The ubiquity of the warm chocolate cake
January 31, 2007 by alex
It happened sometime in the past 3 years or so. I’m not sure exactly when or what set it off. What started as a refreshing choice at a handful of restaurants is now becoming a de facto dessert at almost every restaurant - eclipsing the likes of such stalwarts as creme brulee and (gasp!) apple pie. It looks something like this:
…and it is usually called something made up of some (sometimes all) of the following words: warm chocolate fondant cake and it is hopefully served with at least one scoop of ice cream. Mind you, I am not saying I don’t enjoy this cake a lot, I’m just saying that it is no longer a pleasant surprise and I think its time for chefs in the city to start thinking about how they could raise the bar on what has become the safe choice on a dessert menu. Local favorite Chestnut serves something they call a Chocolate Budino which is similar to the aforementioned warm chocolate cake in that it is warm and chocolatey but the consistency is almost pudding-like which, much to my surprise, works really well. Come on chefs, make it special!
Posted in Food & Drink
January 31st, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Alright, here’s what you do: You go up to Miss Williamsburg on Kent & North Third (I know, I know, Williamsburg. Suck it up.), and you probably order some calamari to start because they’re delicious, any probably you order some other incredibly tasty Roman style mains, but you don’t neglect to order the chocolate souffle for desert. Doesn’t hurt to pre-order, if you’re under time constraints, or just want to get the funk out of Williamsburg. What will soon arrive, fresh from the oven where it baked in a cappuccino cup, will make any other warm, cakey chocolate desert pale in comparison. The texture varies from moist and cake-like around the edges of the cup to something like warm chocolate mouse in the center, and it’s served with fresh whipped cream to balance the chocolate. I don’t normally eat dessert, but I never miss this one.