A Restaurant Week Review

Twice a year, many of Boston's finer eating establishments offer discounted three-course meals. For two weeks each in March and August, you may enjoy relatively-affordable haute cuisine at restaurants participating in Restaurant Week. By now, so many restaurants participate that one may try several new restaurants each Week. The most recent Restaurant Week period ran August 10 through 15, and 17 through 22. Of those 12 nights, I dined out on three, and each of those three nights provided a multi-course meal to remember.

The last course, obviously, was dessert.

Icarus, in the South End off of Tremont, offers eclectic nouveau-American dishes in a refined dining room tucked below street level. The decor, for such a well-reputed restaurant, was rather uninspired, but the same cannot be said for the food! My appetizer - grilled flatbread with tomatoes, cucumbers, and seasoned hummus, all lightly drizzled in mint yogurt - was delightful, and my main course - roasted chicken breast in a savory vegetable sauce, with potatoes and julienned onions - was quite possibly the best chicken I've had in a Boston restaurant. After such a meal, I didn't think I would have room for the flourless chocolate torte I chose for dessert. The small slice, drizzled with raspberry sauce and topped with a dollop of whipped cream, packed a richness and heaviness in spite of its size! Each bite was intensely flavored with bitter chocolate, and the cream gave it a density that was hard to stomach. The lighter flavors of the raspberry sauce and whipped cream provided a pleasant contrast to the chocolate. In the end, the dessert was more than I could handle, and I had to leave a few bites on my plate. If I eat at Icarus and order the torte again, I will be sure to share it! However, I think it is similar to many flourless chocolate tortes you will find at fine restaurants.

Harvest, in Harvard Square, is a hidden gem of a restaurant serving modern New England fare. To get there, you head down a brick path leading away from Brattle Street; with each step, you are transported away from the Square's cheerful mayhem toward a calmer place. The restaurant itself, sandwiched between retail shops and office buildings, has a traditional entrance and bar area, but is distinguished by an open-air courtyard with tables scattered among trees strung with white lighting. In this beautiful atmosphere, I enjoyed my birthday dinner. For an appetizer, I had sweet corn soup with crabmeat and chanterelle mushrooms; both the crab and mushrooms complemented the corn puree to create an interesting medley of tastes, and the mushrooms in particular provided an unexpected burst of earthy, juicy flavor. My main course was haddock with pesto, potato puree, and cooked tomatoes and onions. I could have used more pesto and potato puree, but the meal was delicious and perfect for a warm summer evening. The dessert, however, was exceptional. I departed from my usual chocolate indulgences and ordered the "short cake" with peaches and vanilla creme fraiche. The short cake was not very cake-like; I would more accurately call it a thick, savory cracker glazed with a hint of sugar. The peaches were barely ripe and hardly sweet; their tartness was their most noticeable feature. The creme fraiche, in contrast to the prior ingredients, was light, sweet, and cool. When all three elements were combined together, the resulting dessert was the most interesting combination of sweet, savory and tart that I have ever tasted. Savory and tart won the battle among the solid dessert components, but to top it off, I had a dessert wine that had been selected specifically to complement the cake. The wine, overly sweet when sipped alone, was beyond perfect with the peach confection. I was, for a few blissful minutes, in dessert heaven. Harvest will definitely get my repeat business.

The Ivy is an Italian small-plates restaurant whose swanky, club-like interior belies its location in gritty Downtown Crossing. Their Restaurant Week special departed from the usual three-course plan; instead, the diner ordered four small plates. I enjoyed three-cheese macaroni, ricotta ravioli, pappardelle in bolognese sauce, and cornmeal-crusted shrimp. I was very full after eating so much pasta, but even a full-to-bursting person could have made room for the miniature dessert served once the dinner dishes were cleared. Ivy offered a "tasting" - what amounted to a half-scoop in a tiny ramekin - of their signature homemade panna cotta gelato. This dollop of ice cream was pure, creamy goodness, swirled with ripples of praline. Imagine the frustration when I tasted such a delicious treat, only to be told that the half-scoop was all I would get! Needless to say, I left the restaurant rather demoralized...and wanting more. Maybe I should try some gelato next time I'm in the North End, rather than always defaulting to Mike's Pastry's chocolate mousse cannoli.

After such a successful Restaurant Week run, I'm already thinking about where to dine in March. Hopefully you will see a review of Sibling Rivalry's desserts in a few months' time!

Birthday Baking on Beacon

It has become a tradition in my apartment to bake a cake, of the birthday girl's choice, for each birthday. In mid-August, when two birthdays have fallen within days of each other, there is a lot of cake to go around! However, the tradition got off to a shaky start.

Last summer, I made Bekah a Mexican chocolate cake. The recipe, which she had used for Cinqo de Mayo parties in Brooklyn, turned out well, with plenty of leftover cinnamon-cocoa frosting. Bekah and Jess, on the other hand, attempted a rather complicated chocolate-mint fudge cake for me. The three-part recipe called for mint chocolate batter, mint cream, and chocolate frosting. For some reason, only the mint cream went as planned. The batter recipe called for potato flour, but said that mashed potatoes would be an acceptable substitute. One mashed potato and 400 degrees later, we ended up with a dense, brick-sized and -textured item. The butter in the frosting refused to incorporate with the other ingredients...

...so as much "cake" as possible was covered in mint cream, which was originally intended for between the layers. Note the discrepancy between the finished product and the cookbook's illustration (top picture on page):

On the evening of my birthday, we sawed the finished product into individual slices. We hoped that it would taste better than it looked, and that some vestige of chocolate and/or mint would assert itself against the packed sawdust created by our oven.

All hope was in vain, and there was nothing we could do but laugh hysterically at the dessert disaster in front of us. A few tastes and gags later, the Birthday Brick was unceremoniously dumped into the garbage. Yes, it was awful, but due to its sheer ridiculousness and unexpected humor value, it has become my favorite memory of that birthday.

2008's birthday baking was much more successful. I found a delicious lemon cake recipe per Bekah's request, courtesy of Barefoot Contessa's Ina Garten. (I am partial to any cook affiliated with Stonewall Kitchen, whose jams, sauces, soup mixes etc are to die for.) What makes this recipe special? Well, the batter requires the zest, and juice, of 6 lemons. You drizzle a warm sauce of sugar dissolved in lemon juice over the warm cake, and let it soak in. You then coat the cake in a crisp white glaze made of more lemon juice and confectioner's sugar. I particularly love the strong flavor added by the sauce and glaze. The final product is robustly lemon-y, yet light enough for breakfast or dessert on a hot summer's day, and perfect with chilled iced tea. I look forward to my next opportunity to bake this cake.

A few days later, determined to show the Birthday Brick who's boss, I requested a second chocolate-mint cake. The new recipe used basic ingredients - no curveballs like potato flour or ganache - and this year's finished product was infinitely preferable to the last, even if 3 times the recipe's amount of butter was accidentally added to the batter. (It sure was smooth and creamy, and I couldn't tell that something was "wrong" with it!) The cake itself was flavored with baker's chocolate and mint extract; the mint taste was light and refreshing. The homemade frosting, of course, was delicious, with subtle hints of cocoa and mint. I can safely say that this cake was not thrown in the trash, and it even passed the breakfast test, with slices consumed in the morning and evening. Thanks to Bekah and Laura for a delicious birthday treat!

Sigh. It is now 1.5 weeks post-birthdays. What shall I have for dessert now that all the cakes are gone?

The Place, The Taste, The Legend: Christina's Homemade Ice Cream

What better place to inspire my first review than my own backyard? One of the best parts - maybe even the best part? - of living in the Inman Square area is easy access to Christina's Ice Cream, a consistent Best of Boston award-winner that never disappoints. This bustling, family-owned operation is known for its exceptional and uniquely-flavored ice cream. Anyone can attest to the unique flavors - take one look at any day's offerings, and you will see ice-cream parlor standards listed next to flavors both unusual (banana cinnamon, rosewater) and wholly unknown (khulfi, adzuki bean). The consistency is also worth noting. The ice cream is just creamy enough - it's smooth, but not too dense, and slowly melts into a pleasing soup that is not too watery or too thick. The flavor is always strong, but not overpowering, and it balances perfectly with the cream. Lastly, you can expect a light full feeling - you'll be satiated after two scoops, but not in a bloated, heavy or regretful way. This is especially worth noting for those of us who like to indulge on a regular basis...

My favorite flavors are:

• Gina's Mocha Explosion - mocha ice cream with chocolate shavings, oreo crumbs, and fudge swirls
• Mexican Chocolate - chocolate mousse ice cream with a healthy dose of cinnamon and a hint of pepper
• Orange Chocolate - chocolate mousse ice cream with a hint of orange flavor
• Coffee Oreo - intense coffee-flavored ice cream with oreo chunks and crumbs
• Irish Cream - Bailey's in solid form, but not too heady
• Green Tea - refreshing, flavorful, and bright green!
• Chai Spice - the tea in solid form; the best way I have ever tasted cardamom

I usually opt for two scoops of Gina's Mocha Explosion. The ice cream is so jam-packed with goodies and flavor that it does not need to be augmented by toppings or sauces. However, my favorite order is the small sundae (2 scoops), with one scoop each of coffee oreo and Irish cream. Two ladlefuls of thick hot fudge and a dollop of whipped-in-front-of-you cream are included, as is one topping. I keep with Christina's tradition and get crushed peanut butter cups. A-MA-zing.

Of course, this local legend is always packed with eager customers. Seating is limited to a few small church pews, so the chances of enjoying your dessert in-house are slim in the summer months. In which case, feel free to get it to go and stop by my place to say hello. Don't forget to bring me some Gina's!

Christina's Homemade Ice Cream, 1255 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139.

Welcome!

Nearly a year after the idea was born, I have *finally* posted the first entry in my long-awaited dessert blog! It's amazing what an unasked-for dose of sarcasm re the blog will do to one's motivation to post.

So, what is this "Diary of Decadent Desserts" about (in case the descriptive title is not clear)?

If you eat out with me, you'll know that it's hard for me to refuse a dessert at the end of the meal, no matter how full I may be. If you live with me, you are used to the weekend-morning muffin-baking, occasional appearance of brownies from scratch, and spontaneous trips to Christina's. If you work with me, you've seen my page-a-day calendar featuring 365 facts about chocolate. If you've gone to New Hampshire with me, you know that it's impossible to enter that state with a member of my family and NOT have "lunch" or "dinner" at Mulligan's. Yes, I love desserts...so much...and it is time to share that love with you!

In this space, I hope to tell you about exceptional desserts I have had, desserteries that are worth a second visit, and recipes that are worth a second baking. If we're lucky, you'll see pictures as well. Yes, drool over your keyboard now! I'm an equal-opportunity dessert fan, so you will see the "fine desserts" of quality restaurants reviewed alongside sloppily-scooped ice cream and chocolate bars. I hope you enjoy, and that you're not laughing too much at how ridiculous this concept may seem...

Before signing off and leaving you craving some dessert, I will leave you with two comments.

1) If you have experienced an exceptional dessert in the Boston area and think I would like it, feel free to post a comment and I'll see about giving it a review.

2) Below are two pictures of pretty much the best dessert ever, the Mud Pie at the Coolidge Corner Clubhouse in Brookline, MA. This is the ultimate in decadence and deliciousness, the Dessert of Desserts. It consists of a thick Oreo crust (hence the steak knife to cut through it), two layers of ice cream separated by Oreo crumbs (my favorite combination is a layer each of mint and vanilla), and a half-inch-thick topping of fudge. The large slice is then drizzled with more fudge and covered in whipped cream. I might love everything I post about in these pages, but I can't imagine any dessert - past, present, or future - surpassing the Mud Pie in awesomeness.

Bon appetit!