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Favorite Dessert Spots?

cupcakequeen

By cupcakequeen
in New York: Dining

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cupcakequeen

cupcakequeen

Posted
Posted

i'm excited to try out some of the city's best desserts...any suggestions? i haven't heard anything about chikalicious(sp?) lately. what about the cacao bar at MarieBelle?

i'm planning on wd~50 and aquavit, for sure.

thanks!

emsny

emsny

Posted
Posted

Well, whether one likes all of his dishes or not, Johnny Iuzzini is doing really interesting things at Jean Georges - and because the desserts are plated as four separate items on a single theme you get to taste lots of things on a single platter.

melofunk

melofunk

Posted
Posted

I also highly recommend wd-50 for dessert. I went a couple of weeks ago and had one of their dessert tasting menus (choice between 3 desserts or 5).

I had -

canteloupe sorbet with crunchy prosciutto, pinenuts and balsamic,

milk and cereal (milk was a sorbet),

beans and rice (rice was a sorbet),

local strawberries with anise hyssop and parmesan ice cream.

All the desserts were wildly creative and delicious.

(I also wanted to note that since I had been to wd-50 several times before, the chef was very accomodating as to change the desserts around a little on my tasting.)

Weissman

Weissman

Posted
Posted

Another good restaurant for dessert is aureole. The style is American classic with a twist. The presentations are also three dimensional without being tasteless.

Gramercy Tavern is also a good deal. From all that I have heard, wd-50 is on of the most unique in the city.

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raxelita

raxelita

Posted
Posted

I'd suggest davidburkeanddonatella for the cheesecake lollipop tree and a couple of other cleverly envisioned sweets.

Second Jean Georges for visual inspiration.

There's that new "Chocolate Bar" place in Brooklyn, but I haven't been yet to assess quality.

Drink maker, heart taker!

peter_nyc

peter_nyc

Posted
Posted (edited)

I can vouch for the Chocolate Room in Brooklyn (5th Ave. and St. Marks Pl.)

Plated daily specials are usually outstanding. Their homemade mint ice cream and chocolate sorbet are amazing. Don't skip the homemade marshmallows or bittersweet chocolate pudding!

edit: spelling

Edited by peter_nyc (log)
Sethro

Sethro

Posted
Posted

WD~50 is my fav, and I'll add Spice Market to the list too. 66 really has a better variety of Pichet's desserts than SM, but you gotta try the Thai Jewels at least once!

Also, the dessert tapas at Bolo are pretty neat.

Grandgousier

Grandgousier

Posted
Posted

can't possibly find enough superlative vocbulary for wd-50, his stuff is not only very interesting in terms of conception but his fundamental techniques and execution are flawless. I also loved the pastries at jean-georges (though the rest of the meal could have been skipped). In addition, the new pastry chef at Cru is without question one of the best in the city and also I've been told that for fancy, showy, multi-element desserts you should check out Richard Leach at Park Avenue Cafe

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted
cupcakequeen, have you had a look at the list of links to "THE BEST" threads in NY Forum, which is pinned at the top of this forum? Some of them, such as "THE BEST: Pastries" are relevant to your quest.

i guess i should clarify, i'm looking for great plated desserts...i can't believe no one has any suggestions!

Well, obviously some people have already made suggestions in this thread, but I still have to wonder whether you looked through all the "THE BEST" links. Did you notice the thread on THE BEST: Chocolate Dessert in NYC? Granted, as I write this reply, no-one has posted to that thread since June 2003, but there's still some interesting content, some of it probably still relevant.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

cupcakequeen

cupcakequeen

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

pan: i did see that thread & will definitely keep those places in mind.

who is the new pastry chef at cru? thanks for all the tips!

packing my elastic-waist pants.....

BryanZ

BryanZ

Posted
Posted

Another wd-50 rec. It simply owns in terms of creative and exceedingly tasty desserts and dessert-type items.

Also the J-G style, as others have said, is fun because it allows you to try a few different variations on a theme with each platter. It's not the kind of place you can go to just for desserts. I feel like you could probably get away with that at wd-50 if you ordered the whole menu and explained your position and desire to do some good "research".

Bryan Zupon

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Moopheus

Moopheus

Posted
Posted
I can vouch for the Chocolate Room in Brooklyn (5th Ave. and St. Marks Pl.)

Plated daily specials are usually outstanding.  Their homemade mint ice cream and chocolate sorbet are amazing.  Don't skip the homemade marshmallows or bittersweet chocolate pudding!

edit: spelling

Even their plain chocolate layer cake is very good. And with a scoop of their excellent coffee ice cream it's even better. They even make a decent espresso.

"I think it's a matter of principle that one should always try to avoid eating one's friends."--Doctor Dolittle

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R Washburn

R Washburn

Posted
Posted

How about Le Bernardin? Isn't Laiskonis' still there?

J-G is also very good. I haven't tried too many desserts at the Modern, but the pastry chef there trained with, and is heavily influenced by, Pierre Herme.

raxelita

raxelita

Posted
Posted (edited)
How about Le Bernardin?  Isn't Laiskonis' still there?

J-G is also very good.  I haven't tried too many desserts at the Modern, but the pastry chef there trained with, and is heavily influenced by, Pierre Herme.

I found the desserts at The Modern uninspired--good ingredients, nice balance of flavors--but standard fare. If the focus is sweets alone, I'd skip it. However, if you're interested in great small savory plates and cocktails, their Bar Room is an excellent choice.

Edited by raxelita (log)

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bloviatrix

bloviatrix

Posted
Posted

Jehangir Mehta does some interesting work. I believe he's still the PC at Aix.

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Bux

Bux

Posted
Posted

Jean François Bonnet at Daniel. Prior to his current position he was pastry chef for Gabriel Kreuther at Atelier and for Laurent Tourandel at Cello. His last job in France was as assistant pastry chef for Jacques Chibois.

Johnny Iuzzini at Jean Georges and Michael Laiskonis at le Bernardin. Neither should need an introduction

The trick is saving room for dessert at places like that.

Robert Buxbaum

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646522

646522

Posted
Posted (edited)

I must say that Johnny Iuzzini does an outstanding job, a real awareness of flavors and texture. Chika at chikalicious does a great job as well. Tiffany at Cru worked with me for a short time and showed alot of potential, so I can see desserts there being worth while (and you cant get much better than Shea's food)

Edited by 646522 (log)
mdhl

mdhl

Posted
Posted

i'm not the cupcake queen but i had the 5 course dessert tasting at wd-50 the other night and it was fun.

i had the pleasure of visiting while simultaneously hungover and drunk, so my recollections may not be as descriptive as some may hope.

here's what i had, i think in this order...

1) tomato sorbet with olive oil powder, croutons and micro basil. a play on caprese. i could not, for the life of me, figure out how the powder was done. it was warm in its powdered state and dissolved on the tongue, yet didnt seem to dissolve against the sorbet. the tomato sorbet has an awesome flavor- really fresh and bright.

2) roasted corn ice cream on coffee soil, corn oil. a variation on the earlier butternut squash sorbet dish on the website. again, the corn flavor was right fucking on. intense and well matched for the coffee.

3) celery sorbet with crunchy peanut butter and raisins. liked the celery (very refreshing) in particular. i also liked that the raisins were spiced subtly enough to get a depth of flavor at the end.

4) lemon curd with basil meringue, lemon chip and blackberry puree. i'm an anglophile who likes proper, eggy lemon curd spread on toast, but this was nice. it had that good, puckery tartness that lemon-lovers look for in desserts. it was opaque in color... was it set with agar?

5) roasted peach with white beer foam/meringue and a streak of.... some clear sauce. i just remember it being too bitter for my palate. but the peach flesh melted in your mouth. it also came with an oat streusel which was clever, paired with the beer element.

then they brought out a sixth course. (very kind, thank you.) it was the chocolate hazelnut parfait . not big on chocolate but i loved this one. it was perfectly sized, perfectly creamy and perfectly contrasted, set on a crunchy base. what was it, anyway? feuilletine? a single orange segment perfected the whole dish- it was just enough to balance the richness.

the meal ended with a bowl of the curried chocolate covered almonds. curry just isn't for me but as soon as the flavor bursts in your mouth, the chocolate mellows it out.

to reiterate what's been said elsewhere on the board, it was nicely executed, creative food. people like to critique the flavor combinations as being too out-there just for the sake of being so, but anyone who tries SM's stuff knows that there's obviously a strong foundation in technique.

i'll be back on a sober night to try the food with my bf, who's piiiiiiiissed i didn't take him this time.

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