What Is Your Favorite Restaurant Dessert?

[John Liotta]

I am not a big dessert person. In fact I am not a big fan of sweets in general. I get my sugar from things like sweet tea. However, occasionally I feel like getting dessert when I go out to a nice meal. My choices are almost always the same. If there is something involving apple or pear that is probably first. Next is probably something like creme brulee. After that maybe some other fruit concoction (minus banana or coconut which I abhor). And after that, much farther down on the list are things like chocolate, peanut butter, etc. (unless I have had the place's dessert and it rocks).

Long story short . . . what do you guys like? Why?

[Tyler Rico]

My go to is usually creme brulee with a selection of fresh berries, pots de creme or an assortment of cheeses. I most always finish with a bottle of sauternes so these selections work well for my tastes.

[Robert.Fleming]

Seldom order dessert - unless there's bread pudding or panna cotta on the menu, both of which which I find nigh impossible to resist. Also a bit of a sucker for the unusual-to-bizarre, like the (Japanese fermented) red bean (paste) ice cream at Repast or the black (Forbidden) rice pudding at Shaun's.

[John Liotta]

I'm with you on the dessert at Repast Bob. MF has some excellent desserts as well. Lisa is a very gifted pastry chef. I really love the black sesame/green tea ice cream parfait thingie she does.

[Brian G r a f s t r o m]

creme brulee
panna cotta

If neither of those are on the dessert menu I find it very easy to pass on dessert (I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but do have an insatiable salt tooth). If either of those are on the dessert menu, it's virtually impossible for me to pass. I like that both of these options aren’t heavy, and I am a sucker for vanilla.

Or I’ll go with a cheese plate.

[Jorge Henriquez]

Cheese plate! If there's a fig involved (or a medjool date) that's a bonus.

[Bob Hughes]

I'll join the crowd and also nominate a well-done cheese plate. Some restaurants really get into putting together nice selections of cheeses, whether from local farms & dairys or imported, and I almost always like to finish a meal like that.

[Glenn L e v i n e]

Big sweet tooth here but not a chocolate fan. Baked Alaska or Bananas Foster or Pineapple Upsidedown Cake or Bread Pudding or well-made Souffle will all get my attention.

[Joe_Perry]

My wife usually goes for the triple-chocolate-lava-molten-eruption-thingie.

I go one of two ways. If there is a house pastry chef, I'll order the things I can't create: Mille-feuille, Tiramisu, Strudel, etc.

If there isn't a pro on board, I pick the cheese plate.

[M. Dildine]

Big sweet tooth here but not a chocolate fan. Baked Alaska or Bananas Foster or Pineapple Upsidedown Cake or Bread Pudding or well-made Souffle will all get my attention.

First tasted at Brennen's in Houston - still my favorite!

[Josh Beck]

Best desert I've had in a good while are some hazelnut meringue cookie jobbers with burnt caramel and seasalt gelatto enjoyed with Madeira or Vin Santo.

Regularly on the menu at Perbacco. If it sounds at all good to you, do yourself a favor and try it. Two people can split it it, not too big, and damn, it's that f*ck good.

[Mark Hubbard]

1) Creme Brulee
2) Creamy (not dry) Cheesecake (just plain - no funky flavors or swirls or toppings!)
3) Grand Marnier Souffle
4) if the above aren't on the menu, a dish of vanilla ice cream will do just fine, thank you!

All of the above go well with Sauternes, Muscats or Tokay, which I most often finish a meal with.

If I'm having a vintage port at the end of the meal, nothing beats rich chocolate truffles!

[Veronica Castro]

It used to be stuff like Chocolate Souflee, or crepes w nutella and strawberries. But then last year I had really good flan, and now that has become my favorite... And before I used to despise flan. It was life-changing flan! Go figure.

Also, am a fan of specialty ice creams. There's a restaurant that makes their own Caramel/ Fleur de Sel ice cream, and another that makes Spearmint Ice Cream with Vanilla bean. Pretty awesome.

[Charlie Fu]

Seldom order dessert - unless there's bread pudding or panna cotta on the menu, both of which which I find nigh impossible to resist. Also a bit of a sucker for the unusual-to-bizarre, like the (Japanese fermented) red bean (paste) ice cream at Repast or the black (Forbidden) rice pudding at Shaun's.

do you enjoy it more because it is forbidden

[Robert.Fleming]

do you enjoy it more because it is forbidden

Don't know. Might be just as good, even better, if made with purple sticky rice or Himalayan red rice.

[Dick Krueger]

A cheese platter with Sauternes or Port.

Occasionally a rich chocolate or fruit dessert.

It really depends a lot on the restaurant.

[Lisa Lovullo]

creme brulee, panna cotta... or I’ll go with a cheese plate.

Sold!

[davetong]

Whatever they have that goes with Sauternes.
Creme Brulee and cheese are usually my go-tos too.
Parcel 104 used to do an awesome tapioca pudding that went well too.

[Anthony Agrella]

I don't have a sweet tooth and almost never order dessert. That being said, there are two that stick out:

A mango creme brulee we had at The Beach House in Kauai while sipping on a '95 Yquem, and the truffled popcorn at The Kitchen in Sacramento.

[John Liotta]

I am not a Sauturnes guy. I would rather have Port or a dessert wine from somewhere like Austria or Germany. And any of those in lieu of dessert honestly.

[Glenn L e v i n e]

And I detest port. At least we can eat Ham & Cheese together though!

[Bob Wood]

I rarely order creme brulee in restaurants because they almost always f*ck it up - usually by caramelizing the sugar in advance and letting it get soggy. I make my own because it's easy.

I'll generally get whatever looks creative if they have a real pastry chef, which is how I ended up with the lemon gelato and custard "pillows" at Al Forno in Providence. Still the best dessert I've ever eaten out.

If I had my druthers? '70 Fonseca with Stilton and either pears or apples.

[Otto Dobre]

Savarin, oeufs a la neige

[Steve Saxon]

1. creme brulee
2. NY cheese cake

[gene keenan]

Brown Butter Banana Tart from Herbsaint in NOLA

recipe here:
http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/579350 ... utter-Tart

caveat: I don't even like dessert/sweet things but this dessert makes me swoon. Tres Leches too.

[Bob Summers]

Thai dessert: Mango, warm sticky rice, and coconut ice cream.

I like a lavender creme brulee too.

[Chris White]

Banana's Foster! Made tableside and flaming. Tooo good.
Creme brulee.
Recently, I had the BEST slice of lemon meringue pie, which I normally don't care for, at Gulfstream. To die for!
Warmed fruit pie with vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!!!

Why am I so hungry now?

[M. Dildine]

I rarely order creme brulee in restaurants because they almost always f*ck it up - usually by caramelizing the sugar in advance and letting it get soggy. I make my own because it's easy.

My initiation of creme brulee was in Paris (the one in France). I must admit I haven't tasted its equal yet.

[Glenn L e v i n e]

Brown Butter Banana Tart from Herbsaint in NOLA

recipe here:
http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/579350 ... utter-Tart

caveat: I don't even like dessert/sweet things but this dessert makes me swoon. Tres Leches too.

I have had this, tremendous use of sugar for sure.

[C. Bowman]

We used to have an Italian restaurant in Yountville that made the best Tiramisu, I haven't found one I like as well. Other than that, a warm bread pudding w/warm caramel sauce and a little Crème anglaise, just a bit underneath, also a good chocolate dessert but really depends on the restaurant.
Sometimes I will ask for a small chunk of chocolate & some raspberries to have w/my port.

[Mark Hubbard]

We used to have an Italian restaurant in Yountville that made the best Tiramisu, I haven't found one I like as well. Other than that, a warm bread pudding w/warm caramel sauce and a little Crème anglaise, just a bit underneath, also a good chocolate dessert but really depends on the restaurant.
Sometimes I will ask for a small chunk of chocolate & some raspberries to have w/my port.

Carrie, the next time you're in SoCal, let me know and I'll direct you to a place with outstanding Tiramisu!

[C. Bowman]

We used to have an Italian restaurant in Yountville that made the best Tiramisu, I haven't found one I like as well. Other than that, a warm bread pudding w/warm caramel sauce and a little Crème anglaise, just a bit underneath, also a good chocolate dessert but really depends on the restaurant.
Sometimes I will ask for a small chunk of chocolate & some raspberries to have w/my port.

Carrie, the next time you're in SoCal, let me know and I'll direct you to a place with outstanding Tiramisu!

direct me? If I'm there you better plan on being there too so I can bash you in person about your baseball team

[Mark Hubbard]

We used to have an Italian restaurant in Yountville that made the best Tiramisu, I haven't found one I like as well. Other than that, a warm bread pudding w/warm caramel sauce and a little Crème anglaise, just a bit underneath, also a good chocolate dessert but really depends on the restaurant.
Sometimes I will ask for a small chunk of chocolate & some raspberries to have w/my port.

Carrie, the next time you're in SoCal, let me know and I'll direct you to a place with outstanding Tiramisu!

direct me? If I'm there you better plan on being there too so I can bash you in person about your baseball team

Deal - you better hurry down here while you're still ahead of us in the standings!

[C. Grimm]

Depends on the restaurant, but I tend to like citrus-y desserts.

[Poppy Davis]

All over desserts that are hot & cold (i.e. molten lava cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream). Also into anything creamy like puddings and mousses. The chocolate souffle at Press in Napa is really, really good.