This is an adult version of the root beer float consisting of vanilla custard ice cream in a pint of Guinness, that dark creamy beer from Ireland. The float arrived with the ice cream in the bottom of the glass, but as I was photographing it, the spoon started to wiggle and the ice cream floated to the top. The ice cream to Guinness ratio was perfect, and the contrast of the sweet ice cream with the bitter beer was amazing. These could become addictive.
Location: O'Caine's Irish Pub, 36101 Bob Hope Drive, Bldg F, Rancho Mirage, California. Date: October 5, 2022.
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This seasonal pastry consisted of a torched meringue witches hat set on a crispy chocolate shell with a creamy pumpkin filling. The meringue had a soft chewy texture that was quite delightful, and the pastry wasn't too sweet. The pumpkin flavor came through nicely, and with a cup of strong coffee, this was a fitting post Halloween breakfast. Meringue, by the way, is whipped sweetened egg white stabilized with cream of tartar. It's completely white unless you torch it to get some color.
Location: Black Market Bakery, 4686 30th Street, San Diego, California. Date: November 1, 2022. This was moist olive oil cake infused with Grand Marnier and served with blueberry compote and whipped cream on the side garnished with a sprig of fresh mint. I could taste both the olive oil and the orange liqueur in the cake, and the compote added a nice tang. The whipped cream made this dessert even more moist and luscious. When I took all the components in one bite, it was ridiculously good. I was told that the Croatian owner's wife bakes the olive oil cake herself, and I have to say that this was one of the best desserts I've had in a restaurant.
Location: Miro's, 1555 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California. Date: February 25, 2022. My sister and I arrived at Haus of Pizza only to find it closed. We had come for the Russian menu which is served the first week of each month, but as we turned away in disappointment, the Ukranian owner suddenly opened the door and said she would open early just for us. When we were seated at an outdoor table, she declared that she had just finished making borscht, which was amazing as that is exactly what I'd had in mind to order. When we asked if we should have it hot or cold, she said we should have it hot because it was so fresh. The soup was shredded cabbage and beets with a few pieces of well-cooked potato per bowl. Each bowl was garnished with chopped green onion and dill, and sour cream was served on the side. The soup was mildly sour with a hint of sweet, and there was still a little crunch from the cabbage. This was one of those dishes that was more delicious than I can describe. Both my sister and I agreed that this was the best borscht either of us had ever had.
When I ordered a beer, the owner excitedly told us that she now had Ukranian beer. We ordered a bottle each of Avtorske, an amber lager beer. It was on the stronger side, at 7% alcohol, and it was rich as well as a touch sweet and a touch bitter. It was very good. For dessert I had Syrniki. This dish consisted of two farmer's cheese pancakes along with sour cherry compote and sour cream. The pancakes were actually just firm but creamy thick fresh cheese patties that had been pan fried to form a crust on the outside. The dish was not at all sweet except for the sour cherry compote. You could actually have this as a main dish. Since I'm not much into sweet, and definitely not into over sweet, this was my kind of dessert. I will definitely have it again. Location: Haus of Pizza, 72-795 Highway 111, Palm Desert, California. Date: February 5, 2022. I had breakfast in the Hiram S. Stevens House, built in 1865, which is a rambling house in the Old Town of Tucson. It's now a café that doubles as a bar, brunch restaurant, and art gallery. It's certainly a noteworthy place! I ordered a Romano, which is espresso with a piece of lemon peel, and a slice of Blueberry and Sour Cream Pie. The Romano was really good espresso with the lemon peel adding extra zing. In the pie, which was not too sweet, I could taste both the blueberry and the sour cream. The whipped cream garnish was itself garnished with fresh blueberries, and the pastry had a streusel topping.
Location: Café a la C'art, 150 N Main Avenue, Tucson, Arizona. Date: August 27, 2021. Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made of cream, sugar, and gelatin put into some kind of mold to create its shape. It can be flavored with almost anything; in my case, it was flavored with mango and had a pineapple topping. It sat on a butter cookie. It was fruity, creamy, exotic, and not too sweet. It went perfectly with an unsweetened double espresso (the espresso being very good here). While I'm not a huge dessert fan, I do always seem to find interesting ones.
Location: Figaro Dessert Cafe, 3011 University Avenue, San Diego, California. Date: July 22, 2021. This pie consists of Coachella lime juice custard and house-made graham cracker crust. When I asked the bartender to recommend a cocktail to go with my dessert, she suggested white wine instead, so I decided on prosecco. The Riondo prosecco wasn't very bubbly, but it had a hint of lime flavor that paired well with the pie. The firm custard could have been more tart for my taste, but the strawberry and raspberry garnish added some, and actually the tartness built as I ate, leaving my mouth in a happy place when I'd finished. What a beautiful dessert from a local desert ingredient!
Location: Eight4Nine, 849 N Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California. Date: July 3, 2021. This licorice flavored biscotti is made here in the desert by an Italian who has long ties to Italy; he claims that his family recipe dates from 1592 in Calabria. This biscotti has a crunchy exterior, but it's softer inside than those made commercially today. The owner told me that the biscotti are best dipped into the Italian dessert wine known as vin santo, but since he doesn't sell that wine by the glass, he let me know that dipping it into a red wine was the next best thing. I ordered two biscotti and he poured me a glass of Italian merlot for dipping. I enjoyed my dessert outdoors under the olive tree. The biscotti has some crunch and flavor from slivered almonds, an intense rich anise flavor, and it's not very sweet, which is one of the things I really like about it. When dipped into red wine, it takes on some acidity that really makes it shine.
Location: Frankie's Italian Bakery, 68-845 Perez Road, H30, Cathedral City, California. Date: June 12, 2021. I have no idea if the Basques would claim this tart as theirs or not, but it was part of a noteworthy outdoor breakfast. The tart is lemon, almond, and berries, and it was garnished with three fresh raspberries. This tart is quite tart from the lemon which tempers the sweetness. The pastry was dense and chewy, and I could taste the almond. I enjoyed this tart with a good cappuccino; they use two shots of espresso at this bakery so I don't have to order an extra shot when I'm here.
Location: Black Market Bakery, 4686 30th Street, San Diego, California. Date: May 31, 2021. This is a German pastry with a lot of stiff whipped cream sweetened with honey, and honey is also present in the slivered almond topping. The version I had at this German deli was one of the best I've had because I detected lemon flavor in the two thin cake slices and because it wasn't too sweet. This cake is creamy and dreamy, and it was one of my late father's favorites. The almond topping lends some crunch to the creaminess as well as some nutty flavor which enhances the honey. While it won't sting you, we must thank the bees (and the cows) for this one.
Location: George's Market, 1023 Calimesa Blvd., Calimesa, California. Date: April 29, 2021. |
AuthorChef Roland has been a legal resident of seven countries and has travelled in over thirty, documenting food along the way. He currently resides in the desert in Southern California. Categories
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