Chocolate bars: Ritz-Carlton redefines classic desserts

by Melanie Nayer on

Some things are just necessary for survival, and some of those things come dipped in chocolate. There’s something to be said for the local delicacies in foreign destinations, and as Scott mentioned earlier, the Gadling team would travel around the world for their some of their favorite food. Me? I’ll take chocolate.

While few things will ever top chocolate squares from Belgium, or tiramisu from Italy’s hidden cafes and best restaurants, we can’t always get to our favorite places for our favorite foods. But, if you look close enough in your own backyard, you might be able to taste some of your favorite comfort foods without needing your passport. Enter: The Ritz-Carlton’s decadent chocolate bar.

I’ve made myself comfortable on many a Friday night at Boston’s Ritz-Carlton dining room with a glass of red wine and a plate of goodies from the hotel’s chocolate bar, so when I heard the Ritz was redefining their dessert menu I immediately went into panic mode. I caught up with George McNeill, Ritz-Carlton’s corporate chef, to get a sense of what the new menu will feature. Seems the chefs have taken a new approach to dessert and put a bit of flair on some of their local favorites. From English bread butter pudding to an All-American strawberry shortcake, Ritz-Carlton is giving our classic desserts a bit of a culinary makeover.Why the change? What was the motivation for reinventing the menu?
This is part of our overall strategic direction of making the Ritz-Carlton a more approachable dining experience – our goal is to have a market driven restaurant in every one of our hotels. “Classic Desserts Redefined ” is another example addressing the needs of our evolving customer. The motivation was that as we navigated our way through the economic downturn in 2009, we saw a clear gravitation from our guests to a popularity of more comfort items on our menus. “Classics”, by definition, are items that have stood the test of time and appeal to guest as much today as they have for generations we challenged our pasty chefs to submit their best “classic” dessert recipes, of which were eventually whittled down to what we have today.

The Ritz-Carlton is known for indulgence and luxury – how do these new creations fit within the theme?
In this instance, luxury and indulgence relate to the quality of the ingredients and the flavor profile of the desserts, they are rich and flavorful which translates into a satisfying experience. I believe that we will see an increase in dessert sales and that our guests indulge themselves in desserts that that they may have passed up on due to the recognition factor, if only from childhood memories.

What is your favorite new ‘classic’ on the dessert list? What is the one item you’ll never remove?
My favorite is Bread and Butter Pudding. it is something I have not seen on a menu for a very long time, it congers up childhood memories of sitting at the dinning room table with all of my brothers and sisters for Sunday dinner, which was the only day we had dessert with dinner. What item will never leave the menu? That is difficult to say only time will tell and our guests will be the judges.

My personal suggestion? Enjoy some quality time with the chocolate fountain, then order up some bread pudding, a hot cup of espresso (or the martini version, if you choose) and enjoy yourself a fine dessert on a Friday night.

Celebrate National Dessert Month at 5 Fifty 5 in New Orleans

by Katie Hammel on

October is National Dessert Month! Okay, it’s actually National Pizza Month, National Pasta Month, National Pretzel Month and National Pork Month too, but I’m putting my weight behind this one. (Oh who am I kidding, I’m sure I’ll put my “weight” “behind” them all!)

To celebrate this all-important occasion, 5 Fifty 5, the restaurant in the New Orleans Marriott, is offering an incentive to those guests who want to “eat dessert first!” Those who rise to the challenge will receive 20% off their entire bill.

If you can’t quite bring yourself to follow a decadent chocolate cake with lobster macaroni and cheese, crab meat sliders, or a 20 ounce steak with truffle fries, you can still enjoy these delicious desserts after your entree. Special creations unveiled for the promotion include Oreo sandwiches with Creole cream cheese shooters, seven-layer chocolate cake with an Absinthe shake, and a strawberry napoleon with pecan crunch. Can’t decide on just one $5.55 dessert? Order all five for $25.

5 Fifty 5 has won two “Best in Show” awards at the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience, and makes all desserts (plus breads and pastries) in house. The Marriott hotel is located on Canal street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

If you can’t make it in for a dinner of dessert in October, don’t worry: at 5 Fifty 5, National Dessert Month will extend through November.

Free NYC Dessert Fest

by Brenda Yun on

Back in February, Annie mentioned a “recessional special” for a New York City dessert tour, and then in April, Jeremy broke down the cool dessert spots for New York City dwellers. It seems the Big Apple isn’t short on shopping its sweets, and there are plenty of sweets to be had in Manhattan even though summer is coming to a close.

If you’re looking for a cool activity to satisfy your sweet tooth, you’ll be happy to learn that the Free NYC Dessert Fest is still taking place each month. It is a free walking tour, centered solely on succulent desserts. Purchase of desserts are optional & additional.
This month will mark the tour’s 10th consecutive monthly tour of the city’s neighborhood sweet spots. The walk explores the Upper West Side, which has 5 delicious eateries where you can sample everything from cookies and cupcakes to hand-made French chocolates. Or if fruitier fare is more your palatable, mouth-watering apple tart or cheesecake might just satisfy that stomach of yours.

To help support the good work of Food Bank For New York City, a non-profit helping to feed the hungry, Walking Tours Manhattan asks for a $5.00 donation per person. 100% of all donations go to charity. Since December 2008 tour donations have helped feed 39 New Yorkers for a month.

Meet our tour guide with the red ball cap saying Walking Tours Manhattan on Sunday August 23, 2009 at 11:00am at Magnolia Bakery, 200 Columbus Avenue at 69th Street. The dessert tour lasts 1.5 hours, and expect to walk a little over 1 mile.

For additional neighborhood dessert tours, visit http://walkingtoursmanhattan.com

Get desserted in New York

by Annie Scott on

No it’s not a typo. Walking Tours Manhattan has dessert-themed walking tours. They guide you around, feed you, and walk you. It’s like you’re their dog — their sweet-toothed dog.

It’s called their Recessional Special: Free NYC Dessert Fest. And it is indeed free! They request a $1 donation or whatever you feel is appropriate, and the purchase of any desserts is additional, but all you have to do to participate is show up.

The next Free NYC Dessert Fest tour will be on Sunday, March 1st in Harlem.

Meet our tour guide with the red ball cap saying Walking Tours Manhattan on Sunday March 1, 2009 at 11:30am at Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. and Frederick Douglass Blvd. Then we?ll visit Sylvia’s Soul Food Restaurant, Lee Lee’s, and our last stop will be Make My Cake. Tour lasts 2 hours. Walking distance is 1 mile.

This is a great way to trek (safely) through historic Harlem and get sweetened up along the way! For more information, visit Walking Tours Manhattan. Their regular walking tours are just $25.

When in Canada, try the Nanaimo bar

by Martha Edwards on

Something occurred to me the other day when I was visiting with friends who had just moved here from the states: When someone from another country visits my family and I in Canada, our first step isn’t to take them to the local sites or order them a double double or sit them down with the a copy of Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw. No, the first thing we do is hand them a plate … of freshly baked Nanaimo Bars. Nana-what, you ask?

Nanaimo Bars are a sweet treat that originated in Nanaimo, a gorgeous city on the west coast of Canada on Vancouver Island. According to folklore, they got their start as a pick-me-up; they were baked with love and sent to weary miners from family members as a way to brighten their day. Now, hundreds of years later, these three-layer treats are still brightening days across the country–maybe even across North America–but especially here in the west.

I don’t know how to describe them except for this: It’s a fudge brownie topped off with white creamy custardy icing topped off with a layer of thick chocolate. They’re a little rich, but divinely delicious. You can make them yourself, but I recommend trying them on a visit up north (or down south for you Alaskans.)