There is an art to putting together a restaurant-style plated dessert. With a little practice and a good sense of style, you can definitely put an upscale twist on your at-home dessert presentations, but starting out with a guide that will teach you the ins-and-outs of creating these impressive desserts is an easier way to begin. To get you started, I’m giving away a copy of The Dessert Architect to one lucky reader. The cookbook, which I’ve reviewed before, is written by Robert Wemischner and teaches you the fundamentals of putting together plated desserts with detailed information about the foundations of these desserts and many tempting recipes. To be completely honest, it is also terrific for food bloggers looking for some new presentation ideas.
To enter the contest, leave a comment below with the best dessert you’ve had at a restaurant – whether it’s a neighborhood favorite or a splurge restaurant you visited on vacation. Don’t forget to mention what city the restaurant is in so we can all make a note to give it a try if/when we’re in town! Simple and elaborate desserts will both do, so don’t worry if you’re favorite isn’t something particularly fancy. The contest ends Sunday, February 26th at midnight and the winner will be randomly selected from the entries. Don’t forget to fill in your e-mail on the comment form (it will not be public), as that is how I will contact the winner, and good luck!
Update: This contest is now closed. Thanks for entering, everyone. Congrats to Madison on winning the book!
Carole Resnick
February 23, 2012I would love to add this cookbook to my 3500+ collection.
Carole Resnick
February 23, 2012Additionally the best desert I have had in a restaurant is a berry trifle
breabella
February 23, 2012Deep Fried Brownie…my fav. Restaurant is no longer in business:(
Darla
February 23, 2012The best dessert I have ever had in a restaurant is tiramisu at a fancy little restaurant in Greenville, SC!
Stacie
February 23, 2012I would love to win the book. I love making desserts. The best dessert I’ve had at a restaurant was a “Smores Platter” at Chino Latino in Minneapolis. You created your own smores with some amazing Cinnamon crackers, toast the marshmallow right there at the table and could include caramel in addition to the chocolate. It was incredible!
Serene
February 23, 2012Hi there!
Is this giveaway International? If not, it’s all right 😀
Well, my favourite dessert is nothing fancy. Just carrot cake from a cafe here (Brunei) called Fleur De Lys
kristin
February 23, 2012The butterscotch budino at 112 Eatery in Minneapolis or every single thing on the menu at Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego!
Maureen
February 23, 2012The best I have had was about 12 yrs ago in a little place that my husband and I stopped in when we were in either Monterey or Carmel California. It was a wonderful large chocolate cake that had a mixture of dark and milk chocolate ganache . I do not remember the name of the place but I remember the delicious cake. (perhaps it is because we do not order dessert out very often).
Rachel
February 23, 2012The best dessert I’ve ever had in a restaurant would have to be a tie between the Grillswith (two glazed doughnuts topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce), and the Reece’s Brownie Sunday (fudge brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, peanut butter sauce, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry). Both from places on the Corner in Charlottesville, VA back when I was in college.
gail
February 23, 2012The best dessert I ever had at a restaurant was the mochi ice cream at Sushi One in Greeley, CO. It is ice cream in the middle of mochi, you can choose azuki bean flavor, green tea, etc. yummy
kazue
February 23, 2012The best dessert is the Toasty Hawaiian. I forget the name of the restaurant in Hawaii, but it was like a macademia nut flavored custard and on top was a cookie like figure of a warrior. The presentation was great.
AmandaT
February 23, 2012Vanilla creme brulee with just a hint of lemon. I’ve had it a few places. But the dessert I am powerless against are my friend’s boston cream cupcakes. I think I had 8 or 9 last time she made them…
Dianna
February 23, 2012The five nut brownie sundae at Hillstone on Embarcadero in San Francisco is AMAZING!
Kelly
February 23, 2012One of the intense dark sundaes at Ghiradelli. The hot fudge is perfect.
Kierstin
February 23, 2012The best dessert at a restaurant…probably a bread pudding at a little place in Texas!
cin
February 23, 2012the create your own ice cream sandwich at meatball shop in NYC
Jeanne
February 23, 2012The best dessert I’ve ever had was 20 years ago on our honeymoon in Rockport, MA. It was a warm chocolate cheesecake. Never had anything like it since…
Adela Bak
February 23, 2012The best desert I ever had was at King’s Restaurant in Pittsburgh, Pa. It was a chocolate cake sundae – it was the biggest chocolate cake sundae I’ve ever had. When I move from Pittsburgh, I will miss it. I’m thinking about it right now. King’s is a family restaurant and right now you get a free desert at King’s with your King’s Card.
I used to share this desert but not anymore.
PS: Actually, I don’t think it’s a sundae because it comes on a plate.
Keira-Anne
February 23, 2012The very best, drool-worthy dessert I’ve ever had in a restaurant was a lavender-infused crème brûlée at an eatery called The Place. You can find it in the West Village in New York City. It was so good I went there twice for it while on vacation!
Eileen
February 23, 2012The best dessert I have had was Lemon Chess Pie from Vidalias in DC.
Barb
February 23, 2012Choose any dessert at Geronimo’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico and you will not be disappointed!
Lia Keller
February 23, 2012A large cup cake type item with chocolate and mint ice cream from the Cake Studio here in Anchorage. Yum.
Jane
February 23, 2012Chocolate-hazelnut pudding at Domenica in New Orleans, a John Besh place. Sooooo good and smooth.
Kendra Turner
February 23, 2012A caramel budino from DOCG in Las Vegas. It’s a butterscotch pudding with salted caramel on top. AMAZING!!
amy marantino
February 23, 2012the best was a volcano sundae at Farrell’s ice cream, shared with a group of friends, many years ago
Stacy Wickham
February 23, 2012The one dessert that I keep thinking about is the Chocolate Mousse at Duffy’s On The Lake in Wildwood Crest, NJ. My family went to Wildwood every year when I was growing up and we always made sure to hit this restaurant at least twice in that week!
Deb
February 23, 2012Well, we don’t normally order dessert when we eat out. However, my husband received a gift card to Olive Garden for Christmas, and so we ordered the Black Tie Mousse Cake to make our bill come up to the gift card amount. Oh my goodness! How wonderfully delicious! (I think maybe I’ll put another gift card in his stocking next year.)
Here’s the link to a photo of the dessert:
http://www.olivegarden.com/menu/dessert/Black-Tie-Mousse-Cake/748743-1329/
Emily
February 23, 2012Recently had the bread pudding from 11 plates in Austin, TX. Delicious!
http://elevenplates.com
Allison
February 23, 2012I don’t know if this counts because it is from a restaurant that specializes in dessert, but I had a triple chocolate mousse from Finale in Boston that was TO DIE FOR!
Claudia
February 23, 2012Butterscotch Pudding at the Hudson House: Nyack, NY
I’ve been trying to recreate it for years to no avail.
Claudia
February 23, 2012Jeanne – do you remember which restaurant in Rockport? I used to live there!
Joyce
February 23, 2012The passion fruit tart with homemade vanilla bean ice cream and candied peanuts at Pampas in Palo Alto, CA is simply delicious! While the passion fruit curd is perfectly tart, the crust is not flaky as one would expect– it is made of pieces of crumbly goodness and left me cleaning the plate of every last crumb!
chelsa
February 23, 2012The best dessert i had was a Turtle Sundae it is cold vanilla ice cream topped with hot caramel, hot fudge, crispy pecan pieces, whipped cream and a cherry it was yummy .
Erin
February 23, 2012The best restaurant dessert ever? I am not 100% sure, but there was a really great creme brulee from one of the restaurants on the rim of the Grand Canyon that I had once.
Katie
February 23, 2012My all time favorite is the melting chocolate cake at Roy’s Restaurants — yum!
Owlchick
February 23, 2012The best dessert I’ve had, one that immediately came to mind, is the creme brulee at City Deli in San Diego’s Hillcrest neighborhood.
I wouldn’t advise anyone to actually eat anything else there, to be honest, as it’s expensive for deli food. BUT! You can walk in, get your creme brulee order at the bakery counter right by the door, and then skedaddle!
Crista
February 23, 2012The best dessert I ever had in a restaurant was tiramisu at a little Italian place here in Indianapolis. It was so good that I actually reverse engineered the recipe so I could make it at home.
Katherine
February 23, 2012At Haute Dish in Minneapolis I had the best blueberry empanadas for dessert. They came with a side of cornbread ice cream, which really blew my mind. I could not wait to eat this dessert again!
J.C.
February 23, 2012Chocolate pots de creme at Palo on the Disney Cruise Line.
Debbie Grace
February 23, 2012Dried Cherry and Almond Tart at Babette’s Cafe in Atlanta – yummmmmm!! 🙂
Jenny
February 23, 2012A delicious chocolate banana turtle ice cream cake type of dessert!
Felisha
February 23, 2012Bananas foster @ Mardi Gras in Forest Hills, NY (unfortunately the restaurant isn’t there anymore)
Sarah H.P.
February 23, 2012Cafe Uno in the city center of Birmingham, United Kingdom, the panna cotta with raspberry coulis!
Lucia
February 23, 2012An molten chocolate cake in “La Fabula” in Seville, it was delicious!
Karen
February 23, 2012I’d have to say that the Midnight cake from Alon’s in Atlanta is the best. From their website: Three layers of chocolate buttermilk cake filled with a silky rich white chocolate mousse. What’s not to like about that?!
Caley
February 23, 2012The best dessert I’ve ever had (and the prettiest!) was a torte at the Bleu Blanc Rouge in Las Vegas…there were sugar designs and swirls of sauce. So gorgeous!
Karen
February 23, 2012The salted caramel Profiterole at Eva’s restaurant in Seattle is fabulous! It was served as part of a trio – but it was the best component (the other two parts were good, too). It was a nice twist on a classic.
Joanna from Colorado
February 23, 2012The best dessert I have ever had was in Paris, this bistro (I don’t rememeber the name – it was like, 17 years ago) had the BEST petit fours.
CHN
February 23, 2012A wonderful lemon meringue pie at a diner while I was traveling several years ago. The lemon was very tart and citrusy, the meringue was just sweet enough but not cloying, and the combination was perfect. I remember the dessert well, but unfortunately I cannot remember the restaurant!
Patricia
February 23, 2012I had a strawberry jelly cake slice and an indulgent triple chocolate cake slice in an small shop here in Dubai! I forgot the name of the shop as me and my friend were just passing by when we decided to eat there 🙂