Disappointment in Dallas

I've heard wonderful things about Asian Mint in Dallas, Texas, especially that the owner creates great desserts and drinks (all things sugary).  The food was wonderful, but the desserts were hit or miss. 

They taut their Signature Green Tea Ice Cream Cake, but it was a huge disappointment.  I expect my ice cream to be cold and frozen, but not the cake too.  The cake was so frozen that it was tasteless and had the texture of eating a brick.  It was just as hard to cut it.  The green tea ice cream, I was told, was not made in house.  I'm not sure where they purchase it from, but I've had much better from the grocery store.  My two favorite places for green tea ice cream are Blue Fish and Uptown Sushi. 

Signature Green Tea Ice Cream Cake

The Jasmine Creme Brulee was interesting, but refreshingly good (can you tell by the fact that it's nearly gone).  I thought the heart shaped dish was a bit corny, but the dessert made up for it.  It tasted like creme brulee with a hint of jasmine/green tea.  Very unique, and I personally liked it.

Jasmine Creme Brulee

If you go to Asian Mint, I'd stay away from any of their green tea ice cream desserts, but try some of the more unique ones.

I love NOLA

I got the opportunity to dine at Restaurant August in New Orleans (who dat?!), and I should really just give up eating entrees and skip straight to the entrees.  If you are curious for the gist of this blog: Restaurant August has great, homemade, gourmet desserts!

These desserts exceeded my expectations because lately the nice restaurants seem to not put as much effort on their desserts as their entrees.  Pere Roux's banana rum cake with creole cream-cheese icing is omg amazing.  Who is Pere Roux?  My role model...that is who.  By the way, "creole cream-cheese icing" just means it was homemade at Restaurant August.  No creole seasoning involved if you are picturing Chef Besh adding Tony Cachere.  This cake was not heavy, but rich and very palatable.  The cream-cheese icing was one of my favorite ever.  It was very smooth, rich but not heavy, and the sweetness was so refined (you could actually tell the sweetness was a higher quality than grocery stuff).  It was also a resonable portion (not one bite and gone, but also no cause for desserter's remorse either).



Pere Roux's banana rum cake
with creole cream-cheese icing

The Napolean of Nougatine with Valhrona chocolate bavarois and salted toffee ice cream was equally delish.  If you hear "Napolean" and think of this, you are in for a surprise.  It doesn't taste anything like your traditional baker's Napolean. 

Napolean of Nougatine with
Valhrona chocolate bavarois

& salted toffee ice cream

And although I technically didn't order this, here is the complimentary dessert at the end of our long meal.

Chocolate & peanut brittle