So, what do I want to do during my first weekend off since the holidays? Go eat dessert, of course. I feel my Dessert Review section of this website is sadly lacking because, honestly, I just don't have the time or energy to go out much when classes are going on. In an effort to beef it up a bit, I asked my book/food club friends to join me in an excursion to Boston (well, Cambridge) to go to the well known dessert restaurant called Finale. Let me also just say that they are the perfect crowd for helping me taste, eat, and critique because they love dessert as much as I do. Thanks, ladies.
We drove on up to Cambridge last night and found Finale, which is in the heart of Harvard Square. A very smart location for obvious reasons. The instant student population looking for places to hang out, have a drink or coffee with something sweet. It was bustling in there. On weekends, they don't take reservations, so if you don't get there early enough, you may have to wait a while for a table. Luckily, we only had about a ten minute wait. This gave me the time to scope out the atmosphere and peer at the goodies in the pastry case, which were quite lovely in the warm glow of the restaurant.
I really love the idea of a dessert restaurant. It's not that you can't go into any other restaurant and just order coffee and dessert. I doubt you'd ever be turned away. But, sometimes, restaurants have great entrees and so-so desserts. Or, maybe you just feel like going out for something sweet after a movie or walk. Yeah, I really like the idea that only dessert is served at Finale. The Harvard grads that started the restaurant wanted to create a place where anyone could go for a stellar dessert. Dessert for the masses, so to speak, instead of dessert for the elite who can afford the swanky five star restaurants. Obviously, it worked because by the time we left, the place was packed and there was a waiting line. And, they have two other locations around Boston.
The atmosphere was warm and inviting (except there is a design flaw in the main room.....the front door opens up into the dining area and everyone time someone opens the door, which is quite often, there is a blast of cold air; consequently, it was damn cold out last night so the dining area felt quite chilly). Warm yellow walls and crimson seats/benches. Candles. It was informal, though. A young crowd laughing and chatting.
Our waiter was a well-coiffed young man with a tongue ring, braces, and an adorable lisp. Angel, his name was. He was lovely and his only flaw was not offering us more coffee sooner rather than later. If I am going to drink coffee, I like the refills. He brought us our menus, which were filled with dessert wines, toddies, mixed drinks, appetizers, light fare, and, of course, the list of plated desserts. It was good to know that if you couldn't decide and wanted to taste everything, there were two options. One for chocolate lovers and another with a wide array of mini-sized samples of the desserts. Moreover, the prices were very reasonable and affordable and each dessert was listed with a recommended wine selection.
The Executive Pastry Chef, Nicole Coady (trained at Johnson and Wales) has really put together an excellent menu that combines classic desserts with interesting but not too off the wall flavors. You will find things like creme brulee, molten cake, mousse, tarts, and cakes all complimented with flavorful sorbets, gelatos, or ice creams, as well as fresh seasonal fruit and/or small cookies.
I ordered the Apricot Cinnamon Delight which (as pictured below) was a cinnamon cake with Tahitian vanilla chiboust (I am such a sucker for Tahitian vanilla anything), chestnut puree, French apricots, and apricot sorbet. It was a lovely and light dessert. My only complaint was that I think the cake was a bit too dry and crumbly. The cream was perfect and the vanilla intense. The apricot sorbet was absolutely wonderful. The flavor combinations were simple, elegant, and worked very well together. It's not a dessert that would overwhelm you or make you feel too full. That was very appealing to me because I despise that feeling of having eaten too much. I also found the plate design to be quite lovely. A warm color palette. The sorbet was sitting on a nest of filo dough and had a golden swatch of spun sugar on top. It was nicely done.
Also on our table was a classic Vanilla Creme Brulee. Now, I've tasted a few brulees lately that really weren't up to par. The flavors and textures were off. The caramelized sugar on top wasn't torched enough so there wasn't that shell you could crack through with your spoon. This brulee was not only visually stunning, but truly well done. I would have liked more vanilla, but that is just because I like my vanilla strong, strong, strong. The texture was smooth and creamy, perfectly set. Ah, and the crack on top was just that, a shell to break through. The small orange butter cookies and fresh fruit complimented the vanilla brulee very well. And, I also liked how the dessert was done in a bowl, rather than a ramekin. Yes, very nice.
Of course, we had to have something chocolate on the table. So, two of my friends ordered the Magnanimous Molten Cake and the Manjari Mousse. I will say that the molten cake was baked perfectly, meaning it wasn't dry and the chocolate inside did truly ooze slowly out on to the plate. We found ourselves wishing that the chocolate was richer and with more of a bite to it. The molten cake came with coffee gelato, which was absolutely delicious, chocolate sauce and chocolate covered almonds. From what I've been learning about chocolate at school, we Americans are used to lower quality chocolate and milk chocolate. Therefore, when creating chocolate desserts, you have to really think about your audience. What kind of molten cake would appeal to the most people and sell? My opinion here is that a mellower chocolate is used to appeal to a wider audience. And, frankly, I think that is the right choice. I like my chocolate dark and a bit bitter; however, most people don't share this feeling. Nonetheless, the cake was good and the gelato was fantastic.
The last dessert was called Manjari Mousse. Manjari is a type of Valrhona chocolate (currently my chocolate of choice when I bake at home) that is from Madagascar. It is a dark chocolate with a tweak of bitterness and fruit flavor. It made a divine chocolate mousse. And, let me tell you, I am very picky about my chocolate and mousse, but this mousse was light, rich, and deliciously creamy. It was layered with a chocolate buttermilk cake that was moist and decadent. Also on the plate was a small napoleon (layered dessert) of Cabernet sorbet and strudel dough. Amazing flavor and wonderful partner to the rich chocolate mousse. This was by far my favorite dessert on the table. I also really loved the plate design. Spun sugar spikes. Chocolate curls. Sauces. Even the choice of plate added to the stunning visual.
To conclude, I certainly think the proprietors have achieved their goal of making more upscale desserts available to anyone/everyone. I found the desserts to be consistent, meaning the tastes, flavors, textures, and plate designs were well done across the board with few errors or issues. We had a good time tasting, critiquing, and chatting it up in this busy restaurant. And, I would definitely return to try other things on the menu.
Next up for my group will be the Chocolate Bar at the Langham Hotel in Boston. That's right. You heard it here. A chocolate bar. All you can eat. All kinds of tastes, textures, foods, crazy spices, etc.
