East City Grill, Weston, Florida - Part Deux

Still the same modern style dinner restaurant. With a destinctive flair and many exciting options. This is a second entry because the apparently the pastry chef has changed at East City Grill and with the changing of the guard so has crème brûlée.


Presentation:
Served in a traditional low-to-medium height ramekin on a decorative plate. Garnished with blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. The easiest change to see initially is the change from the almond lace crust bowl to a standard dish.

Crust:
The crust has not changed remarkably. Crust is hard but not overly thick. Sweet and complements the dessert very well. This particular rendition had no hint of charring.

Custard:
The custard itself is also unchanged save for the removal of the submerged strawberries. This still stands as the best combination of strong vanilla taste with sweet taste and a very light pleasant texture.

Overall Impression:
Occasionally in life things come around that change the little things we so appreciated before. These changes are what makes one truly appreciate when those details remained in the original form. This crème brûlée is a very small example of such a change. The removal of the almond lace bowl and the slice strawberries in the bottom of the custard are small changes but remove two aspects that were the reasons I rated it so highly the first time. They were the incremental details that really made this unique. Unfortunately the inevitable drop in rating due to its more average appearance will be a slight black mark against what still is a superior crème brûlée. The taste of the custard still remains extremely fun tasteful. The combination of the crust and fruit (albeit on the side now) is still a flavor playground in your mouth. However, the small details which helped this dessert ascend to the top before will result in its drop to upper tier instead.

Rating:
4/5

Il Toscano, Weston, Florida

A snazzy Italian restaurant that prides itself on service and real quality Italian food.

Presentation:
Presented in a shallow ramekin on a dinner plate garnished with a strawberry and a dollop of whipped cream along side 3 small drops of raspberry sauce.

Crust:
Medium thickness and moderate hardness. Classic taste with a touch of charring in some sections.

Custard:
Slightly warm custard with a very smooth and moderately thick density. A touch of grand marnier lends a slightly sweet orange taste. No evident vanilla taste. Overall, somewhat bland.

Overall Impression:
One thing to mention about the crème brûlée at Il Toscano is that it is not on the regular desert menu and is only available as a special. This may speak to why it's as unimpressive as it is. Overall, this is just a classic crème brûlée with no unique features. Overall it has a good taste, but nothing stands out. The lack of a strong flavor in the custard really stands out even though the density is quite good.

Rating:
2/5

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.)

East City Grill, Weston, Florida

Their website describes them well. A friendly and familiar dinner locale that retains a sleek sophistication and offers a plethora of unique and tantalizing creations.

Presentation:
Served in a almond lace crisp crust ramekin on a oval plate with fresh berries and pineapple rum caramel sauce.

Crust:
Crust is hard but not overly thick. Sweet and complements the dessert very well. Can be a bit over charred occasionally.

Custard:
By far the highlight of this dessert! The density is very light in comparison to classic crème brûlée, it almost feels like whipped mouse. The custard is slightly cool. It has a strong vanilla taste with submerged strawberries lurking deep within to add a sweet flare.

Overall Impression:
Overall one of the best and most unique crème brûlée desserts you will find. The almond crust bowl can be broken into pieces and dipped into the custard to eat with your hands. The mixture of the almond, vanilla, and strawberry with the creamy whipped construction results in an incredibly enjoyable dessert experience.


Rating: 5/5