What We’re Eating Now

Dessert is a tricky subject for me. I don’t like them overly sweet, and I am tired of edible “soil,” which is so 2010. Seems that every time I order something from a dessert menu, I get saccharine sweetness or something with dirt. More often than not, I opt for cheese. But I had a pleasant surprise recently at Étoile Cuisine et Bar when I tasted the dark chocolate pastilla. Not-too-sweet smooth and warm chocolate is held together by a paper-thin crispy crust that cracks when one’s spoon touches it. Mango gel and coconut ice cream accompany this dish, and while I loved the chocolate on its own, mixing it with a bit of the gel created a perfect bite. And, guess what? No soil on this plate.