Restaurant Review: Spot Dessert Bar

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!

Thai Tea Creme Brulee

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 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

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.

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

Restaurant Review: Toast

Now that I've had my first DSLR for a few months, I've had the opportunity to shoot new recipes, ingredients, and food products. While I am stubbornly trying to use manual settings only, I also have to admit that the photo quality isn't that good. That said, I'm still learning, and if I waited until my photos were perfect before drafting a post, I wouldn't be able to share about one of the best meals I've had in months. Without further ado, here is my review of Toast.

(photo credit: user Kent P. via Yelp)

I actually went to Toast for the first time on the same day that I got my camera. Since I go to school in Harlem and my friend (the Seller) lives in the area, he suggested meeting up after work. It was the end of a long day and we were both famished, so he suggested meeting at a restaurant in the area called Toast. 

Located off 125th street and Broadway, Toast seemed like an interesting place to visit. When we entered under the funky food-themed sign into the restaurant, the first thing I noticed was the happy buzzing of the locals watching TV, admiring the artwork, and catching up with one another over drinks. The second that struck me (which, as a born and raised New Yorker, I don't always notice) was how diverse everyone was: the host who sat us had a thick vaguely Slavic accent that I couldn't quite place; when the kitchen doors swung open, I could faintly hear the cooks calling out to each other in Spanish, and the customers seemed to be demographically mixed. In one corner was a bald, regal-looking Black woman holding court, at the bar were a few Midwestern hipsters and a couple of suits from Midtown, and then you had us: two young Latino college kids.

Would our paths have crossed otherwise? I asked myself. Apart from being on the same train car, perhaps? But probably not. In any case, I took a second to appreciate that all of us were convened in a tiny Harlem restaurant for one simple thing: tasty food.

Once we were seated, I quickly scanned Yelp for recommendations, the majority of which lauded its brunch options. I, being a breakfast girl, was rather tempted until something else caught my eye: a stuffed lamb burger and fries. My stomach immediately growled. 

After we ordered our food, I asked my friend his impressions of the place. He replied that he used to come here more often, but for the appetizer more than the meals. He considered the food "decent," I think to temper my expectations in case I didn't end up liking what I ordered. By the time our food came, we were both hungry and ready to eat. I was pleasantly surprised with myself, considering that I had ordered something a bit out of the ordinary: a medium-well, feta stuffed lamb burger on a brioche bun with tzatziki sauce on the side and fries. I generally liked all of those things, except that I'm not a huge fan of feta in large amounts and find brioche buns boring and often ill-suited to the juiciness of a good burger, so I hoped that I didn't order the wrong thing. 

Pictured: Toast's stuffed lamb burger and fries.

 

As you can see from the pictures, I didn't remember to take pictures until after I started eating, nor did I even take the time to fiddle with my settings beforehand. But I can assure you, it was amazing. Juicy, well-seasoned, and filling, this lamb burger was the easily the highlight of my week. The tzatziki, offered on the side, was a cool and garlicky addition that definitely took the burger up a notch. 

I was definitely pleased with my order-- so much so, that I barely paid attention to the fries (a first for me). They were good, too, hot and thick-cut, which I prefer, but I enjoyed the burger so much that I honestly could have passed on them or ordered a salad instead. 

In the interest of experiencing great food, we decided to share; and my friend immediately expressed regret that he didn't order the same thing, despite liking his meal. I, on the other hand, loved his chicken penne pasta. It was simple and creamy, chock full of sun-dried tomato pesto, and finished with fresh parmesan and black pepper, I could have easily eaten an entire pot if it were offered to me. It was comfort in a bowl.

At the end of the evening, we were both pretty impressed with Toast. Great food, inexpensive prices, and a relaxed atmosphere make this place a new favorite in my book and one of Harlem's underrated gems. I definitely recommend it and look forward to going back next time I'm in the area.