Five Desserts by Steve Klc

[DonRocks]

I've tried five of Steve's desserts in the past week, three at Café Atlantico ($7.00 each) and two at Zaytinya ($5.95 each).

My love lies in France, and I mean that quite literally, so first on my list of priorities was the classic french dessert Baba Au Rhum, or simply "Baba" at Café Atlantico. It's served "in a modern Latin style," meaning there is Jamaican rum, spices and "panela," which is basically pure cane sugar made from evaporation. The cream is tangy, not sweet, and this is a traditional but interesting rendition.

Coconut is served two different ways in "Coco En Dos Formas" at Café Atlantico, and this simple, elegant dessert is accented by a "mango salad" and a "vanilla-lime Gelée," both of which surpass their understated names, and deliver the proper acidity to compliment this interesting dessert which - tragically - reminded me of Coppertone on the nose in the same way that Rossini's William Tell Overture reminds me of the Theme from The Lone Ranger.

The Yogurt Cream at Zaytinya is a brilliant, must-have destination dessert. Layers of apricot, top-and-bottom, sandwich a brilliant "Samos Island Muscat-vanilla gelée" (the yogurt). This is a WOW dessert by my way of thinking, simple, but beautiful in every way. It's served in the same vessel as the "Coco En Dos Formas" dessert listed up above. If you go to Zaytinya, then get this. A trusted friend told me about it, and this reminds me of why I trust her.

Ooh, bébé, the Warm Chocolate Cake at Café Atlantico is goood. Labeled "Bizcocho <a sponge cake> Templado <warm> de Chocolate con Banana," it's a three-ring circus of this wonderful cake which at once seems like ganache, a souflée and a flour-based cake. The banana foam was another take on creme (all three creme presentations at Café Atlantico were slightly different), and the banana-lime salad was a dazzling sidecar to the decadent chocolate cake.

And then of course the Turkish Coffee Chocolate at Zaytinya, made with cardamom foam (espuma), was every bit the naughty diet-breaker. Literally cut from the same mold as the Bizcocho at Café Atlantico (it's served in the exact same shape), this is even richer, with less cutting acidity though it's tempered by Raki, a traditional distilled Turkish drink made usually from grapes.

It can come across as a platitude to say things are "well-conceived," but all five of these desserts were, in fact, that. There was a little plug-and-play action going on in terms of the actual molds used to make the cakes and parfaits, but nobody would ever notice. These were brilliantly thought-out desserts.

Let me finish by saying one thing: you would not do yourself a disservice by going out to get these desserts first, and then worrying about your savory courses afterwards. Nontraditional? Yes, but who cares. They're worth it, especially at these price points.

Bravo, Steve,

Rocks.

Edited December 4, 2003 by DonRocks (log)

[Jason Perlow]

I envy you. I've never tried one of Steve's desserts. Next time I'm in DC I'll make a point of going to Atlantico or Zaytinya.

[JRage]

Well, so much for recovering from this years unprecedented Thanksgiving weight gain... now I'll be spending all week eating Steve's desserts.

Killer reviews Rocks.

[Fat Guy]

It's nice to see desserts getting this kind of attention. Too many people, when commenting about restaurant cuisine, just throw in the dessert discussion as an afterthought. Then again, for too many restaurants, the desserts are an afterthought!

[Steve Klc]

Wow, Rocks, it's nice to have stood up to such scrutiny. Next time you are in the Quarter, throw in the Arroz con leche a new way and the Basque cake with leche merengada (both from Jaleo) and you'll have hit all of our best sellers.

[vengroff]

Thanks for the report, Rocks.

Klc's work is indeed inspiring. It's incredible that he is able to create, and Jose supports the creation of, really original pastry at such a modest price point. Just think of how many other places out there can barely manage to slice a frozen cheesecake and plate it with a squirt of outsourced rasberry coulis for the same price.

Steve and Jose have an incredible knack for finding the sweet spot where good taste and good business sense go hand in hand.

[bilrus]

I have to throw my support behind the Turkish Delight at Zaytinya (and the support of my wife - its her favorite dessert anywhere). I particularly like the Goat's milk Yogurt mousse that comes with it.

[JennyUptown]

Is there a good tres leches in DC that any of you would recommend? I had some at an out of town Cuban spot recently and have been dreaming of it ever since...

[pastramionrye]

i have had the apricot three ways dessert at zaytinya...and it was good...damn good.

the dessert, the carrot fritters and the cheapish wine list are reasons while i'll go back.

[sara]

Great thread--I kept meaning to post after dinner at Jaleo last week with a friend from Barcelona...she didn't love the tapas, but nearly was blown away by the white chocolate mousse dessert. Fantastic, gorgeous, perfect in every way. Why don't we have this in Spain, she asked?

[Carolyn Tillie]

I only wish there were pictures...

[Steve Klc]

Jenny, I recommend one...we do a tres leches at Cafe but it is, as you might expect, very personal and not what the Saveur magazine authenticity police would consider traditional. It's cubes of a good cake soaked in the three milks, and arranged with a trio of pineapple--carpaccio, gelee and chip, caramelized almond powder and caramelized milk, which has the texture of a milk gelee. I wouldn't be surprised if David at Ceiba is doing his version of tres leches--you could have a tasteoff and report back?

[bilrus]

I'd volunteer for that duty.

[DonRocks]

Next time you are in the Quarter, throw in the Arroz con leche a new way and the Basque cake with leche merengada (both from Jaleo) and you'll have hit all of our best sellers.

Pleased to be of service:

The "Arroz con leche 'Tia Chita'" is a foamy parfait with dig-it-up short-grained rice on the bottom, sitting in a mild lemon marmalade like oversized suspended colloids. The foam on top is a gentle counterpoint both in taste and texture, and the dish (if one can call a dessert a "dish") is strongest of course when mixing both components into one harmonious whole. Now if I could only figure out who Tia Chita is.

The Basque cake (pastel vasco) was a mini-loaf which was beautifully browned and textured on the outside with buried treasure waiting to be found in the middle: an eclair-like semolina cream that worked beautifully. Two small lines of cinnamon-y vanilla-bean sauce traveled across the plate where a small, refreshing scoop of ice milk (leche merengada) was found, the ice milk having the proper texture and fat content so the dish comes across as lithe and agile rather than fatty and creamy. There may have also been some lemon in the ice milk for additional acidity - were those toasted almonds underneath?

Steve apparently takes great pains to balance creaminess with acidity, and so his desserts are never condescending or gooey, i.e., you can actually EAT them and then go do a cartwheel. At their prices ($6-8), they cannot afford to strive for showiness or grandeur, but I for one appreciate something medium-framed that has actually been planned (and executed) by someone who gets it.

Okay, enough sucking up to Klc. Now, about those future plans for the tour bus stop at Zaytinya...

Edited December 5, 2003 by DonRocks (log)

[John W.]

Went to Jaleo last night, intent on having at least one dessert, as Don's eloquent descriptions demanded it. Was like seeing an old friend after a few years (I used to do Jaleo like it was the BDC). A few new menu items, great bottle of Muga Reserva for $33, but hey this is a dessert thread.

I can say I don't think I've ever had a dessert at Jaleo, as I always gorge myself on way too many orders of croquettas and bacon-wrapped fried dates. Was difficult to do, but I managed to save a little room.

Had the Basque cake. Was as good or better as Rocks described it, really did it for me. Simply done and presented, an expert balance of flavors and textures. Wish I could have done more sweets, but wasn't in the cards. The Basque cake and a glass of oloroso sherry, watching the snow come down, everything was right in the world.

Edited December 5, 2003 by John W. (log)

[DonRocks]

I always gorge myself on way too many ... bacon-wrapped fried dates.

One can easily guess that the women on whom you gorge yourself smoke pot (who can blame them?), but wrapping them in bacon is a bit kinky, even for your standards, no?

[John W.]

I always gorge myself on way too many ...  bacon-wrapped fried dates.

One can easily guess that the women on whom you gorge yourself smoke pot (who can blame them?), but wrapping them in bacon is a bit kinky, even for your standards, no?

Granted my dates as you call them must be smoked up to put up with my award-winning personality, but when they wrap themselves in thin slices of Seranno ham and/or bacon, it's over.

[bilrus]

Who doesn't like a woman in pork?

Edited December 8, 2003 by bilrus (log)

[John W.]

SO I have to say this...

Rocks and I went back to Jaleo last night. I asked him wanted to eat, he asked me what I wanted to eat, we both said at the same time PORK & SALT!!!

We ate like 4 orders of bacon wrapped dates among the 20 or so plates. He estimated we had like 5,000 calories in one hour. Probably explains the extreme dehydration I'm experiencing right now. Tried to get dessert, but ran out of time.

[DonRocks]

Rocks and I went back to Jaleo last night. ... We ate like 4 orders of bacon wrapped dates among the 20 or so plates.

John,

No human (*) in this forum has ever seen us in the same room together.

We all know you went to Jaleo by yourself last night and chowed down at the bar since DonRocks is merely your alter-ego and does not exist.

(*) I consider Slater to be sub-human.

[Al_Dente]

We all know you went to Jaleo by yourself last night and chowed down at the bar since DonRocks is merely your alter-ego and does not exist.

I've suspected this for quite some time.

[butterfly]

Steve--

Are you are the man responsible for the roasted medjool dates with orange shortbread and olive oil ice cream at Zaytinya? If so, I count this among the very best (and most mind expanding) desserts I've every had. I'm also a big fan of the basque cake and turkish coffee chocolate with cardamom foam desserts. I can't imagine how you are putting these desserts together at such an insanely reasonable price.

For the tres leches lover--

If you are looking for a very traditional and excellent tres leches cake, try El Comalito on 14th Street. It's a few blocks north of U St. in the 2200 block, east side. The owner's aunt is a baker and makes excellent cakes, pies, etc. that are for sale, whole or by the piece, in the glass case. The tres leches cake is a real standout, perhaps also on my top ten best desserts (under the roasted dates and olive oil ice cream).