frozen cheesecakes to destinations throughout the world.

Would I recommend Cheesecake and Crime? Of course, and for our family reunion next month, we'll gather there to have a cheesecake extravaganza.

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