As promised, another whole newsletter devoted to just desserts, but this time, only those you can find in Manhattan.
If you read last week’s rather lengthy escapade of the restaurants producing extraordinary desserts, you now know how dedicated I am to the art-form that is baking. There is also something really particular about the theme for these last two newsletters—this isn’t simply a matter of my all-time favorite desserts. While all of these spots do rank on that list as well, these are spots where the dessert wasn’t just good, it was arguably the highlight of the meal. That is not to say these aren’t all incredible restaurants where I have had spectacular meals, because they 100% are. I just find myself particularly impressed by restaurants where desserts are made to feel like the star of their own show, rather than the back-up dancer coming in at the curtain call of your four-course dinner.
Once again, we are going to be hitting spots that are worthy of lengthy praise for their dinner service but we are focused on dessert here, so stay with me.
L’Artusi
This couldn’t be less underground, but for some reason it still feels like a sleeper hit. Located in the cornucopia of Italian restaurants that is the West Village, L’Artusi is one of many New York restaurants that have acquired, and maintained, quite a bit of buzz. L’Artusi, like its neighboring Italian spots, is prone to very long waitlists and difficult reservations. Its popularity isn’t unwarranted.
My meal here far exceeded my expectations—I can’t say I was blown away by the interior but I loved the mix of the crowd in attendance. I have no complaints about the meal, though I would say what made it stand out were a few particular dishes, rather than the experience as a whole. Two of the three bites that solidified my appreciation for the restaurant were desserts, hence why it has landed itself on this list.
If you read last week’s newsletter, I am sure you can recognize a pattern here of dining with those who want to order all of the desserts, or even second helpings. We ordered the special strawberry shortcake sundae, made with tangy buttermilk gelato and topped with basil oil, a macerated strawberry syrup, and a small biscuit to top it off. It was a textbook, perfect summer dessert. This was one of those orders that made neighboring tables crane their necks and ask us what we got. A classic dessert transformed in a sophisticated glass dish, as only L’Artusi would dream of doing. We also ordered the olive oil cake, which is my go-to order whenever I see it on a menu. The slice of cake was served with golden raisin marmalade, a madeira drizzle, and a creme fraiche mousse. It was perfect: it was fluffy, it was light, it was sweet, it was hard to stop eating.
Obviously, the pasta here is good. The dessert, however, was in a league of its own.
*Reservations open two weeks out, at 9am*
Foul Witch
This was a fun (and recent) one! I had honestly heard mixed reports on the eclectic wine bar opened by the Roberta’s team. My brother, Jesse, was in town from LA and it was only right that all of the Weiss siblings got together for a special meal. We met in Alphabet City way past my bedtime for a 9:30pm reservation that a friend of my brother’s helped us secure. We spent a good 5 minutes at the start of the meal trying to nail down what exactly the vibe of this restaurant was—we felt a bit like we were in a Spanish cave? Or a tourist-trap in Greece? While that probably isn’t a flattering description, the restaurant was a warm candle-lit space with interesting art, dark wood furniture, and lots of exposed brick. Our table was decorated with an elaborate candelabra, and we were entranced by the jellyfish lava lamp resting on the bar. I also have to note that the music felt like we were in an underground club in Europe. The entire meal was accompanied by a soundtrack of house music, while Escape by Rupert Holmes played on a loop in the bathroom. We loved it.
This meal was really good, even by my brother’s impossibly high standards. I will need ample space to unpack the entire meal but again, here for dessert. The Foul Witch staff was incredibly kind and generous, and our many small plates were rounded out with a beautiful little dessert menu that had our imaginations running wild. Our server came over and kindly informed us that we didn't need the menus, as they were sending us one of each of the listed treats. We could hardly contain our excitement (and appreciation—having friends at fun restaurants is the epitome of “friends in high places” in my world). Here is the rundown!
First was a mille-feuille with candied squash and a black cardamom caramel—this was delicious but, objectively speaking, probably my least favorite of the four desserts we tried. The cardamom and squash were a touch too savory for me, but an incredible combination of flavors and textures nonetheless. Next, bay leaf ice cream with huckleberry jam. Bay leaf is such an interesting focal point because it’s a spice that is often called for, but always removed prior to serving. You never really eat a bay leaf, or taste it without a myriad of other spices alongside it. This ice cream, though, had a subtle herbaceous and savory flavor that was distinct, and so delicious it made me question why bay leaf wasn’t a more common flavor. Alongside a sweet, puckery jam, it was heaven. We also had the black pepper gelato with bruleed lardo, thin shards of caramelized lard/bacon?, and topped with mint. It was insane—unlike any dessert I’ve ever had AND the presentation was beautiful. Finally, last but certainly not least, was the sake lees cake served with honeycomb and clotted cream. This was the star of the show. I had to google what exactly sake lees was, but it is the byproduct of sake production, and was worked into a beautiful cubed pound cake served with dollops of clotted cream, and sweet syrupy honey. If you’re looking for a dessert that will blow your mind, Foul Witch is your place.
*Reservations open two weeks out*
Superiority Burger
Oh baby!!!! This one’s a gem. Surely one of the places you’ve heard about, read about, seen photos of, Superiority Burger is something special and has been ever since its much smaller doors opened on East 9th. Now, its expanded space on Avenue A has drawn ever more attention, with a large menu, more seats, and more hours. I can, and will, ramble about the vegetarian dishes at this always playful, always exciting East Village spot. Their desserts are among the best in Manhattan, and have been since its original location’s opening in 2015. We used to frequent the East 9th spot in pursuit of TFTs and rotating vegan and regular gelato flavors in small paper cups with colorful spoons. That much has stayed the same!
Superiority Burger’s gelato has amassed a following of those eager to see and try new flavors. Pints are available for sale during business hours, and small cups available after your meal. Think flavors like shiso, corn, vegan cardamom, tarragon plum, among more predictable flavors like peppermint stick. The best part is, you can’t tell the difference if they are vegan or not, which is a rare feat. Beyond its gelato, Superiority Burger has a roster of desserts supplemented by seasonal, or just fun, specials. Among the most popular are the date shake, a vegan milkshake that makes you feel like a kid. It is decadent and sweet, a distinctly date-caramel flavor that could almost convince you it’s a healthy alternative. I’d like to also give an important shoutout to one of my all-time favorites, a special apple pandowdy with vanilla gelato that I enjoyed with my dear friend Edward in the fall. It was pulled out of a display case in a white ceramic bowl, small but perfectly portioned. In addition, breakfast dessert is important. The waffles SB is serving at brunch service is a wafer thin crispy laced waffle with plenty of guava butter and maple syrup that the warm waffle quickly absorbed. I won’t rest until I have tried every dessert here—please leave a note if you tried one I missed!!! I want to know about it.
*Walk-in only*
Here are this weeks want to go spots!! As always, if you visit any of the places I write about, please leave me a note I would love to know :)
xoxo see you next week!
I think about that pandowdy often! And the gelato we had with it, the combination was absolutely incredible!
after reading this too and thinking about Superiority Burger, it's cool to see how desserts sometimes are also where restaurants have the most fun or there is a kind of playfulness unlike the potentially stressful main course meals. feel like people approach desserts more freely!!!