The beautiful black sesame panna cotta, sour cherry sphere, mandarin sorbet

2011 has to go down as one of the most exciting and tumultuous years ever for the top end of the New York pastry chef world.  On the exciting side: Bravo’s Top Chef : Just Desserts franchise finished its second season with NYC’s own Johnny Iuzzini as the head judge and a bevy of New York based pastry chefs as guest judges and hosts.  Alex Stupak, another of NYC’s elite pastry chefs, finally got the praise he deserved for his restaurant Empellon, proving once again that pastry chefs can make the switch into savory (or management) and blazing a trail for future pastry chefs to follow.

"Peanut" flourless chocolate cake malted milk crunch salted peanut brittle, milk chocolate, whipped cream

On the tumultuous side: of the five restaurants with three Michelin and  four New York Times stars, three of them–Daniel, Le Bernardin and Jean Georges–saw their long-time executive pastry chefs depart.  Daniel’s Dominque Ansel had the decency to leave at the end of the summer while there wasn’t a lot of other NYC dessert news.  But Johnny Iuzzini and Michael Laiskonis each left on the last day of 2011!  I shouldn’t complain too much, these events resulted in two of the greatest weeks in DessertBuzz history, starting with a marathon tasting of last 15 desserts on the menu at Jean Georges, followed by a tasting of 6 of Michael Laiskonis’s desserts from Le Bernardin (two days before his final service).  Read about the Jean George tasting here.  Now, on to the Le Bernardin tasting…

Religieuse choux pastry detail

Consider Michael Laiskonis’ desserts.  To compare them to sculpture is so blatantly obvious that it’s almost a cop-out.  I imagine a precocious young child, unaffected by what people think, dining at Le Bernardin for the first time with his parents  saying “daddy the desserts look like the sculptures from the art museum!”  That’s what I keep coming back to, so that’s what I’m going with–Lasikonis’ desserts are like small plated works of art–imagined and created in advance and built to order.

Petit fours from Le Bernardin (March, 2011)

The first dessert to arrive was the Yuzu parfait which was completely new to me.  While photographing the plate I was reminded how fragile all the components were.  A dollop of foam applied with too much force or not aimed at just the right spot, or even a server over-tilting the plate, would ruin the composition and force the chef to start over.  It’s quite an achievement that a dessert as beautiful and delicate as this it can be plated in identical fashion over and over again.

Yuzu parfait with crispy sesame rice, ginger, green tea ice cream

The Yuza had a surprisingly pronounced citrus flavor especially compared to the yuzu-flavored ice cream common to many Japanese restaurants in New York. It went  nicely with the green tea ice cream.  I love these two flavors, and their similar, smooth textures made them even more well suited to share the same plate.  The green tea ice cream sits on a perfect square of green tea sponge and the sesame rice crisps add texture and crunch.  The white dollops are non-dairy citrus meringue–no egg whites (!)–just yuzu, water and sugar, whipped with soy protein.

Another view of the black sesame panna cotta from the sphere side view

I recently posted some photos of the Black sesame panna cotta on Facebook and joked that Laiskonis actually used a custom laser device in the kitchen to align all the elements so perfectly.  Nobody asked me if I was kidding.

Jokes aside, one of the pleasures (and challenges) of eating this dessert was deciding where and how to start.  Do I just pierce the ultra-delicate (and let’s face it, ultra-cool looking) sour cherry sphere and then try to combine it with some panna cotta, sorbet and cake?  Or, do I simply cut a perfect segment of panna cotta like a snowboarder slicing into virgin untracked powder and taste it on it’s own?   I opted for small taste of panna cotta followed by a pirceing of the sphere and then a quick, but not rushed, consumption of the rest of the elements.

The Mandarin sorbet from the black sesame panna cotta

The black sesame panna cotta has two of the coolest and most artful components I have seen on a plate in a long time: the black sesame panna cotta cube with its half-milimeter thick black top and a sour cherry sphere.  Despite it’s good looks the panna cotta doesn’t give up anything in the flavor department–as it tastes like sesame and has a perfect creamy texture.  The tanginess of the citrus from the Mandarin sorbet makes the other two parts come alive.  The “unifying sauce element” of the dessert is a mandarin coulis, bound with pectin, “to mirror the mandarin sorbet”  said Laiskonis.

Black sesame panna cotta, sour cherry sphere, mandarin sorbet

I asked Laiskonis whether the the thin, dark black sesame layer on the cube was there for flavor or for aesthetics: “It was actually the result of a happy accident: We blend a Japanese black sesame paste into a relatively standard panna cotta base (cream, milk, sugar). It’s then deposited into a silicon mold, then frozen, then unmolded and tempered. Popped out of the mold, it’s inverted–the ‘bottom’ becomes the ‘top’. We noticed this rich black sediment of sesame paste had settled to the bottom of the mold and immediately thought it looked so cool! We could have easily blended it further to make it more homogenous and thus more uniform, but something about the gun metal grey/dark black contrast takes the presentation to a higher level”

Even the mini-macarons are perfect

My dining companion Doctore, who has accompanied me on these missions before, proclaimed our third course, the Religieuse (elderflower ‘creme mousseline’, crunchy choux, pear coulis, black current powder) to be the best, non-chocolate, pastry he has ever had with the possible exception of Pierre Herme’s croissant isphan.  In order to explain how good this 4-star choux pastry was, I have to talk about Macarons for a momment.

Religieuse - Elderflower 'creme mousseline', crunchy choux, pear coulis, black currant tpowder

I’ve always found it odd that despite how many great pastry chefs we have in New York–many who are from France or who trained at Pierre Herme–the macarons flown in everyday from La Duree in Paris are still vastly superior to all but a few NYC-made macarons.  The point is, there’s some reason, as yet unknown, that elevates Parisian macarons above those from New York.

Back to the religieuse.  I have tried all kinds of delicious choux pastry, a few in NYC restaurants, some from bakeries that specialize in choux pastry as well as a religieuse or two from Paris and none were in the class of this delicious pastry.   The delicate flavors of the pear coulis and the black current powder  were subtle but could easily be detected and appreciated.  However, to me, the texture profile was what made this dessert fantastic.  It was crunchy on the outside and when you bit into it, it simply melted in your mouth until it disappeared like few other pastries I have had.

"Peanut" flourless chocolate cake malted milk crunch salted peanut brittle, milk chocolate, whipped cream

“Peanut”  is a crowd-pleasing chocolate and peanut dessert that would make Frank Lloyd Wright proud.  It features peanuts and chocolate in a number of different forms including a very thin “plaquette” of milk chocolate and a layer of flour-less dark chocolate cake.  There was also some great tasting malted milk crunch and a salted peanut brittle layer to take advantage of humankind’s innate love of the salty and sweet.  Whipped cream and a matching scoop of malted rum milk chocolate ice cream finish off the dessert.

Whipped cream and peanuts view

Pizza bloggers call this an "upskirt" shot.

The last two desserts have been on the menu at Le Bernardin for some time.  As I have said before, “the egg” is really the epitome of a successful salty-sweet dessert.  In addition, you won’t find two more satisfying teaspoons of dessert anywhere.  Go here to read why I think Laiskonis was actually sick of creating and serving the egg at LB.

The "egg" from Le Bernardin by Michael Laiskonis

The chocolate tart with wine reduction sauce and sweet potato sorbet has it roots in the common “molten chocolate cakes” you see everywhere, but those roots are buried pretty deep in the lineage as the sweet potato sorbet and caramelized wine sauce will be unique to any eater and both are really enjoyable flavors.

One of things I love about fancy-pants restaurants is that in order to make sure guests leave feeling utterly impressed, they always  send out a fixed number of post-meal sweet plates–no matter how many desserts you have already eaten.  I wonder if a waiter has ever come out and said “you guys can’t seriously be thinking about eating more sweets after all that can you!?”

Madeleines served piping hot

We were served a basket of piping hot madeleines and financiers (the only way to enjoy them) and the mini-macarons, (dulce de leche-passion fruit, vanilla and almond) had the same attention to detail as the plated desserts.  There were also chocolates–even after lunch.

two very nice looking pistachio Financiers

March, 2011: Michael Laiskonis in a rare non-working moment in the kitchen

What does the Chef have planned going forward?  Laiskonis wasn’t willing to share anything concrete but  mentioned a possible book about pastry from the perspective of the pastry chef in the kitchen, doing some consulting and the desire to share his knowledge through some kind of teaching role.  Next Monday, January 16th, he will be one of 6 acclaimed pastry chefs in attendance at “Killed By Dessert“, a charity event to raise money for Share our Strength–the event is sold out.

Coverage of our previous tasting of Michael’s desserts at Le Bernardin from March 2011 is here.  Follow DessertBuzz on Twitter.  Micheal Laiskonis’s blog is here.  Le Bernadin is located on 155 West 51 Street.  Their website is here.

After lunch chocolates

Paris New York

Today we continue to go through the sweet side of the menu of Dominique Ansel Bakery.  Go here for part I.

Paris-New York: Mr Ansel’s take on Paris-Brest features a split ring of choux pastry filled with chocolate ganache, peanut butter ganache, peanut butter cream, and caramel.  If the Mini-Me cake is a chocolate lover’s dream, then the Paris-New York is for peanut butter lovers.  The pastry is light and is used primarily as a (GDS) -that’s a ganache delivery system.  Why order it? If you like peanut butter and dark chocolate it’s a no brainer.  Ansel on the Paris-New York “a twist on the Paris-Brest, a pate a choux pastry usually filled with hazelnut cream. I call mine the Paris-New York and used chocolate, caramel, and peanuts as my flavors. Can you tell where I got my inspiration from? It’s the ingredients you’ll find inside a Snicker’s bar, my favorite candy bar.”

Cross section of Paris-New York

Cinnamon Roll: Why anyone would order a cinnamon roll at DAB is beyond me.  Not that it wasn’t tasty because it was. It’s just that with so many other incredible pastries to choose from, only the most unadventurous and very risk-averse should even consider this.  Allowances made for children (or adults) who are obsessed with cinnamon rolls (I’m sure there’s a website somewhere).  Note to the Cinnamon Roll Association: please don’t send letters.  Why order it? Hmm, I guess to see how one of best pastry chefs in NYC makes a cinnamon roll?

Gâteau Battu: The gateau battu is like a giant slice of brioche.  Anything that would taste good on a plain brioche would be perfect on top of the gateau–jelly, butter, peanut butter, etc.  The flavor and texture remind  me a little of a less sweet challah bread.  Why order it? You need a break from all the sweet but aren’t ready to admit you are moving on to savory.  Ansel on the Gâteau Battu: “similar to a brioche, but much lighter and fluffier, from my hometown of Picardy. You bake it in a mold that looks like a chef’s hat, so it’s a very signature shape.”

Pain Au Chocolat: Perhaps no other pastry is as an important barometer of the class of a French baker then the Pain Au Chocolate.  The good news is Mr. Ansel’s are superb.  They are thin on the chocolate content but have a perfect and beautiful-to-look-at, spiraled crust.  I guess there must be something about Spring Street–currently the street with the two best pain au chocolats and croissants in NYC.  Why order it? This is one thing you can purchase day after day!

Other items – Macarons: The macarons from DAB are quite good.  I recommend the lemon and the chocolate.  Unlike some other bakeries he makes them in small amounts and if they run out, that’s it!    This is preferable to making tons of them and keeping them for days until the unpopular flavors get stale.

Mini-Me’s: The flavored meringue drops that dot some of the pastry are also available separately.  I recommend the peppermint, lemon or blueberry.  These would make a great party or wedding favor.  Ansel on the Mini-Me’s: “Then there are some little creations of my own. I love the Mini-Me’s. They are short for “Miniature Meringues” and come in lots of colors and flavors. What’s fun is that there are at least 8 ways to eat them: add them into hot chocolate, drop them into breakfast cereal, use them as ice cream toppings, the list goes on.”

Hazelnut brittle (yes it's as good as you think)

Hazelnut Brittle: Another great stocking stuffer.  The hazelnuts in this brittle are incredibly flavorful.  Note: If you decide to buy  this as a gift it’s best to purchase two so you can eat one on the way home.

Rice crispy made with Valrhona Caramelia

Rice Crispy: Like Jacques Torres’ corn flakes this sure-to-please gift uses Valrhona Caramelia–a milk chocolate caramel delicacy.

I asked Mr Ansel what signature product his bakery will be known for in 5 years?  Ansel: “I don’t know.  New Yorkers will have to tell me! So much work goes into every product that comes out of the kitchen – even the savory sandwiches is carefully sampled and tweaked. They are all my children – how can I play favorites?

Also check out Blondie and Brownie’s “Eating everything at Dominique Ansel Bakery“.

Dominique Ansel Bakery is located on 189 Spring Street (Sullivan).  Their website is here.  Part I of this story is here.  Follow DessertBuzz on Twitter.

World class canneles from Dominique Ansel Bakery

The recent trend in New York City restaurants and bakeries is to offer one thing and (hopefully) do it really well.  See Puddin’ on St. Marks.  But what if a bakery opens up and kills it in multiple categories?  Well, after my third visit I have even more conviction that Dominique Ansel Bakery is the best new bakery in Manhattan in a long time.  They have a number of best-in-class pastry from the canneles to the kouign amann (dubbed the next big thing by pastry chef and instructor Francisco Migoya) to special eclairs.  Let’s take a walk through the sweet side of the menu.

Kouign amann from Dominique Ansel Bakery

Kouign Amann: Confession time for the editor.  I had never heard of a “kouign amann” before September when Ansel and some other high-credibility chefs started talking about them at his bakery.  I’ve now eaten two or three so I consider myself an expert (I kid!) You don’t need 17 years of pasty experience to know when you taste something special.  Here’s a video of  Ansel in action creating the pastry. The best description of what a Kouign Amann is can be found on David Lebovitz’s blog.  Why order it? Because it’s like a great croissant with a “perfectly-caramelized melange of butter, sugar, and salt” and in the words of David Byrne nothing is better than that.

Special addition black and white eclair with dual fillings

Black and White Eclair: Dominique Ansel in not from New York but he shows he has learned a bit about what New Yorkers’ like by offering a classic French pastry that evokes the iconic NYC black and white cookie.  The glaze is half dark chocolate and half white chocolate and one side of the éclair is filled with chocolate cream, the other with vanilla cream.

Inside the black and white eclair

The thing about eclairs is that I suspect most people have never tried a really good one.  I have memories of  the eclairs they sold at Twin Donut in New York in the early 80’s.  This is a place where on any given day there might be three homeless guys sharing a cruller and smoking cigarettes at their table.  Why order it? There are only 1 or two other places in NYC to get an eclair this good.

Canneles: Crispy on the outside custardy on the inside

Canneles: Without a doubt the best I have tasted in NYC.  They feature a dark, crisp and perfectly caramelized exterior and a  super-moist interior.  The custard-like-inside has plenty of flavor too owing to the liberal use of  rum in the recipe.  Read more about canneles along with some great photos here.  Why order it? Transport yourself to Bordeaux for only $3.

Mini me dark chocolate cake

Mini-Me Chocolate Cake: With all due respect to Verne Troyer this is the best incarnation of Mini-me.   The “Mini Me” meringue-topped chocolate cake is served from a case but it might as well be a made-to-order plated dessert.  It has a perfect blend of flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and a dark chocolate glaze.  Toasted meringue “mini-me” twists on top (available for purchase separately)  finish off the dessert.  Despite all the chocolate it’s still  not too sweet!  Why order it? If you’re a chocolate lover–stop contemplating and get it.

Visit us again tomorrow for Part II: Paris-New York, Gâteau Battu, and an interview with the man himself.

Paris New York

Dominique Ansel Bakery is located on 189 Spring Street (Sullivan).  Their website is here.

Follow DessertBuzz on Twitter.

Bisous Ciao had the NYC macaron crown for almost 2 years

Why is it so important for New Yorkers to know what other people think is “the best”?   With the opening of Laduree in New York City there has been a considerable amount of macaron hype, most of it around how superior their macarons are to everything else. Last week I finally got to try about eight of them (thank you Doctore) and I can safely say they are the best this city has to offer right now.  They feature perfect buttercream, super-soft almond flour cookie shell and insanely strong flavors–despite flying 3600 miles from Paris every day!  

Now that we have that out of the way let’s take a look at some of the other DessertBuzz recommended macarons in New York City.

Laduree 864 Madison (71^st St.) Recommended: all products are equally excellent.  The lemon and vanilla are my favorites. Notes: Why can’t one other place in all of New York make butter cream this good?

Bouchon Bakery peanut butter and jelly

Bouchon Bakery Recommended: Peanut butter and jelly, pistachio.  Notes: A surprisingly good value compared to the other items they sell.  Large size means more to enjoy.  Located in the Time Warner Center (10 Columbus Circle @ 59th St.)  and in Rockefeller Center (1 Rockefeller Plaza).

The lemon macaron from Bisous ciao

Bisous Ciao Recommended: all flavors (butter cream and ganache fillings) Notes: The other standout macaron in New York city.  The only shop that currently comes close to Laduree.  Many pastry chefs pointed me to this place. Located at 101 Stanton St.

DessertTruck Works monkey finger macaron - would Laduree approve?

Dessert Truck Works Recommended: Salted caramel, chocolate ganache.   Notes: Creative flavors excellent value.  Located at 6 Clinton St.

Francois Chocolate Bar Macaron with cocoa nibs

Francois Chocolate Bar Recommended: dark chocolate with nibs.  Notes: As good as the best if you get them fresh.  Very good chocolate macarons.  Located in the food concourse of the Plaza Hotel at 1 West 58^th St.

Macaron Cafe Dark Chocolate Macaron - worth the $2.25

The Macaron Café Recommended: Citrus flavors, lemon, orange, etc. Notes: very solid huge selection of flavors, friendly staff.  Two locations: 625 Madison (on 59th St.) and 485 7th Ave. (at 36th St.)

Silver Moon Bakery chestnut macaron

The Silver Moon Bakery Recommended: Chocolate, chestnut.  Notes: pick up a French bread when you go because Serious Eats just rated their the best in the city!  Located at 2740 Broadway  (105^th St.)

I also want to recommend at two other outfits that don’t have  a “bricks and mortar” store.  You can always order their macarons for  a special event such as a wedding or party.

Mad-Mac's Macarons

A delicious Nutella Macaron from the Macaron Parlour

Mad Mac’s macarons Recommended (website is here.) Notes: The choice of Jacques  Torres for his big anniversary party.  And The Macaron Parlour Recommended: lemon, dark chocolate ganache, raspberry.  Notes: These guys have a cult following from their Hester Street Fair appearances–you won’t be disappointed.  (website is here.)

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More coverage of the opening of Laduree. FloFab from the Times, Amanda Kludt: Eater NY, Craftiness Now, Yelp reviews

Ladurée is located at 864 Madison Avenue (71st Street), open Monday – Friday 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. ; Saturday at 9:30 a.m.- 6 p.m. Closed Sunday. Macarons $2.70 each (ouch!)

Locanda Verde's Mini Rhubarb Pie

Locanda Verde is one of my favorite restaurants in New York City for many reasons.  Their savory dishes are always excellent, it’s not that expensive for how great the food is, and their desserts, by pastry chef Karen DeMasco, are always off the hook.

Karen DeMasco's mini rhubarb pies from Locanda Verde NYC

However, sometimes it’s hard to get a reservation, especially on the spur of the moment.  And sometimes, I just really want one of their desserts and don’t want to deal with all the fuss of dinner.  That’s where Locanda Verde’s bakery counter comes in.  Many people don’t know you can walk right  in and get  all kinds of bakery and dessert-like items without waiting.  Everything from scones  and muffins to donuts, coconut cake and slices of pie.

Nutella cookie from Locanda Verde Bakery Counter

Today I scored two mini rhubarb pies.  I couldn’t resist because Rhubarb is in season and they looked a bit like hostess fruit pies from my youth.  Imagine the format of a hostess fruit pie except created and baked by one of the best pastry chefs working today.  As if that weren’t enough of a pitch, they were also only $2.50 each!

Locanda Verde Scone

If you’re expecting a sweet, syrupy, pie-like rhubarb filling you will be dissapointed as these things were quite tart.  In other words a perfect use of a seasonal root vegetable.

Dark bitter pistachio tart from Karen DeMasco

Locanda Verde’s web site is here.

Locanda Verde is located at 377 Greenwich Street (off North Moore St.)

Nectarine posset with elderflower and shiso

Annisa reopened a little over a year ago after a fire destroyed the original 10-year old restaurant.  Normally, if you want a Saturday night reservation you have to give a few weeks notice but after I told then I was with DessertBuzz they opened up there entire schedule for us (actually they probably never heard of dessertbuzz, but they did have a cancellation!)

There’s no pastry chef at Annisa “We do it all” says Anita Lo, chef and owner.  It’s unusual, but not unheard of, for a restaurant of Annisa’s caliber to have their Executive Chef double as their Pastry Chef.   Their desserts showed no signs of this configuration.  They were not only superb, but interesting and thoughtful as well, just like Annisa’s savory dishes.

The nectarine posset with elderflower and shiso was as delicious as it was unique.  What’s a posset?  Good question.  It reminded me a of a delicate panna cotta with no gelatin.  The pudding-like component was combined with  a smooth, velvety nectarine puree with a hint of shiso (like mint).  This was the very first night this dessert was added to the menu (maybe they did know about DessertBuzz?)

Annisa - Valrhona chocolate cake with malt

The next plate, a “tasting of chocolate and malted desserts” was really up my alley.  Four chocolate-based desserts, each with a fun twist.  The plate contained  a Valrhona chocolate cake with malt, milk chocolate malted mousse, malted milk shake with  chocolate balls (like bubble tea) and a brownie-like cake square with malted milk balls on top.  Except for the Valrhona cake all these were on the sweet side of the chocolate spectrum as opposed to the dark and bitter side.   The shake with the bubble tea chocolate balls was fun to eat and the mousse had a perfect texture.

After dinner chocolates

Though we didn’t order any, our waiter told us that the beignets are the most popular dessert and Yelp seems to agree.

Milk chocolate malted mousse

Cake with malted milk balls

I usually don’t write too much about the  savory side on DessertBuzz but it would be a crime not to mention how good our mains were.  Duck three ways is a 3-Star dish and my trout was fantastic as well.  All around, it was a great dining experience.  I can’t wait to go back and have more desserts at the bar.

Annisa is on 13 Barrow Street.  Their website is here.  Their dessert Menu is here.

Chocolate souffle from The Four Seasons Restaurant NYC

When I first found out I was going to lunch at the Four Seasons, I was pretty excited but soon realized that despite growing up in New York City, I really knew nothing about this storied institution except that it has very special chain mail window shades.

According to Wikipedia, The Four Seasons which opened in 1959,  is credited with introducing the idea of seasonally-changing menus to the US and was the first destination restaurant to print its menus in English. It was also the first US restaurant (outside of California) to serve American wine.

Caramelized Key Lime Pie with Chocolate cookie crust

That’s all cool, but what I wanted to know is–do they have a commitment to excellent desserts?  A quick check on their pastry chef put that concern to rest.  Executive Pastry Chef Chris Broberg, has quite a resume including Best Pastry Chef in America in 1999 and 2000 from Pastry Art & Design Magazine.

After a superb savory meal I made an error in judgement with my party by overselling the virtues of souffles.  Why was this a mistake?  Well, it resulted in four of my six dining companions ordering the souffle, (the other two ordered the key lime pie) meaning I would only be able to taste two* desserts!   You would think I would know better.

Chocolate Souffle from The Four Seasons

Thankfully, two people ordered the cookies and cream souffle instead of the chocolate, adding a little diversity to the mix.  Also at the end of the service the Four Seasons serves all their tables a giant pink cloud of cotton candy with delicious house-made banana ice cream underneath.  It’s not very practical to eat but it is very memorable.

Cotton Candy with banana ice cream from the Four Seasons

The Caramelized Key Lime Pie with chocolate cookie crust was as delicious and refined a dessert as you are going to taste anywhere.  It was very tart and low in sweetness.  The powerful, tart lime flavor reminded me of Karen DiMasco’s off-the-hook lemon tart from Locanda Verde.  The crust added a great bit of texture.  It wasn’t just the usual super-sweet, super-buttery  cookie-crumb crust.   Instead, the crust actually tasted like chocolate cookie.

Chocolate souffle from the Four Seasons Restaurant in NYC

The souffles came to the table piping hot and the waiters poured molten chocolate sauce into them.  The body of the souffle wasn’t very dark but the poured chocolate was.  Like the Key Lime pie, the souffles were’t too sweet.  The cookies and cream souffle was slightly sweeter and tasted surprising different from the chocolate.  It made me think of the inside of an Oreo.  The best barometer of the quality of the souffle was the long silence that decended on our table when everyone was devouring them.

My only regret was not being able to try more of Chef Broberg’s menu.  Some of our other options included: elderflower and strawberry napoleon with citrus gelee, rhubarb and vanilla tapioca parfait and a mustard seed roasted pineapple with macadamia ice cream.  See the entire dessert menu here.

The Four Seasons is located on 99 East 52 Street in the Seagram Building.

For more recent reviews of high-end desserts from “fancy-pants” restaurants  see below:

Le Bernardin (Michael Lasikonis)

Greek yogurt panna cotta

Daniel (Dominque Ansel)

Warm guanaja chocolate coulant liquid caramel, fleur de Sel, milk sorbet

Dovetail (Michal Shelkowitz)

Quattro (Antonio Bachour)

Kiwi and a piece of Rhubarb before the soup got poured

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