Langham, Chicago’s The Victoria
Photo Courtesy of Langham Hotels International Limited
We’re of the mind-set that you don’t need a special occasion or any particular reason to indulge in a fanciful treat, which is why we’re always on the hunt for inventive desserts to quell our perennial sweet tooth. Here are three such examples of deliciousness to try (and try again) around the country right now:
The Clusterphuck
On the 31st floor of the Five-Star Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto, you’ll find the new America Restaurant (it recently replaced Stock), which serves beautiful renditions of bold regional entrées such as pan-seared Great Lakes pickerel. There’s also a fair amount of innovation going on here with the sweets, too, as seen in The Clusterphuck, an original dessert made of a variety of chocolate barks chopped tableside with a guillotine. The barks are made in-house and range from white, milk and dark chocolates and are infused with flavors such as mint, raspberry, pistachio and coffee. The guillotine is fashioned as a wooden board with a metal slicer (à la a paper cutter) and is there for guests to chop samples at their will.
Sage, Photo Courtesy of Aria MGM Properties
Foie Gras Candy Bar
Leave it to a restaurant in Las Vegas to use one of the most decadent ingredients of haute cuisine in a chocolate candy bar. This rich, unusual confection includes salt and pepper peanut butter cream, bourbon caramel and milk chocolate, and is found at the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Sage, located inside the chic Four-Star ARIA Resort & Casino. Don’t think cocoa and foie gras belong together? The mastermind behind Sage begs to differ. Executive chef Richard Camarota insists chocolate can stand up to the savory elements. “We are able to control the sweet to salty ratio,” says Camarota. “Overall, it’s fun and gives guests something different.”
The Victoria
The Langham, Chicago’s new evening ice cream set-up, Parlour at the Pavilion, is decidedly adult. For starters, many of the desserts incorporate an alcohol component. More proof: The star of the sugary show is The Victoria, an over-the-top sundae that’s priced at $1,000. Before you balk at that figure, know that you’ll get a lot for the grand — the dish itself is made with Tahitian vanilla ice cream, Guittard’s complexite 70 percent chocolate ice cream, 24-karat gold leaf, caramelized golden peanuts, 24-karat gold dust, dark chocolate croquant, a handcrafted chocolate crown, Hennessy V.S.O.P, hot fudge, salted caramel, butterscotch, and whipped cream (whew!). All of this outrageousness is served in a Wedgwood crystal bowl you can take home, along with a bottle of 2003 Dom Pérignon.
