A Sunday of Old Favorites

Or rather, new things sampled at old favorites!

I love spending time in the South End, with its cobbled streets, quaint brownstones, and amazing restaurants. An unexpectedly warm Sunday gave me the perfect excuse to head down there and wander around. I stopped in for a snack at the South End Buttery, one of my favorite bakery-cafes. A rare window seat overlooking Shawmut Avenue opened up as I arrived, so I settled in for an hour or so of eating, reading, and people-watching.

The baked good is a "cinnapuff" muffin. What an adorable name! It looked, and tasted like, a puff of cinnamon. Imagine an airy, fluffy cinnamon coffee cake, in muffin form, brushed with a thin glaze and dusted in cinnamon sugar. A hearty crumb, just enough sweetness, and faint spice flavor made for satisfying eating. This was the most unique muffin SEB had that day; the others – blueberry, walnut, corn – just weren’t as inspiring. The beverage, predictably enough, is a mocha. SEB’s espresso is not the strongest, so while I wouldn’t rely on it to power me up in the morning, it provided just enough caffeine for a midafternoon perk. They use quality chocolate in the drink, too!

I hope I’m in more of a dessert mood whenever I’m next at the Buttery, because they have significantly expanded their cupcake range since my last visit…

I was in more of a dessert mood as the day went on. Post-dinner dessert happened at Athan’s, where I got to eat the (very last!) Bolero dessert. In it, we have milk chocolate mousse set on top of a sheet of chocolate genoise. The mousse is covered with layer of slivered almonds, and the whole thing is then drenched in milk chocolate ganache. A dollop of chocolate buttercream frosting with a piece of bittersweet chocolate garnishes the top. The mousse was a delight, fluffy and flavorful. The cake was forgettable; Athan’s genoise is always so boring compared to what’s around it. The slivered almonds added a nice depth of flavor, but they were slightly soggy from their proximity to the mousse. I would have preferred crisper, crunchier nuts – if there had to be nuts at all. All outer chocolates were great!

At right is a semifreddo. My partner in desserting described it as “bland-ish, light, milky ice cream.” Semifreddos are meant to be that way – traditionally, they are a mixture of gelato and whipped cream, partially frozen and set atop a cake. Apparently the syrup-soaked cake at the bottom was the best part – Athan’s has some great sugar/brandy syrups, most frequently drizzled on their breakfast breads, and one of those was most likely used here. The cake, of course, was their typical (vanilla) genoise. Far too many almonds were used as toppings.

One thing I love about Athan’s is their chocolate selection. They're the best desserts to go! I left with a piece each of dark chocolate mint and milk chocolate with crisped rice.