DBGB Kitchen and Bar
299 Bowery
New York, NY 10003
(212) 933-5300
www.danielnyc.com
For a going away dinner, my husband took me to DBGB down on Bowery and E 3rd. I had heard they had amazing food, but when I looked at the dessert menu online, I knew this is where I wanted to have my last meal! (I left today for the Young Frankenstein National Tour) Well, it did not disappoint and in fact went above my expectations! I was overwhelmed when not one, not two, but SIX desserts came out of the kitchen for me to review!!! What a way to end a meal! Dessert Heaven! I surveyed my territory, took hold of my small, but mighty dessert spoon, and dug in. One small bite for me, one giant leap for dessert mankind!
Souffle Chaud- A Souffle is a very famous French dessert. Since we were at Daniel Boulud’s restaurant and the Executive Pastry Chef is French, it is no surprise that one is on the menu. Souffles are baked to order and can come in a variety of flavors. When you see a souffle it is hard not to “OOH and AHH!” because they are so beautiful, puffed high above their dish and dusted with powered sugar. It is like a work of art. As instructed we popped a hole in the top of the souffle and poured the side of creme anglaise inside. FANTASTIC! Watching the sauce coat the cloud like souffle was utter enjoyment. The result was a light, fluffy souffle that coated with creme anglaise, melted in my mouth and warmed my soul. The crackled top added nice texture against the velvety souffle. There was also a touch of lemon which was a nice, refreshing surprise.
Tarte Au Figues- This fig tart was delicious and tasted like a cream filled fig newton! It had a buttery thin graham cracker crust that nicely held the tart together. The middle was a marscapone cheese filling that was light and fluffy like a whipped cheesecake. The layer of figs on top were sweet and chewy combining well with the cheese. On the side was a small scoop of ginger port wine ice cream that I have to say was a little overpowering. I found that when I took a bite of the ice cream and the tart, I could not taste anything but ginger. It was overwhelming. I much preferred having multiple bites of the tart and then a small bite of ice cream to cleanse my palate. This way I was able to enjoy the fall flavors of figs and cheese and then afterward, ginger.
Gateu Rousse Au Framboise- When I asked our waiter about the desserts, he insisted on the Gatau. Homemade pistachio cake with a layer of pistachio mouse and homemade raspberry jam. I LOVE pistachios and it is quickly becoming a favorite flavor of mine. The pistachio mousse was AMAZING! It was a beautiful green color and tasted like you were eating a handful of pistachios. Then you have the raspberry jam which popped out against the nutty flavor. It was the sweet and salty thing that keeps you coming back for more! The cake on either side of the mousse was light, but dense and held up nicely to the mousse. This mouse with fresh raspberries and jam was SO GOOD that I could have taken a dish of it all on its own. That’s right, a bowl of mousse! What could be better?
Pear Ice Cream Sandwich- This was the most creative and unique ice cream sandwich I have ever had. Shortbread cookies, lemon ice cream, pear sorbet, pear compote, and topped off with a caramel pear liquor sauce!!! Did you get all of that?! With pears currently in season, I knew this ice cream sandwich would be delicious. The shortbread was perfect! Buttery, flakey, soft, yet able to act as the “bread” to all this “meat” inside. The tart lemon ice cream was so refreshing against the sweet pear sorbet. Then the compote of juicy, fresh diced pears were wonderful for added texture. With the thick caramel pear liquor sauce this dessert went from refreshing to SATISFYING!!! The caramel brought all the flavors together and locked them in with its sweetness. The pear liquor was just enough to make you remember that this ice cream sandwich not just unique but sophisticated!
Can you believe we are still eating?!?!?!
Coffee Mocha Sundae- Are you ready for this? (Oh and by the way, everything here is homemade) Chocolate sorbet, coffee mocha ice cream, chocolate brownies, chocolate cookies, candied pecans, whip cream, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. The sorbet was very rich, perfect flavor and because sorbet is icey, it helped to keep this chocolate mountain light and achievable! It’s a fantastic idea to use sorbet in a sundae so that you can keep it light. The intense, fudgy brownie bites were were so chewy against the airy, crunchy chocolate cookies. Then you add the sweet/salty candied pecans for more crunch and texture! The overall coffee flavor was perfect, not overwhelming like some mocha desserts. It married the coffee and chocolate flavors perfectly! My FAVORITE bite was a little bit of sorbet, with a brownie chunk, a bit of cookie, whip cream and chocolate sauce. The sorbet against the dense chocolate brownie was amazing because as it melted you still had this rich brownie to chew in your mouth! OUT OF THIS WORLD!
Golden Plum Pistachio Sundae- This was probably the most creative sundae flavor combination I have ever had. And BRAVO to the Chef, because it all combined so well and kept me coming back for more. Golden Plum-Pistachio ice cream, lemon sorbet, plum compote, marshmallows, vanilla cookies, whip cream and caramel sauce! Again the use of sorbets in sundaes is brilliant here! Whether you had a bite of sorbet with compote, sweet and tart! Or ice cream and marshmallow, sweet and nutty! It was fantastic. I was expecting marshmallow sauce, but to get actual marshmallows was magnificent! It added a chewy texture and you could really taste the sugar against the nutty pistachio ice cream. I loved the plum compote too! I hardly ever have plum anything, so this was a treat! (No pun intended) It was a key ingredient adding a delightful syrup-like sweetness, which was really yummy with the homemade vanilla cookies.
And that’s all folks! Six desserts later, we were very full, but were proud of our achievements! DBGB is a DLDR! (that was Dessert Lovers Dream Restaurant) xoxoBlondie
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