Bread & Chocolate: Chocolate Diamond

Bill

Bread & Chocolate in the West End recreates the atmosphere of a Continental European café.  Its selection and quality of desserts live up to that model.

The chocolate diamond is a box shell hiding five alternating layers of chocolate frosting and moist cake.  The concept alone is enticing.  It pleasantly mixes the textures of a fairly dense cake and chewy icing.  The icing forms a slightly harder shell at the outer layers.  That condenses strong flavors into a small space.  This relatively unique dessert deserves our great rating.

2301 M St, Washington, DC 20037

(202) 833-8360

Google map & reviews (2.5/5)

Washington Examiner

Yelp (2.5/5)

Tripadvisor (3.5/5)

General Rejection: Pitango Gelato

Bill


Pitango Gelato serves something closer to colored ice.  I recently tried two flavors, and it was the worst gelato I've ever tasted.  "Unremarkable" would be too kind a description.  So would "flavored ice."  The base gelato had painfully little flavor.  I couldn't even taste milk.  One of the flavors I tried had some flecks of chocolate, and those tiny elements provided the only texture and flavor beyond ice.  A sign in the shop asserts that you're about to taste the "best gelato."  It isn't even the best gelato within walking distance. 

That said, Pitango will continue to thrive in Logan Circle, mostly for reasons beyond the gelato.  It's open late, unlike many DC dessert places that close before the usual dessert time.  It's near bars and other restaurants.  It has outdoor seating.  It serves cold sugar and fat in bowls.  These attributes make Pitango a nice spot for after-dinner or pre-bar relaxing and people watching.  Just appreciate it for what it has to offer: something completely different from the "best gelato."  If you're looking for great or even decent gelato, skip it.  We'll post reviews of gelato places we like soon.


1451 P St. NW, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 332-8877      

Google map & reviews (3/5)

Washington Post

Washingtonian (Best of Washington: Best Cool Treats: Nutty gelati)

Washingtonian Best Bites Blog: Things We Love: Briche con Gelato at Pitango Gelato

Washington Examiner

DCist

Yelp (4/5)

Daily Grill: Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Bill


The Daily Grill's Double Chocolate Layer Cake is soft and dense.  It has a heavy dark chocolate flavor.  The dish has a great ratio of frosting to cake.  The frosting doesn't have to compensate for a poor cake; this cake is good enough to stand on its own. The raspberry sauce is an excellent compliment.  This cake gets our great rating. 

1200 18th St NW # 2, Washington, DC 20036
(202) 822-5282      

Google map & reviews (2.5/5)

Washington Post

Yelp (3/5)

Yahoo! (4/5)

Firehook Bakery: Presidential Sweet Cookie

Bill


This cookie is Firehook’s most unique, and it earns significant points for the concept. The presidential sweet cookie is made with chocolate chips, coconut, sun-dried cherries, rolled oats, espresso powder, pecan pieces, and vanilla. No, really. It works, and when it is good, it is divine. The wild hodgepodge of textures and flavors provides a fantastic, unique experience. Unfortunately, there is a consistency risk with the presidential sweet cookie, but lower than with the chocolate espresso cookie. It still ranks as one of our favorites and gets our divine rating.

1909 Q St NW, Washington, DC 20009
(202) 588-9296

Google map & reviews

Washington Post (Editors' Pick)

Yelp (3/5)

Yahoo! (3.5/5)

Firehook Bakery: Chocolate Espresso Cookie

Bill


When Firehook’s chocolate espresso cookie reaches its potential, it is almost one of our favorites. Its primary flavor elements are chocolate chips, espresso powder, and vanilla. That’s a great mix, but the final product is even better than the sum of its parts. The cookie looks like a chocolate version of molten rock: gooey rivers of chocolatey awesomeness run between mounds of soft cookie goodness with thin, flaky caps. It’s not quite a favorite because the walnut pieces, although small and few, break up the flow of the more flavorful elements, and there’s a consistency risk.

The consistency risk is that this cookie is sometimes hard and dry. When that happens, it would be a bad cookie at a grocery store, and something a specialty bakery like Firehook should be embarrassed to serve. That’s the version of the cookie I found in this review.  This cookie could approach the divine rating, but with the consistency risk, the best it deserves is great.


1909 Q St NW, Washington, DC 20009
(202) 588-9296

Google map & reviews

Washington Post (Editors' Pick)

Yelp (3/5)

Yahoo! (3.5/5)

FroZenYo: General Endorsement

Bill

FroZenYo is a new player in the DC dessert game, and it wins our endorsement.  You grab a big cup, fill it with any combination of flavors and toppings, then pay for it by weight.  Bonus:  you can add fudge or caramel after you weigh it.  Most frozen yogurt shops, especially those that followed the relatively recent pinkberry trend, serve either tart or mildly flavored yogurt, and you’re expected to turn that into a dessert by adding toppings.  FroZenYo finds ways to mix the necessary milky flavor of yogurt with other elements in ways that not only maintain the flavors, but even make them pop.  I didn’t think that was even possible.  You don’t need the toppings, because these flavors can stand on their own. 

I specifically recommend FroZenYo’s cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and dulce de leche flavors.  These flavors win our divine rating.  The pumpkin pie yogurt has a depth of pumpkin pie flavor that’s deeper than an average pumpkin pie.  The red velvet cake yogurt was good, but disappointing compared to the other flavors I tried.  Add this growing chain to our favorites.  The only negative at the Downtown location is a seating shortage.

FroZenYo currently has three locations, but an aggressive expansion plan.  We hope its growth forces other dessert purveyors to improve their offerings.

1006 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004

(202) 347-1414

Google map & reviews (5/5 from 2 displayed ratings)

Washington City Paper

Washington Life

The Hill

Yelp (4/5)

The Hungry District

Two DC

DC-Wrapped Dates

Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections: Truffles

Bill

Truffles are at the extreme end of the flavor-punch spectrum, just past brownies.  A truffle must squeeze fine, deep, decadent flavor into a very small package.  In short, it should be awesomeness from concentrate. 

Artfully Chocolate’s truffles are the best I’ve tried in DC.  They are also the cheapest, especially with a volume discount, which is rare for truffles.  I’ll describe them in an order from divine to forgettable.


Pomegranate Royale.  This receives significant points for the creativity of the concept:  pomegranate molasses, crème de cassis, and cognac.  Mixing two alcoholic elements itself requires daring, world-class skill, and a hefty dose of trial and error.  This creation goes even further in combining that pairing with a unique treatment of the trendy pomegranate.  The result is devine.  Its creator picked the right chocolate: only slightly on the darker side.  The interaction of the three strong flavors of pomegranate, cognac, and dark chocolate, and the softer crème de cassis works.  Amazingly, you can taste all four elements.  Add this to our favorites.

Amaretto Marzipan.  This truffle is made of ground almonds and chocolate marzipan “laced” with amaretto.  That’s quite a tribute to Continental Europe.  The individual flavors were great, but their combination was not.  Amaretto, almonds, and marzipan are tame flavors.  That left only the relatively dark chocolate standing out.  However, the quality of the individual elements, and the textures of their combination make this one to try.


Black Forest.  Montmorency cherries, kirsch (a cherry liqueur), and chocolate make this truffle legitimately Germanic.  It would be popular at cafés from Munich to Vienna.  This was good but its taste didn’t match my excitement about the kirsch.  Kirsch is a unique (in the U.S.), strong element.  So, among these ingredients, it should carry the truffle.  Unfortunately, it was barely detectable.  Its minor role is equivalent to a chocolate-chip cookie with just one chip.


Hazelnut Toffee.  This was a more obvious concept that should easily have been executed better than it was.  The hazelnut flavor wasn’t even equivalent to that in a kinder bar or nutella, and I couldn’t find the toffee.  The toffee may have been inside the truffle, but if so, it was undetectable.  The crunchy items on top may have been the toffee, but they just tasted like nuts.  Skip this one.


Pumpkin Cheesecake.  This deserves some points for a seasonal, unique concept, but none for the execution.  Pumpkin and sweetened cream cheese (the base element in cheesecake) are mild flavors, so this mix only has the chocolate shell to pack a flavor punch.  It’s not surprising that this combination of those three elements basically tasted like nothing.  Skip this one, too.


1529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 387-2626

Google map & reviews (3.5/5)

Washingtonian

Washington Post (Reader: 3/4)

Washington City Paper

Examiner

Yelp (3.5/5)

D.C. Foodies

14th & You

Bistrot Lepic: Torte Chaud au Chocolat

Bill

This dessert, in concept, marries a relatively dense, soft, warm cake-like torte packing a smooth, powerful chocolate flavor with crème anglais. It is my favorite dessert at Bistrot Lepic.

This dish could approach divinity with a thicker compliment of crème anglais surrounding the torte. It would have added more flavor and a better mix of textures. The right mixture of rich chocolate and a dairy-based sauce like crème anglais can create magic, but this dessert didn’t get the mix right.

The torte wasn’t as good this time as when I’ve tried it before, so it carries a consistency risk. At its best, the torte is soft, warm, and moist throughout. Some brittleness on the edges can actually be a welcome offset to that softness. However, this time, the outer half of the torte was hard, around room temperature, and dry. The center was much better, meeting what I usually expect from this dish. Even with the consistency risk, the torte ranks well above the average DC dessert.


1736 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-0111

Google map & reviews (4/5)

Washingtonian

Examiner

Washington Post (Editors' Pick; Reader 4/4)

Washington City Paper (4/5)

Yelp (3.5/5)

Tripadvisor (DC rank: 60; 4/5)

Bistrot Lepic: Mousse au Chocolat

Josh

The perfect mousse as described by David Lebovitz, a pastry chef based in San Francisco, is "a perfect slightly-gummy texture, backed up by a wallop of pure dark chocolate flavor." At Bistrot Lepic in Georgetown, they have put together something that is really close to that description. I very much enjoyed what came off as a light dessert to me, with both a great whipped texture as well as a strong chocolate flavor. Hidden inside were a few pieces of milk chocolate that added a nice crunch to the very smooth and satisfying treat. Not to mention the light cookie/wafer on top that could be used as a dipping tool and an edible fork.

While not a typical order of mine, I have always enjoyed mousse, although, I never truly understood the distinction between it and pudding. I'm sure Mr. Lebovitz would be highly offended by my previous assumption that a classic French delicacy was as commonplace and simple as something bought on grocery shelves and served in cafeterias. Nonetheless, I learned of my error, and now have a true appreciation for the smooth creamy flavor that a well prepared mousse inevitably possesses. Mousse must be moist, but appear and taste light and airy. A great pastry chef can make that difficult task a reality. 


I will continue to seek out other places throughout DC that serve this dessert well, but if you are in the mood, you will not be disappointed by Bistrot Lepic. Both a restaurant and wine bar, it provides a dual atmosphere for an evening of culinary delight. Make sure you stop by, sample some of the large selection of wine, and grab a little mousse before you leave... You won't be upset that you did!


1736 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-0111

Google map & reviews (4/5)

Washingtonian

Examiner

Washington Post (Editors' Pick; Reader 4/4)

Washington City Paper (4/5)

Yelp (3.5/5)

Tripadvisor (DC rank: 60; 4/5)

Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections Logan Circle: “Sinful Chocolate Cake”

Bill

This would be an excellent cake for a coffee shop or traditional café.   However, it comes just short of the expectations for the specialty chocolate café that is Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections.  The cake portion is slightly dry, just noticeably stale, and a bit light on flavor.  Those small failings would still allow the cake to rank above average at most restaurants, even if paired with mediocre frosting. 

This cake’s frosting ranks better among frostings than the cake portion does in its category.  Its flavor is powerful enough to counterbalance the cake portion’s lack thereof.  The frosting strikes a tasty balance of cocoa and sugar with a chewy texture.  It’s applied to the cake in a perfect portion and presentation.  The frosting redeems the overall dish.   

I would order this cake without the whipped cream or chocolate sauce.  Both elements always add just more than zero taste to a dish.  They’re used almost purely for presentation; to create a visual impression of decadence.  DCDesserts writers and readers are too smart for such visual trickery.  The whipped cream might contaminate your cake with flat milky flavor.  The chocolate sauce, that cheap, lazy stand-in for fudge sauce that’s left after you finish the cake, only serves to remind you how great the frosting was.

1529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 387-2626

Google map & reviews (3.5/5)

Washingtonian

Washington Post (Reader: 3/4)

Washington City Paper

Examiner

Yelp (3.5/5)

D.C. Foodies

14th & You

Woodside Deli: Chocolate and Strawberry Milkshakes

Josh

There are two absolute facts in milkshake consumption, namely thickness and ice cream quality. Before anyone begins to question my expertise, I want to make clear that there can certainly be excess (sprinkles, fudge, brownie bits, etc) that obviously increase the delightfulness of this wonderful treat, but without the basics, excess, is simply that. The Woodside Deli has been a Silver Spring, MD, staple since 1947, and the décor screams it. One fun aspect of dining is, perusing the 1924 Cleveland Plain Dealer front page conveniently located in the men’s restroom. Obviously, a gender-restrictive luxury.

The deli itself is one of those awesome "we can make anything ever conceived" restaurants with a very extensive menu. The highlight for me was of course the Old Fashioned Thick Milkshakes. Only available in three flavors, chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla your options are limited, but a wise man once told me to stick to what you do best, and apparently that's what's going down here. A hard thing to really "screw up," milkshakes are not really an exotic or sexy dessert.  However, there's a balance with all successful cuisines and the Woodside’s milkshakes are the exact type of thick that allows both fluid movement through a straw and/or consumption with a spoon; quite distinguishable in fact from simply eating regular ice cream, a must in the frozen- milk trade. Therein lies the yin and yang of a great shake. The consistency is crucial and often taken for granted. Not here, not ever, and for that, I applaud and highly recommend a quick stopover. Grab a light sandwich and prepare yourself for a very filling dessert, one that comes with the blending cup on the side, the way our ancestors drank their shakes. The only way to really drink them!

9329 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20993

(301) 589-7055 

Google map & reviews (1.5/5)

Washingtonian 
Also, Todd Kliman recommended Woodside Deli’s chocolate milkshakes in a June 8, 2010 online chat:

One place I know that does chocolate malteds is The Woodside Deli, in Silver Spring. They're good. The food? Sometimes good, sometimes not so, but I like the shakes and I like the texture of the place, the old Vargas girls up on the wall in the back room, the black-and-white memorabilia.

Washington City Paper (3/5)

Metromix

Yelp (3.5/5)

Papa Razzi: Brownie Sundae

Bill

The Papa Razzi brownie sundae is not just one of my DC favorites; it’s the best I’ve found in the world. 

Each of the four individual elements is perfect, and the flavor, temperature, and texture combination is even better than the sum of its parts.  The candied walnuts are flavored so thoroughly that the taste is strong nearly through to their centers.  The vanilla gelato is among the best you’ll find, especially in the U.S.  It provides a surprisingly smoother texture than would the traditional ice cream.  The brownies consistently strike the rare mix of balanced physical composition (neither cakey nor oily), and powerful chocolate flavor, at which perfection is found.  The world-beater in this divine dish, however, is the unique chewy not-exactly-fudge sauce that fills the role of traditional fudge sauce.  This sauce has an amazing taste and unique texture that’s smoother than fudge sauce, but still thick and chewy enough to fabulously compliment the gelato and brownies.

As a bonus, this dish is presented in an inviting choose-your-own-adventure manner.  The brownies and nuts can easily be separated from the rest of the dish to facilitate the dish’s painstakingly equal distribution among multiple diners.  If you choose to go the distance and enjoy this dish yourself, you’re free to mix these elements to create your customized tonic to cure what ails you.

I order the brownie sundae with extra sauce and no whipped cream.  Because the sauce is the most divine element of this dish, you should get plenty of it.  As usual with whipped cream, the relatively flavorless and superfluous cream can dull the flavor of the other spectacular elements of this dessert.

1064 Wisconsin Avenue
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 298-8000

Google map and reviews (3.5/5)

Washington Post (Critic: 4/4; Reader: 4/4)

Urban Spoon (86% like it)

Yelp (3/5)

Brasserie Beck: Gateau of Chocolate

Josh

First a disclaimer... While I pride myself on my impartial journalism, ironically my very first entry to DCdesserts comes via a restaurant that a close friend works at. Nonetheless, it is my civic responsibility to report the truths about said desserts in the hope that our new-found blog will act as the checks and balances for the local culinary faire. Wild Bill and I share a passion for the sweeter things in life, in his case brownies and red velvet cake, and in mine milkshakes and donuts (quite exotic, I know!) To begin my inaugural voyage into the craft of food critiquing I was lucky enough to have been a VIP of sorts at the restaurant, who through my friend was given a few courses gratis! Dessert actually came as a surprise, sent out by the kitchen staff, to commemorate the pre-anniversary of my upcoming October 1, 2011 wedding. In terms of appealing to both mine and Wild Bill's tastes, they couldn't have chosen better...

The gateau of chocolate was a very brownie-like dessert.  It had a very nice presentation, highlighted by what appeared to be an artistic usage of fruit sauces. The gateau was rather tasty, with a strong hint of rasberry chocolate in the center... The highlight for me was a base layer of hardened chocolate that accentuated each bite with a crunch. This offset the natural gooeyness that is not typically my favorite aspect of any brownie-like substance... For perspective, imagine a brownie that appears to have true density to it, only to discover that in fact it is a lot more souffle than brick... The worst part of the experience occurs when you insert the fork for the first time, only to realize that the structure and mass are far less pronounced then they appear.

While tasty, and certainly appreciated, the raspberry seemed to overpower the milk chocolate base as each bite went along, and I grew a little weary and bored with it... 

1101 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

(202) 408-1717

Google map and reviews (4/5)

Washingtonian (2/4; Best Restaurants Rank: 80)

Washington Post (Critic: 2.5/4; Readers: 2.5/4)

Washington Times

Urban Spoon (88% like it)

Yelp (4/5)