In Happy Endings, food critic Scott Reitz travels part of the globe that says "Dallas" in search of great desserts and great places to eat them. This is the second in an occasional series.
If you're dining on Greenville Avenue and you've got a discerning palate for sweets, there's a high degree of likelihood you're not impressed with the dessert menu that's just been handed to you. Let's be honest: Desserts tend to be an afterthought in menu development. After the appetizers are dreamed up, after the main courses are developed and tested, restaurateurs tackle dessert, usually by calling a bakery and ordering cakes in chocolate, carrot and cheese.
After the desserts are stored in the walk-in for no less than two weeks, they're sliced into wedges so large they could be used to chock up a plane. You should calculate the caloric cost of such a dessert, considering what preceded it. Like that mac and cheese side dish you ordered to share with your date, which you casually pulled to your side of the table while whistling a tuneless whistle and then devoured yourself entirely.
Instead of compounding the coming coma, skip dessert and go for a walk. You could use one, and Katherine Clapner's newest Dude Sweet chocolate shop opened recently, just across the street from Teppo and Single Wide.
Inside you'll find a scores of dessert options, all in a shade of brown, that are small enough to prevent further feelings of shame but carry big enough flavors to actually satisfy you.
I could go on and on about the Flower Child Truffle made with bergamot, a small, acidic fruit often used to lace Earl Gray tea with citrus, in such small quantities it's only detectable if you close your eyes and wish, and jasmine, which is stronger, but not strong enough to conjure Grandma's perfume. But it's really better you experience it for yourself. In fact, those who ask nicely can sample slivers of the Flower Child Truffle, the Blackstrap Truffle, and a truffle that's laced with the smoky peat of Laphroig Scotch whiskey. There are chocolate sausages, too, which sound odd but are delicious, packed with dates and figs and cocoa nibs. And chocolate bars, and nuts dipped in chocolate, and ...
And to think you were actually considering that commodity cheesecake topped with blueberry compote, likely pulled from a can.
Dude, Sweet Chocolate, 1925 Greenville Avenue, 469-334-0125, dudesweetchocolate.com
