Ciao Bella, Boston, Massachusetts

A casual, chic Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Boston. It can be found among the lively restaurants and shops along Newbury Street.


Presentation:
Served in a medium height round ramekin on a dinner plate. Garnished with fruit.

Crust:
Medium crust with classic sweet taste.

Custard:
Served warm. Very thick density. There is a very curious taste within the custard of this dessert. It almost tastes like a hint of cookie batter or something similar to that. There is no vanilla taste to it.

Overall Impression:
In general, I do not prefer the taste of the custard so that really reflects on my review. The taste of the custard was really the only thing that stood out to me. The crust and garnish are unremarkable. The texture and density did not combine well in comparison to many other crème brûlées.

Rating:
1/5

The Oceanaire, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Oceanaire has been heralded by many reviewers for its service and excellent fresh seafood selection. This upscale chain offers a specialized menu focused logically on seafood.


Presentation:
Presentation is simple, and somewhat whimsical. A clamshell shaped deep to shallow gradient ramekin placed upon a dinner plate with chocolate wafer cookies as a garnish. This is a large crème brûlée so be prepared to share.

Crust:
The crust is moderate to heavy in thickness. It is toward the upper end of the hardness scale. It catches some of the spice from custard which adds to the generally sweet taste.

Custard:
True to the menu description, this is a five-spice orange crème brûlée. There is a strong cinnamon taste mixed with the orange flavor which yields an all together unpleasant taste to my palate. The texture is not smooth and the density is too light considering the rough texture of the custard. The consistency varies from the light rough custard to almost liquid in portions in the middle which I found equally unfavorable. The is also an after-taste in this custard which I believe is some egg product or egg substitute which makes for a third companion to its unfavorable qualities.

Overall Impression:
I honestly didn't really think I wanted to order this when I read it on the menu and I am disappointed to report that my gut instinct was absolutely correct. This is the first crème brûlée that I would actually recommend anybody who doesn't already know they're particularly fond of orange-spice flavoring steer clear from. There is nothing to this dessert that would ever make me want to order it again. The custard is by far the worst aspect of the desert; and really that should always be the highlight of any great crème brûlée.

Rating:
0/5 (I realize this isn't in the definitions, but just read it as "Don't order this.")

Royal Carribean Cruise Line, Off the Shore of Cozumel, Mexico

This was a featured dessert one of the nights on a Royal Caribbean cruise. It's technically not a true crème brûlée, the second such dessert to end up on this blog, it's called the BBB (Banana Bailey's irish cream Brûlée). Not much to be described with the Royal Caribbean dining experience as I'm sure anyone who's taken a cruise can relate.

(Photo coming soon)

Presentation:
Medium height ramekin on a dessert plate and garnished with a strawberry half.

Crust:
Crust is thick and somewhat grainy in texture.

Custard:
Custard is warm and actually closer to a liquid consistency as opposed to the classic custard. It has a very strong banana flavor which is accompanied well by the Bailey's.

Overall Impression:
My impression was that this dessert was rather gimmicky and rather generally disappointing. The liquid consistency of the custard was very unexpected and while the taste was generally good it mostly feels like a very liquid Jello in the mouth and the overall disappointment of the crust made it a rather strange concoction. Overall, I would say the taste is good, although a bit too strong, but the texture combinations are bad.

Rating:
1/5
(Again, I realize this isn't really a crème brûlée; it's actually a cream brûlée.)

The Columbia, Tampa, Florida

This is a highly regarded Cuban restaurant in Ybor City near downtown Tampa. They offer entertaining flamenco dancing most nights which is a fun time to watch. They do not technically offer a crème brûlée, but rather "creme catalana" is on the menu. It is in the same family though as a crème brûlée so I'll still give you my opinion.

Presentation:
Fairly simple low brown ramekin on a dinner plate. The server will pour sugar on top and caramelize it at the table side which is impressive.

Crust:
Classic sugar crust which is fairly delicate and adds a good flavor. Occasional charring is present, although I'm sure this varies widely between each dessert as it is done by each server.

Custard:
Apparently what makes this a crème catalana as opposed to brûlée is that Spanish cream is used instead of the classic custard. According to my research, the two are similar but it seems there may be a gelatin aspect to Spanish cream which is typically absent from custard. At the Columbia it is chilled but the top portion of the cream heats up thanks to the table side torching. The vanilla taste is very muted if present at all. There is a definite flavor that resonates strongly with this cream, but I could not put my finger on what it is. The most disappointing aspect to this cream is that it had a very grainy texture which was puzzling at the least to eat.

Overall Impression:
Overall, this is a different flavor than I was expecting when I asked for the best "crème brûlée" at my hotel. In some ways that is good, but overall I would say it's disappointing to someone looking for a true crème brûlée. The grainy texture of the cream was the biggest downside to this dessert. It is definitely edible and has potential, but I would likely not order it again.

Rating:
1/5
(Despite the rating scale stating "this is crème brûlée, that's all" I realize this technically isn't crème brûlée. Kudos to anybody who catches me on that.)

Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, Oklahoma City, OK

Fabulous steakhouse in the heart of Bricktown in Oklahoma City. I must recommend their featured smoked steaks, they may be the most unique and savory steak I've every eaten.

(Sorry, no picture of the crème brûlée)

Presentation:
Served in a traditional low oval-shaped ramekin. Slice strawberry garnish placed on top.

Crust:

Moderate to thick crust that is traditional in every sense. It was slightly charred which came across in the taste in certain sections.

Custard:
Served cool to room temp. Very light and fluffy texture that tended toward being too light and not thick enough. The taste was acceptable with hints of vanilla, but is slightly too sweet and not otherwise remarkable.

Overall Impression:
Unimpressed. Very traditional and few risks taken here, and thus few rewards for crème brûlée-craving taste buds.

Rating: 1/5