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

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)