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Campfire S’Mores Cake
Scratch by Sarah
Willis, Texas
Creator: Sarah Lowitzer
Price: Varies by size
An elaborate display combining homemade toasted marshmallow, buttery graham crust and chocolate ganache.
Whipped cheesecake
Restaurant 715
Lawrence, Kansas
Creator: Kelly Conwell
Price: $13
A deconstructed cheesecake: Whipped cheesecake, brown-butter sourdough crumble, orange, rhubarb jam, fresh strawberries, and fresh mint. A combination of different textures along with sweet, salty, sour and savory flavors.
Magic Mushroom
Huntress Steak House
San Diego
Creator: Melanie Stagnaro
Price: $18
Peanut butter mousse, huckleberry jam, dark chocolate
Wrecking Ball
Barton G. Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Fla.
Creator: Barton G. Weiss
Price: $300
In keeping with Barton G.’s famously theatrical presentation, this dessert for a group features 24-karat gold “savage” red velvet cheesecake filled with cream cheese frosting, white & dark chocolate ganache over 24-karat gold candy glass. The dessert is wheeled in on a seven-foot crane, a wire is cut dropping the cake through the candy glass table
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Waterbar
San Francisco
Creator: Erica Land
Price: $12
A warm, caramelly Sticky Toffee Pudding is a beautiful thing, and this is a beautiful Sticky Toffee Pudding, made with fresh Medjool dates, maple, brown sugar and topped with mascarpone. This dessert was also featured on the Food Network on “Beat Bobby Flay.”
Firefly Lemon Tartufo
Esquire by Coopers Hawk
Chicago
Creator: Matt McMillon
Price: $14
A tribute to the very first movie shown at the iconic Esquire Theatre, “The Firefly,” in 1938. Served on a black plate playing backdrop as the night sky, the lemon gelato tartufo signifies the moon while the yellow candies symbolize fireflies dancing in the moonlight.
Crème Brulee Tart
Mala Tavern
Lahaina, Hawaii
Creator: Alvin “The Kitchen Assassin” Savella
Price: $14
Salted crème brulee, with bits of cherry cake, whipped cream. A spin on the classic dish, but this one is gluten free, made with rice flour.
Homemade cheesecake
Vestry
New York City
Creator: Shaun Hergatt
Price: $15
Secret blend of cheeses, honeycrisp apple, ginger, hazelnut, chow mein noodles. The dessert is presented as a wedge of Swiss cheese with a mouse chasing it — tail and all. The dish itself is a nod to NYC’s affinity for cheesecake.
Chocolate Chili Tart
Ellie’s Restaurant
Dallas
Creator: Dan Landsberg
Price: $11
An elevated take on the classic chocolate tart, Ellie's leverages iconic southern and Tex-Mex inspired flavors like smoked bacon brittle and chili to create an unexpectantly decadent dessert.
Cinnamon Pistachio Butter Cake with an Orange Glaze and Vanilla Ice Cream
Martini’s Grille
Burlington, Iowa
Creator: Olivia Mellinger
Price: $12
A smooth butter cake is given texture with crushed pistachios and spice from cinnamon that pairs with a light orange glaze on top for a balance of sweet and spice.
Eight Layer Carrot Cake
JRDN
San Diego
Creator: Christian Molle
Price: $12
This local winner of best dessert in San Diego three years running is a classic. It’s served with caramel corn as a compliment. And both ginger and yuzu are used in the cream cheese icing , which gives it a Japanese flair that ties it to the restaurant’s menu.
Missionary Crisp
Better than Sex, A Dessert Restaurant
Key West, Fla.
Creator: Dani Johnson
Price: $13
Red Delicious skin-on apples, layer cake, a sea-salt graham-cracker crumble, soft caramel, cinnamon, cracked caramel candy as a garnish and vanilla bean ice cream.
Textures of Chocolate
Mohonk Mountain House
New Paltz, N.Y.
Creator: Audrey Billups
Price: $16
A study in chocolate featuring Valrhona chocolates: caramelia, guanaja and cocoa powder.
Meyer Lemon Chess Tart
Plank Seafood Provisions
City: Austin, Texas
Creator: Flagship Restaurant Group
Price: $12
Blueberries, coconut milk and buttermilk crumb made in-house with locally or responsibly sourced ingredients.
Strawberry Chocolate and Brie Mousse
Canoe
Atlanta
Creator: Jessica McKinney
Price: $11
Valrhona strawberry chocolate, bruléed brie, pretzel and basil. This dessert was inspired by the chef’s grandmother’s Christmas Eve recipe.
Diplomate Mousse Pinecone Cake
Soby’s New South Cuisine
Greenville, S.C.
Creator: Tarciani Harger
Price: $9
Chocolate cake, caramel and hazelnut crunch in a pinecone-shaped shell on a plate garnished with pistachio “moss” and crumbled cake to resemble the ground.
Vacherin with Carrot, Cream Cheese & Pecan
The Musket Room
New York City
Creator: Executive Pastry Chef Camari Mick
Price: $16
This meringue dessert is presented on ribbons of carrots with pecans.
Bill-E’s Chocolate Belly
Bill-E’s
Fairhope, Ala.
Creator: Bill. E. Stitt
Price: $12.99
Bill-E's savory pork belly bites and sweet salted caramel bites covered with bourbon brown sugar glaze and topped with a smoked cherry.
Honey Lemon Cheesecake
Naples Sailing and Yacht Club
Naples, Fla.
Creator: Michael Kitun
Price: $12
This gorgeous mini Honey Lemon Cheesecake is garnished with lemon, honey and honeycomb.
