Donuts, Pizza, Bread Pudding OH MY!

Another week of school completed. Time to catch up on blogging!

Zeppoli. "Soft, traditional Italian doughnuts dusted with powdered sugar, served with chocolate sauce for dipping." You can find these funnel cake like treats at your local Olive Garden. (I don't feel that it is necessary to post the link to Olive Garden). Now, because it has been 5 weeks since I have eaten these due to extenuating circumstances aka school, my memory might be a little fuzzy. They weren't particularly spectacular. They were similar to a funnel cake, but no comparison. If it weren't for the chocolate dipping sauce, which was the consistency of Hershey's syrup, they would have been rather bland hollow pieces (because chocolate makes everything better) of dough sprinkled with a little powdered sugar, which didn't really help enhance the flavor at all. What I do remember is going to Olive Garden with my two roommates and one of their fiances and specifically telling them not to let me eat all of the donuts. I believe there were eight of them total. But then of course, when the plate came out I only gave them one to try, knowing darn well that I wouldn't be able to sit there with the remaining seven and not eat them. It's like the whole saying one thing doing another. I tell them I don't want to eat them all and not to let me, but I secretly want to eat them all and plan on doing just that. Sigh. I've pretty much come to realize that one day I will have diabetes. I actually have been trying to cut back on my sugar. In fact, I didn't eat dessert Monday or Tuesday.....And then ate frozen yogurt, cheesecake, and chocolate cake on Wednesday...But that's another story in itself. Moving on.


Pizza. I work for a personal chef, Diane Lestina, who teaches cooking classes in the Bryan/College Station area. She is amazing. www.chefdiane.com. She also has a pizza oven in her backyard. I recently washed dishes at a wine and cheese party for her, and she so graciously made me some homemade pizza afterwards (yes homemade dough and everything). The first pizza was a simple tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella cheese. Now, I probably shouldn't be blogging about this, only because unless you have a pizza oven as well, you most definitely will not be able to recreate the flavors. The crust is perfect, not too thick, not too thin, not too soft, not too crispy. The fresh tomato flavor paired with the partially melted cheese creates not only a visual masterpiece but a fresh taste that will simply melt in your mouth. And because Diane takes such good care of me and knows how much I love dessert, she made a s'more pizza with Hershey's chocolate and marshmallows and a chocolate pizza drizzled with olive oil and salt. Now, I have been to Max Brenner's in NYC and had their s'more pizza, and it did not compare to the one from Diane's. It probably has something to do with the homemade crust. The simplicity of the two classic s'more ingredients incorporated with the crust bring the s'more to a whole new level. Olive oil and salt, okay. But chocolate? Yes, chocolate. Like I said before, chocolate makes everything better. (And by the way, she used a higher quality of chocolate for this pizza). The richness of the oils melted into the richness of the chocolate into this exquisite ooey gooey combination of bliss. There are simply some situations where opposites do attract.

Bread pudding is essentially bread soaked in eggs, syrup, and some various other ingredients. It is then baked and served with some sort of sweet sauce. The particular bread pudding that I had was served with a hot cognac sauce. First off, I have to give full credit to my manager Michelle Payne. She told me about Chef Point Cafe, which is a restaurant connected to a gas station in Fort Worth. www.chefpointcafe.org. It was also featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. One of the featured dishes on the show was the bread pudding. Since I have yet to eat at Chef Point, my manager so kindly brought me back some of the acclaimed bread pudding. Now, I obviously didn't get to have the bread pudding fresh, but reheating it in the microwave hit a home run for me. It was moist but not runny as a bread pudding should be, and had the perfect balance of sweetness. It tasted of a moist thick version of french toast. Breakfast and dessert...what could be better?

Burgers and Cheesecake

Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame bun. Sound good? What about one beef pattie, over easy egg, bacon, mac and cheese, jalapenos on a non-sesame seed bun? Okay, so it doesn't have the same ring to it, but you can only imagine how good it tastes. Or you could try it yourself....

Lankford Grocery & Market on Dennis Street in downtown-ish Houston. There is no website but you can google it easily. You can all thank Food Network's Guy Fieri (yes the guy with the platinum spiked hair) for the discovery of this dive in the middle of a random neighborhood in Houston. I have passed over this restaurant listing in my Zagat book numerous times due to the name. When you hear the word grocery what first comes to mind? A grocery store of course. The thought of eating at a grocery store isn't nearly as appealing as the reality of this fun and casual place. To get to Lankford you drive down back roads through random neighborhoods, and it's literally right next to residential homes. It looks like this little run down house sort of with picnic tables outside. You seat yourself (if there is room) and wait to be served. Your drinks come in plastic cups that you would give to children, and I believe they are only open for lunch. Their menu is pretty basic with burgers and fry sorts until you get to the "grim burger." How can you help but wonder what a burger with jalapenos, mac and cheese, bacon, and egg tastes like? I mean even if you don't like everything on it, it's so unique you can't help but wonder....And that's exactly what happened to me. Jalapenos. No thanks! Bacon....can be sometimes be overbearing... But what the heck! It's just like that saying goes: if you're going to eat a burger and fries might as well load it up! Or maybe that's just the justification process inside my head....

Okay, so first of all, the burger is ginormous (for this purpose, ginormous is a word). I spent a full five minutes strategically planning the best way to fit a bite in my mouth, and it took me a full four bites before I even got a bite of egg. The burger falls apart as you eat it, and it's one of those where you end up losing the pattie, so be warned. I meant to request a fork and knife and just mix it up into a burger mess salad, but for some reason never got around to it. I definitely recommend asking though. So I decided my first bite should include everything. You can't be a food critic without trying it all. The flavor was definitely there, but the jalapenos provided a little too much kick for me, BUT if you like jalapenos feel free to leave them alone. I took them off after the first bite. The bacon was also a little overbearing and masked the flavors of everything else, so I left some on but took a lot off. Again, if you are a bacon lover, leave it on! The macaroni and cheese tasted of creamy goodness, and mixed with the egg flavor was perfection in a bite. The thing should be called brunch in a burger. You get your eggs, your bacon, and your meat. What could be better than that? Needless to say I did not finish the burger, but I did take it home and actually just reheated it so that I could have another bite to better capture the flavors. I used a fork this time, and I must say it reheats almost better than when it first came out. I tried a bite without the bun and jalapenos, and there are simply no words to describe the taste. The contrast of the smokiness from the bacon and the grill taste of the burger with the creamy flavor and texture of the egg and mac and cheese is pure genius. Warning: may cause indigestion. Oh, and they only take cash, but this hidden gem and magical burger are worth a try.


Cheesecake+Pralines=Divine. I'm glad that I am a senior in college and my education in math has provided to be useful. Only kidding. But in all seriousness, divine doesn't even capture the truth. Ciao Bello is where you can find this delectable piece of art. http://ciaobellohouston.com/
The restaurant has only been open for about two weeks and was formed by the owner of the expensive eatery Tony's in Houston where you can find a kobe beef steak for $125 (it's safe to assume that I have tried this-I know I know out of control..I'm working on it). Anyways, Brian went to eat there the other day for lunch and told me that I would love this cheesecake, and of course I did. I can't vouch for the food here because I haven't tried it. However, you can be just like me and call in a to go order for one slice of praline cheesecake at 8:30 PM on a Saturday night, and then when you go to pick it up simply wait by the bar wearing a t-shirt and uncombed hair while the many people in the loud trendy restaurant stare at you and wonder why you're standing there looking like you are waiting for a piece of cheesecake. Is anyone else sensing another Bridget Jones moment? Whatever. When a girl wants dessert then a girl wants dessert! Or maybe that only applies to me...

Okay, so has anyone ever seen the praline cookies that are sometimes sold at the counter of Mexican restaurants and are always sold in a basket at Walgreens. Does anyone even know what a praline is? It is essentially a cookie sized candy made of brown sugar, butter, and pecans. Aka amazingness. Okay, so if you're skeptical about a praline just walk in to any Walgreens, and there will be a basket sitting on one of the counters with a basket of them. They are like a $1, and if you don't feel like spending a $1 on one, I will give you a $1 to take a bite of it and throw it away if you don't like it, only because I know that won't happen, and that in all actuality, I will eat it if you don't like it. So the cheesecake was your basic cheesecake and was covered by a praline mixture. Actually, basic was a bad word. The cheesecake looked basic but it was anything but. It wasn't as dense as most cheesecakes are but had more of the consistency of a white cake, and tasted of a creamier version of white cake. Sometimes cheesecake can get so rich that one bite will do you in, but this particular cheesecake had the perfect balance. The praline mixture on top tasted exactly like a praline cookie. The smokiness of the pecans worked in complete harmony with the sweetness of the sugary taste and the smoothness of the cheesecake. And I'm not just saying this because I'm "that girl" that will eat anything that even remotely resembles chocolate and could think that dirt tastes good if it was sprinkled with sugar. Brian, one of the pickiest eaters I know, was the one that recommended it to me.

So followers...that pretty much sums up a day in the life of yours truly. I've got lots of food blogging to catch up on, but until next time..

Whoop!

Hello everyone. I have returned from falling off the face of the Earth. There is this thing called school that seems to have taken over my life, and apparently all teachers seem to think that my life consists solely of attending their class and studying for their class. Little do they know that I have regular eating and blogging to attend to.

So last night I received my Fightin Texas Aggie Ring! WHOOP! For those of you non Aggies the Aggie Ring is received after completing 95 credit hours and is the most recognized symbol and tradition of being an Aggie. Aggies worldwide wear their Aggie rings. Friends and family come in town for the event and then people proceed to dunk their rings in a pitcher of beer. Yes, that is a full 4.5 beers. You put your ring at the bottom of the pitcher and then chug as fast as possible. Don't ask how we got the tradition.

My mom took Brian and I to a well known restaurant in College Station called Christopher's World Grille. Most people say it's overrated but it's the most well known fine dining restaurant in College Station, so I decided to celebrate there. Although, I have to agree, the food is good, but not spectacular, especially for the price tag. The desserts, however, are to die for. We will get to those later.

Our appetizer was a guatamalan pork tamal: a banana leaf wrapped, tender pork with chile, garlic and lime in a cracked rice masa with mole sauce and beer shooter. Masa is Spanish for dough and is sometimes used for tortillas and tamales. The pork was the sort of fall of the bone tenderness that you come across when it is cooked very well. The flavor combination of the sweet mole sauce, the kick of the cilantro, and the smooth "corniness" (corny, I know) of the masa was delectable. The dish also came with a shot of Shiner beer. My mom had the idea that I should do a miniature ring dunk. I'm waiting until I turn twenty one to officially dunk my ring, so I figured why not. It would be a fun festivity to celebrate getting my ring. Now, I have never tried a soda in my life, so carbonation isn't exactly my cup of tea. I dropped my ring in the shot glass and proceeded to take the shot only to feel this burning fizzing sensation on my tongue. I immediately stopped taking the shot and could not even force myself to finish what was in my mouth. Brian had to take the shot himself in order for us to get my ring out of the shot glass, and so that I could spit what was in my mouth back in the shot glass. It was not a pleasant experience. Very good manners too...

You can just see the excitement in my face.

At the end of dinner when the waiter brought out the dessert tray, I couldn't for the life of me decide which dessert to get. Who would have thought? So I picked my top 3 choices.

Polenta almond cake with fennel ice cream. When they presented this dessert, I was ecstatic. I had just been watching Iron Chef the day before, and the secret ingredient was fennel. I sat there the whole time watching the show dying to know what all the dishes tasted like, and I even remember saying that I wish I could taste the fennel ice cream that one of the competitors made. Someone was definitely watching out for me. Polenta is made from boiled cornmeal, which is ground maize. The texture of the dessert was divine. The cake itself had this grainy crumbliness. Paired with the creaminess of the fennel ice cream brought it to a whole other element. The cake tasted almost of a sweetened version of cornbread, and the ice cream was out of this world. Fennel is an herb that is used for many different things, and when eaten raw tastes like licorice. I am not a fan of licorice, but anything dessert related I am open to trying. The ice cream had a very subtle hint of licorice, but not overbearing. It was the perfect partner to the grainy sweetness of the polenta cake.

The second dessert was a pear almond tart. It was my least favorite of the three, but still delicious. It was your typical tart. It tasted of shortbread cookies and had a soft crunchiness from the almonds. The pear taste was evident, but every once in a while I would taste a hint of banana. Not entirely sure how that got in there..Honestly I was so concerned with inhaling the fennel ice cream and my third dessert that I wasn't completely focusing on the tastes of the tart. The creative caramel sugar piece on top of the dessert and the painted sauce on the plate made for a beautiful presentation.

The third dessert was a chocolate hazelnut sponge cake with espresso ice cream. It was the pinnacle of elegance. They took what could have been a basic chocolate cake and added textural and flavor elements that turned it into this succulent piece of art. There was a layer of chocolate cake and then almost a sort of thick ganache layer, that was not too rich, but just right. It was topped with a crunch hazelnuts nougat piece and paired with a small dish of espresso ice cream. The fusion between all the different pieces of the dish was beautiful. The espresso ice cream literally tasted like Starbuck's in my mouth. Just imagine the strong aroma when you walk in to Starbucks and put that with the creamy coolness of ice cream and chocolate cake. Perfection. You couldn't take just one bit. It was an addiction waiting to happen.

www.christophersworldgrille.com

Cookie Jar Blizzard Among Other Things...

So, expect a decrease in frequency of my blogs until December. Some of you may see this is a good thing, but it makes me very sad. School just started back up, and I feel like I am working a full time job. I feel sorry for those of you already in "the real world." My only enjoyment today has been trying the new Cookie Jar Blizzard from Dairy Queen and writing this blog. I'm not sure which is more sad. The fact that only two things have brought me enjoyment today or the fact that a blizzard and a blog brought me enjoyment. Okay, enough complaining. I really don't want to be viewed as one of those people that complains all the time, but when something goes wrong (like when people that aren't working at the Rec Center or working out park in the parking lot that those that are working out or working need to park in, AKA ME. This is not complaining, this is merely providing an example), what else are you supposed to do? They always say that suppressing your feelings just makes things worse and just causes you to blow up later. We don't want that now, do we? All right, all right, on to the blizzard.

Okay, so the Cookie Jar Blizzard is simply ice cream, Oreo's, cookie dough, and hot fudge. You can pretty much guess what this tastes like since you more than likely have eaten all four of these ingredients at one point in time, but I am in desperate need of escape from reading about audit and tax. Will someone please tell me why I am an accounting major?? And by the way, this blizzard just came out yesterday, and yes folks, it is September 2, and I have already tried it. I subscribe to every single "whatever" of the month club so that I can be the first to know about any new food or desserts that come out and be the first to try new things. I told you. I see Limited Time Only and the alarms start going off. I have no time to finish my readings for class tomorrow, but you can bet that I have plenty of time to go try the new Dairy Queen Blizzard.

All right, back to the blizzard. One word, divine. What could possibly be wrong with something that contains ice cream, Oreo's cookie dough, and hot fudge? The crunchiness of the Oreo's meshed with the creaminess of the ice cream, the softness of the cookie dough, and the rich smoothness of the hot fudge were the pinnacle of perfection. Except when I got to the bottom of it and was just left wanting more. After I got home, I then proceeded to eating handfuls of Hershey Kisses out of a bowl sitting in my living room. I was then interrogated by Brian as to why I was now eating Hershey Kisses. As if that even needs a response.

And as a side note I recently discovered that fresh blueberries pair deliciously with Life Cereal. I randomly tried it one morning, and it has now become the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. So for those of you in the real world....Here is your new incentive.

Epicurean Night

I think just by looking at the title of this post that most of you can assume that Epicurean night is my idea of a good time. And that it was. Brian and I like to go to the race track near our house with our friends every once in a while to do some gambling. Last week it was Epicurean Night at the race track. Basically, lots of local restaurants came and brought samples of some of their menu items and distributed coupons as a way to advertise. You paid $15 for all you can eat food. And since you all know that I would pay $1500 for an all you can eat buffet, $15 was nothing.

To be honest, I don't remember everything that was at Epicurean night, and none of it was really gourmet, I just felt it would be wrong of me not to blog about an Epicurean Night, being a loyal foodie and all. So since I waited a week to post this blog because I have been so busy doing a whole lot of nothing, I will do my best to describe everything as best as possible. My favorite place was Tea for Two Tearoom. www.teafortwotearoom.net They were handing out samples of two different kinds of chicken salad, a quiche, and four different kinds of cake. FOUR!! Let's just say that the two ladies handing out the samples knew who I was by the end of the night. Don't act so surprised.

The first chicken salad had purple grapes and pecans in it. Now, I'm not really a purple grape person. I'm more of a green grape kind of girl. And don't try to tell me that there isn't a difference, because there definitely is. The chicken salad was delicious, but the crunchiness of the pecans and the sweetness of the grapes brought it to a whole other level. The other chicken salad was a jalapeno chicken salad. I'm also not a huge jalapeno fan, ( I know what you're thinking. How can I be a food critic if I don't like everything? But I can't help my taste buds! And the important thing is that I am still willing to try everything, so there!) but the flavor was very interesting and had a little kick to it. And like I have mentioned before, I like to see creativity.

Now to the important part, the cakes. There was a mandarin orange cake, a vanilla cake, a strawberry cake, and a coconut cake. The strawberry cake was out of this world. And I am not just saying this because I am an obsessed dessert freak that can out eat a rhinoceros. Everyone else agreed. First of all, it was bright pink, so it was just appealing to the eye. The cake was so moist and there was this luscious sweet tanginess of strawberries that just blew me away. There are no words to describe this cake. You just have to take my word and go try it yourself.

Another memorable restaurant was Hasta la Pasta. www.hastalapasta.com Now, I like Hasta la Pasta. A lot, actually. But they served some sort of beef with a piece of asparagus and lemon risotto. I thought I would like the lemon risotto because it was creative and all, but it was so lemony, for lack of a better word. There are only a few places that lemon should be served with: water (even though I strongly disagree with this), seafood, and pastries. Note to Hasta la Pasta: never pair lemon and risotto together.

BJ's brewery. www.bjsbrewhouse.com Many of you have probably frequented this chain restaurant known for its beers and pizza. Guess what they served? Caesar salad and a chicken pasta. Um, I think we all know what Caesar salad tastes like....Thanks BJ's...They did however make a comeback with free pizookie coupons. If you have never tried a pizookie, or worse, don't know what it is, you need to be removed from my blog Google group immediately. Just kidding, kind of. A pizookie is a cookie in a small pizza pan that is served fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream on top. It literally melts in your mouth. It's cooked just enough so you don't come down with salmonella, but still has the gooeyness that pairs perfectly with the melting of the ice cream. It comes in flavors like Ghiradelli chocolate, Oreo, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and white chocolate macadamia nut. And yes, I have had them all. You can even get half of one kind of cookie and half of another. Or, they offer a jumbo pizookie that feeds about 15 people. Oh yes, go ahead and challenge me. Oh, and never, I repeat never, let someone convince you to share one. People will try and tell you they are big enough for two. But no, you need to be eating you're own. Okay, sorry about the rambling. You guys know how I can go on and on about dessert. I'm sure you have stopped listening (reading) by now like you're used to doing.

And in closing, I am trying to raise funds so that I can journey to Napa Valley and dine at The French Laundry, a very famous restaurant. www.frenchlaundry.com They offer a nine course tasting menu every night for only $240 a person! Yes, I am kidding, but not about the fact that I want to eat there. I understand that most, if not all, of you will never understand how I would ever be willing to spend that kind of money on a meal. But someday, somehow, I will find a way...

Monkey Bread

My friend Hayley told me a while back about Monkey Bread. Surprisingly, I had never heard of it, so of course I had to know what it was and when I could have it. We tried all summer to get together to make monkey bread and finally did. It was then that my life changed forever.

Isn't it weird when someone introduces something new to you that you have never heard of, and then within a week within learning that new something you all of a sudden hear about this thing you have never heard of at least 5 more times? That might not make sense when you read that, so here is an example. I had never heard of monkey bread until Hayley told me about it. That was at the beginning of the summer. Then, the rest of the summer i saw mixes for monkey bread everywhere, got sent a recipe for monkey bread in one of my daily recipe emails, and had other people mention monkey bread. What are the odds that after all this time of never knowing about monkey bread that all of a sudden monkey bread was everywhere? Get it? Okay, so on to the monkey bread. I have heard there are different ways to make monkey bread, but this one is just perfect.

Here's what you need: biscuits, melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Now, I don't have exact measurements for you, but I'm pretty sure if you are going to be eating monkey bread, you aren't exactly concerned with calories at the time, so I say just go with what looks good. You start off by cutting each uncooked biscuit into quarters. Then you dip each piece of biscuit into the melted butter, being sure to soak it completely. Finally, you should mix together cinnamon and sugar in a bowl until it looks like a good balance, and you dip each biscuit soaked in butter into the cinnamon sugar mixture until it is fully coated. You should put each coated piece of biscuit into a baking dish. Okay, this is why I am not a recipe writer. My directions are out of order, and I don't have measurements. My goal is to be a food critic, not a recipe writer, so bear with me. I'm 99% sure that this recipe is fool proof. Just go with your gut and make adjustments as you see fit. So, each biscuit piece should cover the bottom of a baking dish. I have been told not to make a second layer because it causes the pieces to be unevenly cooked, so if you are using more than one packet of biscuits or have too many, you can use another small pan, or put all the pieces into a larger dish. Once the bottom of the dish is covered, if you're not already wondering how in the world you will ever work off this wonderfulness, I suggest pouring the excess butter, cinnamon, and sugar over the top. It adds to the experience. Now, I am not sure what the oven should be set at, but 350 degrees always seems to be a safe bet. (And I'm losing my credibility by the millisecond....) Whenever we baked monkey bread, I asked how long, and was told to just kind of watch it, but approximately anywhere from 20-25 minutes. You want the biscuits to be cooked, but you still want everything to be a soft gooey mess, or at least I do. Some people may prefer to have no gooeyness. Tada!

Delicious, huh? Can you think of a better combination of ingredients? It's like a cinnamon roll without the icing, but it's so divine that you don't even need icing. (This coming from the girl, who usually just eats icing off cakes) I also recommend to not even bother with getting individual plates. Just grab a spoon/fork, and dig in. Also, you might as well finish all of it. Here's the way I see it. You have already ruined your diet for the day, so you might as well ruin it completely by finishing the stuff. You know you want to, and besides if you let it sit for later, it will just harden and not be nearly as delicious the next time you eat it. Just trust me on this. Carpe Diem!

Amazing Desserts

Hello everyone. I promise I have not forgotten about you. I failed to mention that my other obsession in life is reading. I have been at home this past week and was trying to finish up some library books that needed to be returned in Houston, hence why I have not blogged in a few days. My sincere apologies.

So, I have had some pretty amazing food experiences since my last blog, and I probably should go in order that they occurred, but I just can't. There are two desserts that I had the other day that I have been dying to blog about. Ever since I started blogging, I have been paying careful attention to the flavors and textures of each and everything I eat. I have considered carrying a notebook around with me to take notes, but luckily my handy dandy phone has a notes section that I usually type key words to jog my memory of each dish. Lists of books that I want to read and movies that I want to see can also be found in the notes section of my phone. I know, weird, but it keeps me from forgetting!

Okay, enough small talk. On to the desserts. The place is Andre Thierry Tellier Cafe. http://www.cafeandpastryshop.com/ The restaurant's only flaw is that they are not open on Sundays. My mom and I were debating where to go eat breakfast on Sunday before I went back to school and of course we wanted to go to Andre's, and of course they weren't open. It's like Chick Fil A. The only time you get a craving for Chick Fil A is on a Sunday, and everyone knows Chick Fil A isn't open on Sundays. Such a buzzkill. (According to Urban Dictionary, buzzkills do not have to be related to alcohol: anything that takes the edge off your fluff, a downer, something that ruins your good mood)

First off, if you ever decide to eat here, you can get a side size portion or a lunch portion. The only difference between the two is $2 and the fact that you get any of their desserts or pastries included with the lunch size portion. So basically you are paying $2 for a piece of cake, which is unheard of. So of course my mom and I go with the lunch size portion. Our first dish was a white chocolate almond and praline cake. I don't think that's the actual name for it, but the waitress didn't seem to be sure of what the exact name was. Basically, there was a top layer of white chocolate that looked to be like cheesecake, but actually had a lighter and fluffier texture than cheesecake. Underneath that was the praline layer that seemed to be a wafer like cookie. And the bottom layer was a very thin white almond cake. The whole dessert was topped with white chocolate shavings. Okay, I know many of you have already stopped reading because of the white chocolate. White chocolate is typically a very rich ingredient and can sometimes be overbearing. Even I, the chocolate queen, will admit that white chocolate can sometimes be too rich, but trust me, it wasn't in this dish. It was the lightest flavor of white chocolate that I have ever tasted while still staying true to the white chocolate flavor. The fluffiness of the white chocolate mousse layer with the crispiness of the praline wafer and subtle almond cake flavor was a breathtaking experience. It was the most unique combination of flavors. This is the kind of dessert that I like to come across. Something you have never heard of before. The praline wafer layer in this cake was the icing on the cake, the bow on a gift, and the cherry on a sundae. (Okay, I made those last two up, but there are no words to describe how brilliant the praline layer brought the whole cake together).

Our second dessert was a raspberry and pistachio mousse cake. The top layer was a thin layer of raspberry, the middle layer was a thick layer of pistachio mousse, and the bottom layer was some sort of brown spongy cake. The cake was moist and had obviously been soaked in some sort of liquor. I didn't get a pistachio taste from the pistachio layer, but the raspberry layer was out of this world. It was a less sticky version of raspberry jam. My favorite thing about the raspberry layer was that it left you hanging with with the crunchiness of the seeds. The crunchiness of the raspberry seeds carried the dish. As far as flavor goes, I probably could have done without the cake, however, it had a lot to live up to with the white chocolate cake sitting right next to it. I loved and appreciated the creativity of the dish and the flavors, and perhaps had I not been so busy eating the white chocolate cake, would have more amazing things to say about this dish.

The moral of this story is that everyone needs to pay a visit to Andres'. You will be happy that you did.