Confession time: This review isn't recent. In fact, I've been meaning to post it for about a year. But with school, work and life, this blog has (unfortunately) been moved to the back burner. If it wasn't for my friend Megan (my food adventure partner in crime) threatening to flick me for not updating, there probably wouldn't be an update. So thank her! (Thanks, Megan!)
Without further adieu: "(The Infamous) Spot Dessert Bar"
On November 13th 2011 (over a year ago!), Megan and I decided to have our very first "food adventure." This tradition of ours came about as a result of the facts that we live in NYC, arguably the food and restaurant capital of the world, and our mutual desire to broaden our culinary horizons. The problem: we're both college students (aka broke), so we don't get to do this as often as we would like. But hopefully, that'll change soon.
After a delightful dinner of Australian pot pies at the Tuck Shop, we wandered around the city looking for a place to get dessert. It wasn't long before we stumbled upon Spot Dessert Bar. Located in St. Mark's Place (with a new location in K-Town), "Spot" combines classic American and French desserts with Asian influences.
Not only do they sell hot and cold drinks, cookies, cupcakes, and French macarons (if I remember correctly, this was at the start of the macaron trend) in all kinds of flavors, but they also sell (get ready for this) dessert entrees!
I loved the presentation of the Thai Tea Creme Brulee! As you can see, it came with a shot of hot tea, an iron container of milk or cream, a tiny ceramic pitcher of sweetener, a wooden spoon, and a flourless wafer as a garnish. Although I realized that I'm not a fan of the flavor of thai tea, I really enjoyed the addition of the tea to the dessert. I thought it was a nice touch.
The smoked coconut cheesecake, however, was by far, my favorite entree. The cheesecake itself was flavorful, but the clever additions of a passion fruit foam, coconut gelato (with real shredded toasted coconut pieces inside), and a medley of chopped mango, toasted coconut, blueberry compote, and soft rose-flavored gelatin cubes, really made the dessert shine! I would definitely order this again, and I'm not one to order the same thing at a restaurant twice.
The next part of this meal is really what drew us to Spot Dessert Bar in the first place: the cupcakes.
In total, we tried 5 different flavors: chocolate green tea, white chocolate and banana, lemon poppyseed, vietnamese coffee, and bacon and date.
The bacon and date cupcake is the one that intrigued us the most, so we both ordered it and tried it first. It. was. ridiculous. Like all of the cupcakes, the bacon and date cupcake was moist (very important) and flavorful. There was an equal balance of sweetness from the dates and smoky goodness from the bacon pieces, both on top of the frosting and on the bottom of the cupcake (see above). While it was an interesting experience (and yes, very good) the flavor combination quickly became overwhelming. If you are so inclined, I recommend ordering it-- but to share.
The chocolate green tea cupcake was packed full of flavor, as was the white chocolate and banana (my favorite actually, a tie with the vietnamese coffee, which was strong). The white chocolate frosting was great on its own, but the star of that cupcake was the banana cake. It was perfectly comforting and reminiscent of homemade banana bread.
The vietnamese coffee, my other favorite cupcake, was satisfying, but in a different way. It had such a strong coffee flavor within the cake and the frosting that I was a bit worried that it would keep me awake that night. It wasn't cloying, either. It contained the right amount of sweetness. I would definitely get it again.
I was a bit disappointed with the lemon-poppyseed cupcake cupcake. I ordered it, because I used to love the supermarket brand mini cupcakes as a kid, however, the flavors are very different. Spot's was very light, with a lot of lemon (which, I guess, it how it should be), while I was expecting a denser cupcake and a light lemon flavor. It didn't ring true with my expectation, so I wasn't as big of a fan of it. That being said, if you like a strong lemon flavor, this cupcake would probably suit you very much.
Finally, the hazelnut-chocolate macaron was very sweet and full of that rich nutella-esque flavor. However, texturally, it was a tad too crispy for my taste and seemed a bit stale. It was my first experience with a macaron, so I was a little dismayed. However, I'm willing to chalk it up to the fact that it was almost evening, so they may not have been as fresh as when they were first made. I've had a few more since then with a great crispy-soft-chewy contrast, so I know now what to look out for when tasting a macaron.
Without further adieu: "(The Infamous) Spot Dessert Bar"
On November 13th 2011 (over a year ago!), Megan and I decided to have our very first "food adventure." This tradition of ours came about as a result of the facts that we live in NYC, arguably the food and restaurant capital of the world, and our mutual desire to broaden our culinary horizons. The problem: we're both college students (aka broke), so we don't get to do this as often as we would like. But hopefully, that'll change soon.
After a delightful dinner of Australian pot pies at the Tuck Shop, we wandered around the city looking for a place to get dessert. It wasn't long before we stumbled upon Spot Dessert Bar. Located in St. Mark's Place (with a new location in K-Town), "Spot" combines classic American and French desserts with Asian influences.
Not only do they sell hot and cold drinks, cookies, cupcakes, and French macarons (if I remember correctly, this was at the start of the macaron trend) in all kinds of flavors, but they also sell (get ready for this) dessert entrees!
 |
| Thai Tea Creme Brulee |
The actual dessert, however, was the real experience. The creme brulee shell was appropriately crispy and, once cracked, led to a wonderfully rich, warm custard underneath. Like I said, although I haven't yet acquired a liking for the flavor of Thai tea, I urge those of you that do enjoy it to try this dessert.
 |
| Smoked coconut cheesecake |
In total, we tried 5 different flavors: chocolate green tea, white chocolate and banana, lemon poppyseed, vietnamese coffee, and bacon and date.
The bacon and date cupcake is the one that intrigued us the most, so we both ordered it and tried it first. It. was. ridiculous. Like all of the cupcakes, the bacon and date cupcake was moist (very important) and flavorful. There was an equal balance of sweetness from the dates and smoky goodness from the bacon pieces, both on top of the frosting and on the bottom of the cupcake (see above). While it was an interesting experience (and yes, very good) the flavor combination quickly became overwhelming. If you are so inclined, I recommend ordering it-- but to share.
The chocolate green tea cupcake was packed full of flavor, as was the white chocolate and banana (
The vietnamese coffee, my other favorite cupcake, was satisfying, but in a different way. It had such a strong coffee flavor within the cake and the frosting that I was a bit worried that it would keep me awake that night. It wasn't cloying, either. It contained the right amount of sweetness. I would definitely get it again.
I was a bit disappointed with the lemon-poppyseed cupcake cupcake. I ordered it, because I used to love the supermarket brand mini cupcakes as a kid, however, the flavors are very different. Spot's was very light, with a lot of lemon (which, I guess, it how it should be), while I was expecting a denser cupcake and a light lemon flavor. It didn't ring true with my expectation, so I wasn't as big of a fan of it. That being said, if you like a strong lemon flavor, this cupcake would probably suit you very much.
Finally, the hazelnut-chocolate macaron was very sweet and full of that rich nutella-esque flavor. However, texturally, it was a tad too crispy for my taste and seemed a bit stale. It was my first experience with a macaron, so I was a little dismayed. However, I'm willing to chalk it up to the fact that it was almost evening, so they may not have been as fresh as when they were first made. I've had a few more since then with a great crispy-soft-chewy contrast, so I know now what to look out for when tasting a macaron.
All in all, I would revisit Spot Dessert Bar again (but only with friends-- share the calories)! There are plenty of options to choose from, and some delightfully unconventional flavor combinations.
Warning: It's usually packed, so prepare for a bit of a crowd. Oh, and don't do what we did, and order the whole menu at once. It's gluttonous and ridiculous. Trust me, you'll still be shaking your head at yourself over a year later. If possible, spare yourself the guilt and just spread out your visits. You'll thank me later.
Spot Dessert Bar
Rating: 1-5
Thai Tea Creme Brulee:
Presentation: 5
Flavor: 5
Technique: 5
Smoked Coconut Cheesecake:
Presentation: 5
Flavor: 5
Technique: 5
Chocolate-Hazelnut Macaron:
Flavor: 5
Technique: 3
Bacon and Date Cupcake:
Presentation: 4
Flavor: 5
Chocolate-Green Tea Cupcake:
Presentation: 3
Flavor: 4
Vietnamese Coffee Cupcake:
Presentation: 3
Flavor: 5
Lemon Poppyseed:
Presentation: 5
Flavor: 5
White Chocolate Banana Cupcake:
Presentation: 3
Flavor: 5
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