I believe in celebrating friendship and dare I say, love, as much as the next person, but I don’t understand the need to do it on the same day as everyone else. Valentine’s Day is a restaurateur’s day to make bank but it can also be a nightmare. People who are dating have unreasonable expectations of the evening, bookings are tight and except for real romantic moments, like the proffer of a ring from one diner to another in public there are as likely to be weeping breakups and tipsy loudness to deal with at the next table. Why not just skip it and the idea of a conventional dinner too and book a dessert reservation a few days before or after the holiday. Or you could make a luxurious chocolate soufflé for the person (s) you adore.
One of my favorite moves is making reservations for dessert only. On evenings when restaurants are likely to not be completely booked they may become your co-conspirator to create something special. This is especially fun if you’re planning a “galantine’s” celebration, or just want to let a friend know you appreciate them. Why eat all the calories that come before dessert when you can just go and order everything on the dessert menu or one luscious chocolate soufflé? Dress up, but not too much and definitely nothing with a tight waistline. I’ve experienced versions of this luxurious wallowing in pastry chef technique throughout my life. They’ve all become lasting memories.
My first experience of feeding my inner love child through sweetness was as a young cookbook author lunching with my editor Ann Bramson at Lafayette in the Drake Hotel in New York City. Jean-Georges Vongerichten was being declared “a gifted prodigy” in the kitchen working under Chef Louis Outhier. We ordered everything on the dessert menu.
My personal favorite indulgence meal occurred in the early aughts at Gelateria di San Crispino in Rome. I was so devoted to their gelato that I convinced them to allow me to make a reservation for the one table in the gelateria and to create a multi-course “meal” for me with flavors that ranged from bracing sorbetto “antipasti” to creamy “primi” and a liquor infused trio for “dolci”. They thought I was nuts and I didn’t care at all. I ate behind a red velvet rope savoring each spoonful. I was loving on myself. Did I take pictures? No. Did I write down what each of the twelve flavors I consumed were? No. I just let the cold dairy sweet smoothness transport me.
For a Good Food story, producer Gillian Ferguson and I made an afternoon appointment for a table side mille feuilles experience at Spago. We giggled our way through. It’s not just about eating sweets. It’s that you take the time to plan and sink into it. An appointment for dessert is unexpected, bizarrely risqué and the perfect kind of wacky.
Where would I go if I were planning such an evening tonight? If I wanted to have the dessert appointment at home I’d pickup several cake slices from Hannah Ziskin at House of Gluten. Hmm. Going out, I’d start the day at Republique for a breakfast of everything I always wanted to order from Margarita Manzke’s pastry case and didn’t because I thought we should only order one thing. Or I might beg to be allowed to come for dessert dinner. I’d ask Mother Wolf for either a late or early reservation to fall into a vat of Shannon Swindle’s work. Oh and I’d take the Maritozzi to go for breakfast to keep the love going.
Evan, I would love to write you directly regarding My new cook book Bitter Sweet: A Wartime Journal and Heirloom Recipes from Occupied France.
Warmly,
Kitty Morse
Hi Evan!
I love your posts. How may I get a hold of you directly?
Kitty Morse, cookbook author