4 great cheesecake offerings from independent restaurants across America

Earlier this year, Restaurant Hospitality put out a call for best desserts from independent restaurants, and we received some tremendous submissions. Winners were revealed in May.

Those winners included a number of cheesecake options, which was a popular theme this year. But there were other great cheesecakes that didn’t make the final cut.

These runners up were interesting variations on the classic dessert, many quite different, using similar ingredients and clever presentations.

Here we gather more of the stunning cheesecake desserts — or desserts that could fall in the cheesecake family — for those who love the rich but often not-as-sweet treat.

Is it a cake, or is it a pie? Or, in the case of one of these desserts, is it a filling for a mille-feuille that transforms it into something even more impressive?

Cheesecake is a classic by itself, but it has a versatility that can enhance other ingredients and share the stage with fruit, chocolate, caramel or virtually any other dessert flavor.

Here are four more stunning cheesecakes from independent restaurants across America.