savory desserts

Mostly the savory desserts I'm finding seem to be vegetarian--except for the disconcerting bacon trend...

but Yvonne Gatt at 9 Park is not only doing a fancy candied celery szechuan thing, she's also doing a beet cake! w/ mascarpone and fennel brulee

AND pain perdu (which also seems to be big, at least at Craft, which features pain perdu and olive oil cake and pumpkin ice cream (a la sundae bar fashion of course)...but Yvonne's pain perdu is with heirloom squash and fig. I liked Yvonne, when I trailed there--but they pay nothing (oh well).

Citizen Cake has buckwheat financiers with white chocolate-miso ice cream and some other things, and a kabocha squash (or is it pumpkin?) chestnut tart, AND some sort of mushroom ice cream(huh?) AND soba noodles in dessert....so i think they win the competition.

Eleven Madison Park has french toast (which may as well be pain perdu) w/ apples and bacon streusel.

I think we've already discussed Clio's hokkaido squash sorbet and chicory creme caramel...

I went to check out Rialto's menu but apparently they're closed and reopening with a new look and new style ("eat like an italian" the website boasts!?!) That just sent me racing to the James Beard site to see if they'd warned us of this new twist. I didn't much love the old Rialto--though I did relish seeing Cornel West out with a much younger white chick--but Italian?

I kind of want to learn from someone innovative. Though today I made tons of caramel--pistachio brittle, honey-pistachio brittle ice cream, lavender sauce, Ana Sortun's caramel popcorn with chili and nuts...I dirtied every pot in my kitchen and thought nostalgically of Cheffy and how we'd always brush down the pan, always clean the bubbles, adn how no one I've worked with sicne does those things. Dirty sugar, the shame. Though if I ever start baking naughty cakes, it'd be a good name.

I felt the spirit of Alice Waters guide my hand today as I shopped for my ridiculous Chez Panisse dinner party. The Shaws produce wasn't good enough. Everything came form Whole Foods and I almost--but didn't--bought Meyer Lemons for it because I know that's what Alice would want me to use.

Oh, Chez Panisse. A bientot, j'espere.