Serendipity 3: Carrot Cake Sundae

Bill


We find it necessary to review multiple desserts at Serendipity 3 because it's generated so much buzz based on its long-anticipated opening, NYC pedigree, and prime location in the former Nathan's space.  Out of several Serendipity 3 desserts, the carrot cake sundae impressed me the most, and I'm not a big fan of carrot cake.

The carrot cake sundae starts simple at the bottom and increases the novelty and decadence toward the top.  Scoops of vanilla and butter-pecan ice cream start the party at the bottom of the bowl.  A piece of carrot cake slides on top of that.  Drizzles of maple-walnut and white-chocolate fudge crown this monument to humankind's search for greatness.  It is served with a pool of chocolate fudge surrounding the base of the bowl.  The end result is unique, and blends the flavors and textures masterfully, at least if you like nuts in a sundae.

The carrot cake is velvety smooth, moist and flavorful.  Its cream-cheese frosting is better than average, and the maple-walnut and white-chocolate fudge add delightful flavor and texture elements.  The added touch of fudge on the bottom provides you an opportunity to alter this mixture to your taste.  Note that the carrot cake has a large volume of nuts throughout, which is somewhat uncommon.  Overall, this dish had too many nuts for my taste.  It still deserves our divine rating, because anyone who likes this amount of nuts would surely rate it so.


3150 M St. NW Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-5193

Google map

Washington Post

Examiner

Revamp

Yelp 3/5

Roti Mediterranean Grill: Baklava

Bill


Great desserts don't usually come in a plastic bag folded and partially sealed with a sticker.  Roti's baklava joins Potbelly's sugar cookies and oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookies as exceptions to this general rule.

Honey infuses most of this baklava, but does not overpower it or drip profusely from it.  Each element takes its fair share of the stage.  The honey soaked through layers of light but tightly packed phyllo dough and ground nuts.  The nuts are ground so finely that they can truly merge with the honey to become an elegantly smooth and sweet nut meal.  The design and execution are masterful.  This is the best baklava I've ever tasted, and it earns our divine rating.


1275 First Street NE, Washington DC 20002
(202) 618-6969

Google map and reviews (4/5)

Other DC locations (open and planned)

Capital Spice

Matchbox: Ice Cream Sandwich

Josh


A divine dessert can be found right in the heart of Rockville, MD on the pike at Matchbox.  A very trendy and popular pick at the moment, Matchbox is huge with a large outdoor seating area for the summer months. While perhaps a good dessert choice for that time, I chose to jump the gun a little a sample the ice cream sandwich mid-winter, and I was not disappointed.

First and foremost, the cookies were tremendous.  Whether they were freshly baked in house or not, they certainly tasted it.  Large, with ample chocolate chip rations, they maintained their warm softness despite the coffee ice cream's valiant effort to expose that wondrous element.  Chocolate sauce lined the plate in a very ornate and fancy way, but didn't really affect the taste too drastically. Fairly substantial in size, one could certainly share this delight with a significant other, however, I will warn you, it is good enough to incite hoarding. 

In addition to the cookie sandwich, we also got lucky in that on Tuesdays at Matchbox, they offer you a taste of their donut dessert as a thank you for your patronage. I found them to be quite tasty, but certainly no comparison to the cookie sandwich to my palate.  The donuts are part of the regular menu, so don't fret if you can't stop in on a Tuesday. All in all, Matchbox is a great place to grab a quality dessert.

1699 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 816-0369

Also:

Chinatown                             

713 H St. NW
Washington, DC  20001

(202) 289-4441 

521 8th St. SE

Washington, DC 20003

(202) 548-0369

Yelp (3.5/5)

Open Table (4/5)

metromix (4/5)

Washington Post

Gazette

Washington Business Journal

Dolcezza Bethesda

Josh


The smooth and succulent taste of gelato has long been a savory treat for Washingtonians on hot summer days.  It just seems more apropos and dare I say classier than a giant waffle cone filled with cookie dough.  Not to be missed is Dolcezza, located in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, and Bethesda. 

Emitting all the pomp and circumstance of a true Argentinian creamery, Dolcezza possesses the flair and talent needed to produce a fine dulche de leche.  The soft and cool caramel-infused treat must be savored while dreaming of long-lost days along the cobble stone streets of Buenos Aires.  A small cup is plenty to satiate a hearty sugar craving without the lingering effects like those of a bigger sundae or milkshake.  For this particular shop, on this particular day, DCDesserts awards its divine rating, and urges you to stop by and try it soon.


7111 Bethesda Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 215-9226 ‎

Google map & reviews

Yelp (4.5/5)

Washington Post (Reader 4/4)

Washingtonian

Washington Life

La Tasca Rockville: Tartita de Café and Arroz con Leche

Josh


Tartita de Café.  This is another chocolate mousse option, distinguished by its cappuccino highlights.  My most telling comment on this dessert lies with its presentation.  It has an unusual shape to say the least.  If your taste buds love coffee, perhaps this should be your choice.  Good. 

Arroz con Leche.  It had been many moons since I had a good rice pudding. This is it! I went after it hard and often. To me, rice pudding is always a good choice, and this was as well, it was especially satisfying in an apropos-themed restaurant.  Divine. 

 141 Gibbs Street #305

Rockville, MD 20850

(301) 279-7011

Google map

Open Table (3.8/5)

Washington Post (Reader: 2/4)

Yelp (2.5/5)

TripAdvisor (3/5)

La Tasca Rockville: Mousse de Chocolate, Apple Pie, Tres Leches Cake, & Churros con Chocolate

Josh


Mousse de Chocolate
Dark chocolate mousse over top of what proved to be a very good brownie. To my colleague Bill's dismay, this particular dish contains hazelnuts, a definite negative strike in his book, but this dessert was quite good, and I recommend it for brownie lovers.  Great. 

Back to the Basics Apple Pie 
Not something this particular restaurant does exceptionally well... Its a Spanish restaurant... don't order Apple Pie! Enough said!  Skip.

Tres Leches Cake
A sponge cake dipped in milk and covered in frosting... I like this dessert actually more than I thought.  Presents like a birthday cake, but has the sponge cake taste... Once again, not a typical order for someone like myself, but if sponge cake is your thing... Have at it!  Good.

Churros con Chocolate
Quite simply this one was awesome. I have always thought of Churros as being a Mexican dish, and for those who are unaware, it is in essence fried dough covered in cinnamon. This dish came along with a chocolate dipping sauce which was great.  I hit this dessert up very hard, and definitely took more than my allotted share!  Divine.

141 Gibbs Street #305

Rockville, MD 20850

(301) 279-7011

Google map

Open Table (3.8/5)

Washington Post (Reader: 2/4)

Yelp (2.5/5)

TripAdvisor (3/5)

Potbelly: Sugar Cookies

Josh


As much as I tried I was unable to pass up grabbing a sugar cookie for the road during my visit to Potbelly. An old friend of mine used to have his mom make us sugar cookies when we'd hang out at his house, and somehow, despite the fact that she always used store bought supplies, they were excellent. Her ability to maintain moisture and softness was "God given."

While these Potbelly sugar cookies lacked the warmth of fresh baked cookies, they still possessed the necessary moisture. Pre-packaged, I am not positive they are actually made by Potbelly, but I am assured they can be bought there on any given day. In addition to the sugar cookie option, they also had a few other choices that looked equally delectable. Grab one if you have a chance.


128 Boardwalk Place, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(301) 963-4055

Google Map & Reviews

Yelp (3.5/5)

Cuba Libre: Chocolate Torte

Bill


Cuba Libre's DC location was one of the recent openings that generated a lot of buzz.  It's a good sign when a restaurant posts a separate dessert menu online, and Cuba Libre's chocolate torte more than delivered on that promise.

The torte has a fabulous interplay of texture and flavor.  It combines a thin soufflé crust, softer inner soufflé, gooey dulce de leche, and a thick chocolate sauce.  Each of these elements is of the highest quality and could stand on its own.  This dessert is a masterpiece of both design and execution.  Count the chocolate torte among our favorites and give it our divine rating.

The pairing of the torte with blueberry compote is odd, but one can ignore it, so it doesn't detract from the dish.  Also note that this is not a traditional soufflé.  The chef intentionally allows the soufflé to sink.  

I'll warn you that not all of Cuba Libre's offerings are up to the torte's standard.  Check out Two DC's review of the restaurant as a whole.  I agree with their "Second Thoughts From B," except I would rate at least the small plates higher than Cheesecake Factory's non5essert offerings.  Check back here for a review of the rum cake.

801 9th St NW Washington, DC 20001
(202) 408-1600

Google Map

Washington Post (Editors' Pick; Readers 1.5/4)

Washingtonian

Washington Life 

Wonkette

Yelp (3/5)

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)

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