Savor LA, Desserts Edition!

Imagine a flurry of Colors within a white room. You're surrounded by dainty delectable desserts on tables piled high with the selection of the sweet and savory. I had no idea where to start when I arrived at Savor LA, the Dessert Edition. $35 granted one admission to an "all you can sample" buffet of treats from all over southern california. I wanted to try everything at once! Thankfully my good friend Deborah was able to keep her cool and developed a quick game plan: start in the room with the most variety of desserts and meander to the room with speciality coffees and chocolate treats. I sampled a Vanilla Cupcake Sandwich with Salted Caramel frosting slathered in between the two muffins, heavenly!

We eventually made our way to the next room where we sampled a variety of brownies from Sweets for the Soul. Their flavors included: Double chocolate, Milk chocolate, and my personal Favorite: Obama Brownie (using both white and dark chocolate). There was toffee of a variety of flavors including rosemary flavored (not a fan for future reference) and even cupcakes on a stick!

I made no effort to "take it easy" on the sweets even though I had 6 cavities filled that morning. (I promise this is not an indication of my sugar intake, rather a reflection on my lack of dental care until a few months ago.). The smattering of sweets was more an opportunity to break my teeth in for what was to come! Next time, I would get there earlier, as many of the vendors had already run out by the time we arrived, but we still had a great time overall!

Beautiful Birthday Cake!

This is what I'm calling a "fake blog entry," with the whole purpose being to show off the beautiful cake my sister and I made for a dear friend's birthday. Notice the edible sprinkles , pearlized personalization, and white chocolate shavings garnishing the edges.

Chocolate Spring Rolls: Eat With Your Hands!

I love eating with my hands and this dessert is the perfect excuse!

This treat is a tasty twist from the traditional Chinese spring roll, the first difference being that after a typical dinner at Nobu, you actually have room for dessert. It’s not that the portions are small or that you haven’t eaten enough, rather the cuisine is just lighter than we’re accustom to in our typical American diet.

All of the desserts are unusual at Nobu, but the Chocolate Spring Rolls stand out amongst its sibling sweets. The dish comes with four egg rolls: two dark chocolate and two white, accompanied by a trio of dipping sauces and a scoop of strawberry ice cream nestled in a thin cookie tart shell.

I must confess that the white chocolate spring roll dipped in the caramel sauce is my favorite combination, to the point where I will change the order to strictly indulge in this altered grouping. Luckily none of my dinner dates protest! This is a petit enough dessert to eat yourself, if you’re a big dessert fan like myself, or for more normal individuals to share.

Be warned that the filling floods your mouth upon the first bite and there is no strategy to avoid double dipping. It’s inevitability.

Sprinkles, Palo Alto, worth the wait?

Many individuals, far and wide, have been eagerly awaiting the opening of Sprinkles Cupcakes first Bay Area branch. This is evidence from the long line snaking outside the shop during opening week. Has word of Sprinkles spread from SoCal to cause this instant popularity or are these the die-hard groupies who have been online voting with multiple e-mail addresses for the next location? It's tough to say, but the people in front and back of me in line were from San Francisco, a good 45 minute drive from the Sprinkles Stanford Shopping Center location in Palo Alto. Can cupcakes really be worth a 45 minute drive, you ask. Yes. Of course it's much more convenient if you happen to have a reason to in the area, but the cupcake makes the ride back more than bearable. Granted the shop is new, so they're learning about all those crucial aspects we take for granted like: frosting to cake ratio and the moisture consistency of a winning cupcake, but overall its a quality cupcake and well worth the wait. I'll leave you with my top three recommendations: cinnamon sugar, red velvet and vanilla milk chocolate, in that order.