This is a GREAT list of desserts in Los Angeles that are A-MA-ZING.  Go eat ALL OF THEM!!

Tasting Table’s Desserts of Summer

L.A. pastry chefs have upped their game, and it’s certainly paying off: We’ve highlighted six sweet endings that have swept us off our feet this summer.

Mint-Chip Ice Cream Pie: Roxana Jullapat peruses cookbooks your grandmother probably owned for classic dessert inspiration, and her interpretations at Cooks County never cease to amaze. Her swoon-inducing mint-chip ice cream pie ($10), served with cocoa-dusted pecans and a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup, will transport you back to childhood birthday parties. 

Butterscotch Coconut Tart:  At Downtown’s smoking-hot Bestia, chef Ori Menashe’s fresh pasta gets the most attention, but it’s the ephemeral Italian desserts of his wife, pastry chef Genevieve Gergis, that send diners home with a grin. Try the flaky-crusted butterscotch-coconut tart ($9), served with a quenelle of cool coconut sorbet and slices of stone fruit.

Monkey Bread: While the gooey, caramel-laden cake known as monkey bread ($8) might evoke breakfast nostalgia for Southern transplants, it’s a new treat for Abbot Kinney. At Salt Air, pastry/sous chef Megan Haney serves the decadently soft, pull-apart sticky bun with pralines and rum-marinated raisins over a pool of crème anglaise.

Vietnamese Coffee Snow: Pastry chef Ramon Perez’s most refreshing Asian-inspired desserts at Hinoki & the Bird are his feather-light bowls of shaved ice. Our current favorite is the intensely aromatic Vietnamese coffee flavor ($9), tinged with the lightest hint of sugar and cream. Perez finishes the dessert with cubes of his own fermented coconut jelly—called nata de coco—made with dried, shaved coconut.

Blondie with Salted Caramel Ice Cream: The menu at Connie and Ted’s might seem casual, but with seafood guru Michael Cimarusti at the helm, the fried clams and lobster rolls that land on the plate are anything but. The same goes for pastry chef David Rodriguez’s desserts: You’ve had a blondie ($9) before, but not like this. We still dream of the fork-tender brownie crowned with a melting scoop of salted caramel ice cream. 

Strawberry Macaron Sandwich: How do you make an ice cream sandwich ($9) even better? Upgrade with house-baked vanilla-bean macarons, like Spanish pastry chef Cesar Bermundez Cifuentes is doing at Sawtelle’s Flores. Like many of the dishes at the restaurant, the rich and creamy confection, filled with homemade strawberry ice cream, is best eaten with your hands. 

New Organic Raw Ice Cream

I’m a meat-eater.  Everyone knows this and I eschew people who aren’t.  But to be fair, I will from time to time post something veggie.  This is one of them.  It’s non-dairy, organic and coconut-based.  Veggies rejoice!

From Eater LA: How oh so very Venice. Right around the intersection of Lincoln and Rose is a new non-dairy, organic, coconut-based ice cream shop called Kippy’s!. Partners Kippy Miller and Max Wolf are behind the Truly Raw brand of dairy-free ice cream (sold at Whole Foods), and as of about three weeks ago they’ve soft opened their very first ice cream shop, scooping raw organic coconut cream ice creams and coconut water sorbets sweetened with raw local honey and (starting next week) dates. As it so goes with most raw foods, the ice cream is rather pricey at $4.50 a scoop or $8 for two scoops, in flavors like mojito, strawberry coconut, and chocolate creme.

eatplusdrink:

Al Gelato on Robertson is starting up their annual “Free Gelato for a Year Contest".  

All you have to do is email them at algelatobeverlyhills@hotmail.com with “I Want Free Gelato!” in the subject line and you’re entered.

Here’s all the fine print:  Yes, that’s a free pint of gelato, any flavor of your choice, every single week for a full year, OMG! $400 OF GELATO FOR FREE!! The lucky contest winner will be drawn Nov. 1st, just in time for the holiday season! Double your chances and have your friends and family enter too! Just have them email us “I Want Free Gelato!“ and their name to algelatobeverlyhills@hotmail.com. (And if they win, you know they’ll share…maybe.) Last year’s winner, Stephanie Chan is waiting to hand over her Gelato Crown to a new winner! 

But wait there’s more…A COUPON FOR A FREE APPETIZER: Starting now through Aug., 31, 2013, purchase any full pasta and a drink on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and we’ll throw in one of 4 hot appetizers for free! That’s free Garlic Bread, free Mozzarella Sticks, free Breaded Zucchini, or NEW Cheesy Crostini Melts…that’s a $6.95 value, free! The best part is you can redeem this coupon over and over again through the end of August! Simply print this out OR show us on your phone during your visit. This offer is valid for sit down AND take-out orders. 

THE FINE PRINT FOR THE COUPON & GELATO FOR A YEAR CONTEST RULES:

The above coupon cannot be combined with other offers but you CAN use it over and over through August 31, 2013 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, all day and night. Enjoy. Only 1 redemption per table (or takeout order) per day - no exceptions. 

No purchase necessary to enter the gelato contest. Limit 1 entry per customer. All entries must be received by midnight on 10/31/13. The winner will be announced on November 1st, 2013 and will be notified by email. Contest winner will receive 1 pre-packed pint of gelato of their choice every week for 52 weeks! Prize is not transferable and must be picked up in person by the contest winner weekly. The winner agrees to have their name and photo taken for identification and promotional purposes. Prize may not be substituted for other products or cash. All contestants agree to receive notification by email regarding future Al Gelato promotions. For your privacy, Al Gelato does not (and will not ever) sell or share your information with any other company. Contest not open to current Al Gelato employees - sorry guys! GET READY FOR 52 WEEKS OF HOME MADE GELATO GOODNESS! 

Al Gelato on Robertson is starting up their annual “Free Gelato for a Year Contest”.  

All you have to do is email them at algelatobeverlyhills@hotmail.com with “I Want Free Gelato!“ in the subject line and you’re entered.

Here’s all the fine print:  Yes, that’s a free pint of gelato, any flavor of your choice, every single week for a full year, OMG! $400 OF GELATO FOR FREE!! The lucky contest winner will be drawn Nov. 1st, just in time for the holiday season! Double your chances and have your friends and family enter too! Just have them email us “I Want Free Gelato!” and their name to algelatobeverlyhills@hotmail.com. (And if they win, you know they’ll share…maybe.) Last year’s winner, Stephanie Chan is waiting to hand over her Gelato Crown to a new winner! 

But wait there’s more…A COUPON FOR A FREE APPETIZER: Starting now through Aug., 31, 2013, purchase any full pasta and a drink on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and we’ll throw in one of 4 hot appetizers for free! That’s free Garlic Bread, free Mozzarella Sticks, free Breaded Zucchini, or NEW Cheesy Crostini Melts…that’s a $6.95 value, free! The best part is you can redeem this coupon over and over again through the end of August! Simply print this out OR show us on your phone during your visit. This offer is valid for sit down AND take-out orders. 

THE FINE PRINT FOR THE COUPON & GELATO FOR A YEAR CONTEST RULES:

The above coupon cannot be combined with other offers but you CAN use it over and over through August 31, 2013 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, all day and night. Enjoy. Only 1 redemption per table (or takeout order) per day - no exceptions. 

No purchase necessary to enter the gelato contest. Limit 1 entry per customer. All entries must be received by midnight on 10/31/13. The winner will be announced on November 1st, 2013 and will be notified by email. Contest winner will receive 1 pre-packed pint of gelato of their choice every week for 52 weeks! Prize is not transferable and must be picked up in person by the contest winner weekly. The winner agrees to have their name and photo taken for identification and promotional purposes. Prize may not be substituted for other products or cash. All contestants agree to receive notification by email regarding future Al Gelato promotions. For your privacy, Al Gelato does not (and will not ever) sell or share your information with any other company. Contest not open to current Al Gelato employees - sorry guys! GET READY FOR 52 WEEKS OF HOME MADE GELATO GOODNESS! 

eatplusdrink:

Uber Ice Cream

It worked!  It only took about 30 minutes until we got thru via the Uber app but we got our Carvel ice cream sandwiches at our office in about 4 minutes.  Super fun.  Cute ice cream man.  The ice cream sandwiches were REALLY good.  AND they gave us some $20 off cards!!  Feels like a win-win to me!    

Uber Ice Cream starts at 11:00a!!!  Who’s getting an early batch?

eatplusdrink:

Uber Ice Cream On Demand!!

From Eater: Car service company Uber is bringing back its one-day on-demand ice cream truck promotion again this year, but this time they’ve expanded the offer to 33 cities around the world. You download the app, press the ice cream button, and if a truck is available, you and four to six friends will get a bunch of frozen treats and Uber swag within minutes. 

Uber has partnered with local ice cream trucks to make this all happen. The promo runs tomorrow, July 19, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m local time.

In the US, the ice cream delivery service will run you anywhere from $10 to $36, depending on the city, with the higher amounts appearing to serve larger groups of people. Trucks are limited, so it might “take a few tries" before you finally hook one. 

Uber Ice Cream On Demand!!

From Eater: Car service company Uber is bringing back its one-day on-demand ice cream truck promotion again this year, but this time they’ve expanded the offer to 33 cities around the world. You download the app, press the ice cream button, and if a truck is available, you and four to six friends will get a bunch of frozen treats and Uber swag within minutes. 

Uber has partnered with local ice cream trucks to make this all happen. The promo runs tomorrow, July 19, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m local time.

In the US, the ice cream delivery service will run you anywhere from $10 to $36, depending on the city, with the higher amounts appearing to serve larger groups of people. Trucks are limited, so it might “take a few tries” before you finally hook one. 

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

eatplusdrink:

Serendipity 3

I love ice cream and I love ice cream sundaes.  What is better than frozen, sweet milk topped with some sort of chocolate or caramel and whipped cream?  It doesn’t get much better.  

I really love ice cream sundaes at Serendipity 3 in New York.  Ten years ago, I could stroll up to their door, wander in and sit down for one of their awesome concoctions.  Not today.  Today there is a line around the block and you have to make reservations a month in advance.  Ah those were the days.

So you can imagine my delight when I found out there was a Serendipity 3 in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace - the hotel I was staying in!  It was a crazy miracle of miracles.  I immediately made a reservation for our post-Celine Dion concert and knew it would be a great way to finish off the evening.  My mother and aunt would LOVE it!

Not so much.  

Serendipity 3 in New York is this quaint store with an upstairs that just makes you want to fall in love with someone.  It’s cozy and special.  

The one in Las Vegas is huge.  Really huge.  And pink.  I know everything in Las Vegas is larger than life and I should have known but I wasn’t expecting this.  It was over run with teenagers, had a sticky floor and reeked of fried food.  There’s nothing I hate more than feeling my skin absorb the oil from the kitchen fryer when I want the exact opposite of that greasy burger and fries.

We sat down and had to flag down a waitress to ask for menus.  When she came back a good bit later, we immediately ordered sparkling water.  When it came, it was flat water.  There was a water spill on the floor near our table that was never cleaned up and when our sundaes came, they were kind of sad.  Small, unadorned, not very exciting at all.  It was a long driveway to a very small house as some would say.  A sad end to an almost perfect evening.

Heather Rating: Not Worth Going Again

Serendipity 3

I love ice cream and I love ice cream sundaes.  What is better than frozen, sweet milk topped with some sort of chocolate or caramel and whipped cream?  It doesn’t get much better.  

I really love ice cream sundaes at Serendipity 3 in New York.  Ten years ago, I could stroll up to their door, wander in and sit down for one of their awesome concoctions.  Not today.  Today there is a line around the block and you have to make reservations a month in advance.  Ah those were the days.

So you can imagine my delight when I found out there was a Serendipity 3 in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace - the hotel I was staying in!  It was a crazy miracle of miracles.  I immediately made a reservation for our post-Celine Dion concert and knew it would be a great way to finish off the evening.  My mother and aunt would LOVE it!

Not so much.  

Serendipity 3 in New York is this quaint store with an upstairs that just makes you want to fall in love with someone.  It’s cozy and special.  

The one in Las Vegas is huge.  Really huge.  And pink.  I know everything in Las Vegas is larger than life and I should have known but I wasn’t expecting this.  It was over run with teenagers, had a sticky floor and reeked of fried food.  There’s nothing I hate more than feeling my skin absorb the oil from the kitchen fryer when I want the exact opposite of that greasy burger and fries.

We sat down and had to flag down a waitress to ask for menus.  When she came back a good bit later, we immediately ordered sparkling water.  When it came, it was flat water.  There was a water spill on the floor near our table that was never cleaned up and when our sundaes came, they were kind of sad.  Small, unadorned, not very exciting at all.  It was a long driveway to a very small house as some would say.  A sad end to an almost perfect evening.

Heather Rating: Not Worth Going Again