Happy Gnome, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Happy Gnome is a local pub and restaurant near the Summit/Grand Avenue areas of St. Paul. It is apparently among the 125 best places to have a beer before you die. It also has a great patio for summer days.


Presentation:
Served in a low round bowl atop a medium-sized plate. Garnished with a raspberry on top of the crust.

Crust:
Crust is thin and no evidence of charring.

Custard:
Custard is good and has a touch of banana flavor to it. A touch too liquidy/soft. Service slightly cool.

Overall Impression:
Classic creme brulee with banana flavor in the custard. Overall good, but nothing amazing.

Rating:

2/5

Zazou, Redondo Beach, California

Zazou is a cozy contemporary restaurant in Redondo Beach just south of LAX.


Presentation:
Served in a low round bowl-like ramekin atop a dinner plate. No garnish.

Crust:
Medium thickness. Very hard. Classic flavor.

Custard:
Soft, low density custard. Consistent through out as far as density goes, but the temperature varied widely between cool and warm (presumably from where the crust was torched longer). Classic vanilla flavor, but not real strong at all.

Overall Impression:
Classic creme brulee, but the crust's hardness made it a bit less enjoyable. The subdued flavor is actually quite pleasant, although not particular memorable.

Rating:
2/5

Pittsburgh Blue Steak and Chop House, Maple Grove, Minnesota

The Pittsburgh Blue is a suburban steakhouse cousin to a group popular restaurants in the Twin Cities area. They offer top quality steaks in an upscale atmosphere.

Presentation:
Served in a medium height round ramekin on a salad sized plate. No garnish

Crust:
Moderate thickness and hardness. Touch of charring on the top and tasted like there was more.

Custard:
Strong vanilla flavor. Density and consistency were moderate.

Overall Impression:
This is another pretty standard creme brulee. High quality and good overall, but rather unexciting beyond the fact that it's creme brulee.

Rating:

2/5

Bacio, Minnetonka, Minnesota

Bacio is a contemporary Italian restaurant in the middle of the western Minneapolis suburbs. The decor is a very appealing combination of classic stone arches and with smooth wooden compliments.

Presentation:
Served in medium height round ramkin on a dinner plate. No garnish.

Crust:
Average crust, no charring, moderate hardness and thickness.

Custard:
Pretty typical custard with a strong vanilla flavor. A bit on the light side, but overall it is decent.

Overall Impression:
Average creme brulee. Not bad, but I don't think I'll remember it very long. Actually, it was really hard to do the post because even 12 hours later it's hard to remember anything specific about it.

Rating:
2/5

Kozy's, Edina, Minnesota

Kozy's is an upscale steak and fish place in Minnesota's Galleria shopping center. It's independently owned and operated which is always nice.

I must admit, I'm a bit out of practice. I have definitely slowed down the pace after changing jobs and not traveling 3 times a month. I will continue to post as I find restaurants serving dessert in its purest form. (I think you can guess what that is.)

(Sorry for the poor image, i really need to carry a real camera instead of using my phone...)

Presentation:
Served in a traditional oval medium height ramekin. Garnished with a sliced strawberry.

Crust:
Thin, delicate crust with no charring. Slightly less sweet than some.

Custard:
The custard was served slightly cool. The density and texture were unique and a bit more pudding consistency instead of the traditional firm custard. It had a very strong and pleasant vanilla flavor.

Overall Impression:
Overall, it had been over a month since my last dose of creme brulee. It was great to get a fix again, I hardly knew how much I had missed it! I definitely enjoyed the custard much more than I usually do when the density and texture are so soft. The flavor is good and I think it is a solid creme brulee overall.

Rating:
2/5

The Olive Bar/Acqua Restaurant, San Diego, California

The bar/restaurant in the San Diego Hilton Mission Bay Resort and Hotel. Pretty standard hotel restaurant although they do offer tables next to fire pits for a warm cozy morning or evening meal outdoors.

(I have the photo somewhere, just have to find it)

Presentation:
Served in a round bowl of medium depth. Garnished with strawberries.

Crust:
Crust was thin and not burnt with a classic flavor.

Custard:
Custard was light with definite vanilla overtones. The texture was moist and light almost to the point of a pudding consistency.

Overall Impression:
Pretty typical acceptable creme brulee except with slightly more liquidy custard than I prefer. Overall, it's pretty classic nothing really impresses or detracts. It does come in a pretty good size so it can easily be shared without feeling like you don't get a full dessert.

Rating:
2/5

Flame, Roseville, Minnesota

Flame is a classic American grill that definitely enjoys and likes to display fire (hence the name, or did the name before the fire...)


Presentation:
Served in a medium height wide round ramekin on a medium sized dessert plate. Topped with a mound of colored powdered sugar.

Crust:
Crust is medium to light in thickness and density. The taste is classical.

Custard:
Very strong vanilla flavor. Density is light but a bit thicker than the "whipped cream" style creme brulees. It is very consistent though and does not lean toward liquidity at all which is nice. The temperature is cool.

Overall Impression:
Overall I think this was a very pleasant creme brulee. It isn't gonna blow you out of the water in any way, but the classic vanilla taste along with a well done crust makes for an overall pleasant dessert that was the highlight of my meal there. The powdered sugar definitely added something new for me. I've seen it dusted lightly on the top of crusts before, but never piled on as it was for this one. It made for a fun textural dichotomy which I definitely enjoyed.

Rating:
3/5

Blue Point, Wayzata, Minnesota

Blue Point is an upscale seafood restaurant in downtown Wayzata, a small suburb to the west of Minneapolis. They offer a wide variety of fresh seafood and are located across from Lake Minnetonka.

(sorry, the color is off cuz I took this with my camera phone and the light was dim)

Presentation:
Served in a deep ramekin placed on a medium saucer. Garnished with a few pieces of fruit.

Crust:
Crust is hard with a classic flavor. There was a moderate amount of charring which was clear but not overwhelming.

Custard:
Custard is very soft and almost liquid. Strong vanilla flavor.

Overall Impression:
Overall, an average crème brûlée. The charring on the crust was noticable and detracts slightly from the flavor. The density and consistency is a bit too liquid for my liking. But overall, it fits the bill, but don't expect to be impressed.

Rating:
2/5

Whole Foods Market, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Whole Foods Market is a specialty grocery store, with a vast array of organic, high-quality, and locally grown food. They offer crème brûlée in the pastry/bakery section refrigerated area in small plastic containers. The first "non-restaurant" post for this blog. There were no directions or instructions on preparation for it, so I think it is basically up to you.


Presentation:
Obviously, this one is left up to the customer for the most part. As previously mentioned they it comes in a clear plastic container (with a tiny little spork attached) and is made in a round deep plastic ramekin.

Crust:
Hardly a "crust." It is actually extremely soft and provides no resistance to the small plastic utensil I used to eat it. The taste is classic though and does provide the sweet accent.

Custard:
Very strong vanilla flavor. The density is very light and a bit more moist than would be prefered. I ate it shortly after purchasing it, so it was quite cold since it was coming from the refridgerated section, but obviously this could be changed if desired.

Overall Impression:
Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised from the little super-market crème brûlée, but I also didn't go in with any expectations. I think the lack of a real crust really takes away from the experience. The tasty custard was good and definitely the right flavor, although the consistency was a bit too liquidy for my liking. I would say, if you're passing picking up groceries and feel a crème brûlée craving that you want to satisfy on the way home, this is your best bet. Beyond that, don't expect any more.

Rating:
2/5

Fogo de Chao, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Fogo de Chao is an upscale Brazilian steakhouse chain serving 13 different cuts of meat on sizzling skewers. It is truly a haven for carnivores.

Presentation:
Served in a low circular ramekin on a large dinner plate. The detailing around the edge of the dinner plate was special since the desert was for a special occasion.

Crust:
Crust is moderate in thickness with classic sweet taste.

Custard:
Room temperature custard (may be slightly cool). The density is moderate and consistent throughout. It has a strong vanilla flavor and rich custard flavor as well.

Overall Impression:
Overall, this is a good classic creme brulee. Nothing extravagant. Few risks, but generally well executed. The only recommendation I might make is to serve the custard either cool or warm. I think room temperature is just too unexciting.

Rating:
3/5