Dear Mr. Gold,

I am trying to ply a beau with something sweet; my sources tell me he loves cheesecake. Where can I pick up the best slice?

—E.C., Los Angeles

Dear E.C.:

I am awfully partial to the cheesecake at the Palm in West Hollywood. It is, you know, regular cheesecake, slightly fissured, plain, but perfect in its way. (And not, I suspect, available to go.) But the small, delicate cheesecakes at Chantilly come from a California-born master of French pastries who learned her trade in Tokyo, and they are awfully, awfully good. My favorites are probably the tiny, impeccable cheesecake pyramids flavored with fresh orange peel, and the browned, thumb-sized cheesecake trimmings, wrapped in wax paper and sold for a few cents each, are heaven itself with a cup of strong, black coffee. 2383 Lomita Blvd., No. 104, Lomita, (310) 257-9454.

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