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)

La Tasca: Flan de Huevo

Josh

La Tasca is an international chain of Spanish tapas restaurants with four locations in the DC area.  On a recent Saturday, I went to the Rockville branch with a number of friends, which enabled us to accrue a large amount of dishes from the tasting menus.  Food seemingly came out in droves over the course of the evening.  There were several very good meat options, as well as a great calamari dish, however, basic faire is not why anyone is reading this particular blog, so I digress. 

At the time, the tastings came a dessert option, in which every ten dollars spent yielded a free dessert.  This allowed our big group to sample a lot of different options.  In fact, we chose with DCDesserts in mind, and grabbed everything possible.  This is the first of eight reviews of La Tasca’s desserts.

The flan de heuvo is a vanilla-bean flan with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.  Obviously, if there were one dessert that a Spanish restaurant does well, it would be this one.  However, my novice palate in terms of Spanish-style desserts, especially flan, hinders my ability to give an accurate account of this particular dish.  It’s not typically something I order, but a co-patron at my table, an avid flan consumer, said he was very impressed. Hopefully that helps!

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)

Black Market Bistro: Apple Crisp

Josh

A quaint little restaurant in the heart of surburbia, BMB is a great spot to grab a bite after a long work day.  A great meal was followed by what I believe to be an American traditional dessert:  apple crisp. 

F.Y.I. to future consumers, be leery of the serving bowl, as it was so hot I think my future children will be born with swollen tongues!  Nevertheless, the crunchiness of the crisp, and the cool ice cream topping made for a nice palate savior after the initial scalding.  The apples themselves lacked a little kick, potentially due to the season, but the texture was strong, and it didn't taste watered down or overcooked. 

All told, the ambiance of this particular restaurant is what makes it truly worth the trip, and the menu is highlighted by food that you would want to eat.  The barbeque shrimp as well as the hanger steak are two fantastic choices, not to be missed. The dessert menu also holds some interesting possibilities that I was unable to try on this particular visit. I am hopeful to get back there in the near future.


4600 Waverly Avenue
Garrett Park, MD 20896
(301) 933-3000 

Google map & reviews (4/5)

Washingtonian (Best Restaurants 2010 #57; 2/4)

Washington Post (Critic 2/4; Readers 1.5/4)

Washington Examiner

Yelp (4.5/5) 

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)

General Endorsement: Maryland Renaisance Festival

Josh


Realizing how incredibly juvenile my inaugural review sounds, I have vowed to up the linguistic styling of my writing in order to not offend the pastry chefs who slave over their craft in an effort to appease the subtleties of the everyman (woman's) pallate... Thus, I begin this review of one of the most cuturallly advanced, locally significant, and luxuriously elegant establishments in all of greater Maryland and District of Columbia... namely the Maryland Renaissance Festival! 

This collossus of food is to be met with only the most ambitious of intentions... Running throughout the weekends, from late August through October, there is very few delicacies from both the old world and modern faire that "shan't be found!"

If your heart is not content with the steak on a stick, cookies in a cup, meatball sandwiches, turkey legs, fried bread, chicken dippers, fried cheese, gyros, chili poppers, meat pies, corn on the cob, quesadilas, barbeque ribs, or pulled turkey sandwiches, there's always peach cobbler, belgium waffles, root beer floats, custard, and Baltimore's own snowballs, to satisfy the sweeter cravings.

In my humble opinion, it is quite possibly the most amazing array of food options found this side of a good old fashioned midwestern fair. While you should not expect a Kobe beef-esque cut of meat when you do order your steak on a stick, and or fresh fruit flown in from California sprinkled over your fried dough, the lack of extravagance is quite refreshing when you are surrounded by fans from all over dressed in their best middle aged attire.  My own visit began with a stop at one of the many steak on a stick huts along the very scenic path deep into the woods in which the Fair resides...

Driving up to the fair was actually quite amazing as all of a sudden along the side of a modest country road,  thousands of cars are parked amongst a giant open field, bordering what from a distance appeared to be just an everyday sect of trees. As you begin to follow the crowd from your parking spot, you can hear the excitement going on just past the tree line, and after you pay your very modest entry fee you are exposed to a culinary explosion of "feel good" food and entertainment that brightens even the most mundane of work days.  While the time has come and gone this year to stop by, definitely check it out next year if you can!

Potbelly: Oreo Milkshake

Josh


Potbelly makes an assortment of milkshakes and smoothies that can be just what a sweets lover might need as a mid-day snack. Consequently, that was my focus when I stopped in at their Gaithersberg location the other day.

The Oreo shake was quite good and well made. A solid thickness quotient helped to satisfy the most important aspect of any milkshake, not to mention the solid ingredients and large availability of Oreo chunks. While simplistic in nature, the ratio of good ingredients to great taste is essential. On this given day, Potbelly was quite successful, in making a solid and well proportioned shake.  It deserves our great rating. 

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

Google Map & Reviews

Yelp (3.5/5)

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)