Bill
Our review of Blue duck Tavern's Straight-from-the-Oven Chocolate Cake with Maker’s Mark Flambé is in response to a reader's request.
This chocolate cake is made to order, so it's always fresh. It truly is straight from the oven, and the server flambés it with Maker's Mark at your table. This means it's served very hot. I recommend allowing it to cool.
Adding liquor to a dessert is a sure-fire way to increase its decadence and depth of flavor. In this dish, the whiskey flambé adds a punch and a twist to the chocolate. The cake is warm and moist with a gooey center. For my taste, a small scoop of fine vanilla ice cream might have elevated this dish to divine. As it is served, it deserves our great rating. Because of its novelty and freshness, it's also a steal at $9.
24th & M Streets NW, Washington, D.C. 20037
(with the water fountain in the Hyatt)
(202) 419 6755
Google map & reviews (4/5)
Washingtonian (100 Best Restaurants 2011; 41-100; 2.5/4)
Washington Post (2.5/4)
Yelp (4/5)
Open Table (4.4/5)
Tripadvisor (4/5; 10th best DC restaurant)
Washington City Paper
Bill
New York City-based Serendipity 3 recently made its long-awaited DC debut. Its arrival should satisfy those who have pushed for the elimination of "ice-cream no man's lands" of more than 1.5 blocks in Georgetown. So far, there are lines out the door at peak times.
Serendipity 3's Red Velvet Cake Sundae is a chocolate ice cream sundae with a piece of red velvet cake on top. The cake itself was good; very moist with strongly flavored cream-cheese frosting. The fudge was also pleasing in quality and volume. The ice cream was average, which is disappointing for a place that specializes in dessert.
I ordered the Red Velvet Cake Sundae without the sprinkles and whipped cream. I think both of those elements are primarily visual, add little taste, and dillute and disrupt the flavors and textures that should be the showcases of a dessert. The sprinkles came anyway, and someone apparently removed most of the whipped cream after being reminded in the kitchen that it wasn't supposed to be there.
Serendipity 3's Red Velvet Cake Sundae deserves our good rating. The cake on its own would compare better in the cake category, but the sundae doesn't come close to challenging Papa Razzi's brownie sundae for DC's sundae crown. Based on this dish, this Serendipity 3 location is far from NYC standards, but we do salute it for being open late. We dislike dessert places that aren't open during peak dessert time.
3150 M St. NW Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-5193
Google map
Washington Post
Examiner
Revamp
Yelp 3/5
