Spot Dessert Bar, NYC

It is probably no surprise to you that I research every restaurant I visit, in advance.  I very, very rarely visit a restaurant without researching it first.  Particularly when it comes to a critical meal like dessert.

And yet, I did just that, in New York of all places, where I have extensive notes on places I want to go, and many favorites.

The reason?  We went to Momofuku Noodle Bar for dinner (review here), and decided to move elsewhere for dessert, since the environment there just wasn't comfortable.  I was with a local though, who recommended Spot Dessert Bar, and he's been many times.

So, to Spot we went, just a few blocks away.  I shed a tear as we passed a favorite froyo shop, but, I trusted his leadership.  And ... its good for me not to be the one in control all the time, right?

And also, uh, we were going to a "dessert bar", so, it sounded promising.

"This is Spot, a dessert bar like no other, home to a whole new world of delicious flavors and tastes.
At Spot, Dessert Bar, traditional confections are re-imagined and spiked with a healthy dose of Asian Flare.
Thanks to unique ingredients like Green Tea, Kobacha, Yuzu and more. Out desserts pack innovative flavors and unexpected benefits into every bite. Spot Dessert Bar is truly one of a kind."

Ok, a dessert bar, with seasonal frequently changing items, and asian flair?  I could get behind this.

Entrance.

The entrance was located down a stairwell, and although it looked "creepy", that was just due to their early Halloween decorations.

Seating.

Spot actually does table service, even though at first glance it looks like you'd order at the register in front.  There aren't that many seats, but we got the last table.

Luckily, they recently opened another location right down the street as well, and since we got the last table, we saw others directed there instead.

Seasonal Dessert Menu.

Menus were provided, laminated style with photos.  Not exactly classy, but, practical?

The first page was the seasonal desserts, and I'll admit, they did look and sound interesting.  Nearly every dish came with ice cream or sorbet of some sort.

The problem is that we weren't really hungry after our Momofuku feast.  We just wanted somewhere to keep chatting, and a little something.  It was hard to settle on just one item for the group, but, we did (half the options were easily ruled out due to caffeine (chocolate or matcha), so, that helped.

Drinks, Cookies, Ice Cream.

The back side of the menu contained all the drinks, a large range of coffee, tea, and bubble tea (served in lightbulbs of course), asian flavors of ice cream, and some cookies.  Oh, and baked alaska.

Great Looking Cookies!

I'm not normally one drawn in by cookies, but we saw these in the case, and they looked great.  Obviously I was drawn in by the marshmallow.  My peanut butter loving companion was easily on board to get one.  It also helped make a decision, we could get one big item, and one cookie, no need to pick just one thing!

GF Peanut Butter Cookie. $3.95.

The cookie was served warm, which was nice.

I did love the toasted marshmallow on top, soft, sweet, fluffy.

But the cookie itself was ... clearly gluten-free.  The texture just left something to be desired.  Mushy.  It had ok peanut butter flavor.

There was also an unexpected layer of chocolate under the marshmallow and above the cookie, which was unfortunate, as two of us, including the person who selected it, do not eat caffeine at night.

So overall ... eh.  We all took a chunk, and the rest went unfinished.  Except the toasted marshmallow of course.  Someone took care of that.  It was great.

Golden Toast.

"Crispy honey buttered toast, condensed milk ice cream, fresh strawberries, cookie crumbs, whipped cream."

For our one main dessert, we went for the Golden Toast.  While most of the menu rotates, this is a fixture, so I assumed it would be great.  Plus, its been ages since I have had a dessert like this.

The toast arrived quickly.  Too quickly, really, for a hot item.

The toast was ... warm, toasted, but certainly not hot.  It didn't cause the ice cream to melt.  It was very crispy, but a bit fluffy inside.  Partially cut into 6 cubes, but, not cut all the way through, so it was hard to get a chunk out.  The texture and flavor weren't anything special though.

The toast also was absolutely soaked in honey.  Oops.  I should have read the menu more carefully.  I guess that is what makes it "golden"?  I was expecting sweetened condensed milk (something I love), not honey (something I rarely like).  So the toast itself?  Basically a flop for me.

The whipped cream was fairly generic, but the condensed milk ice cream was a nice surprise.  The flavor was unique, very, uh, milk forward?  And sweet, but not cloying.  I liked it, particularly with the cookie crumbs on the platter, and the decent enough strawberries.

I applaud Spot for serving both whipped cream and ice cream with the dish.  This girl loves her sides, and often is torn between ice cream or whipped cream as the "proper" choice.

So in the end, I enjoyed the ice cream, cookie bits, whip, and fruit ... just not the main attraction.  I clearly wouldn't get this again, but did leave satisfied.