December is a time to look back and reflect on the year that was. Berks County Eats is taking a look back at the best of the best from more than 50 restaurants and 10 festivals we visited in 2014. This week: Our Top Five Favorite Desserts.
Appetizers make the first impression, but dessert creates a lasting memory. It’s the last thing you eat, but certainly not the least important part of your meal. Here’s a look back at five of the sweetest, most creative desserts we tried in the past year:
Banana Cream Delight – Austin’s Restaurant and Bar
Imagine a banana cream pie turned inside-out. That’s the best description I have for Austin’s banana cream delight. It starts with a bed of graham cracker crumbs. Then you add on sliced bananas, a heaping helping of custard and a dollop of whipped cream. The custard was good enough to eat on its own, but together with everything else, it was incredible.
Banana Split Arctic Swirl – Schell’s Dairy Swirl
Dairy Queen has their Blizzards, but if you want a soft serve treat in Berks County, it has to be an Arctic Swirl at Schell’s. The banana split version includes vanilla soft serve, fresh banana and bits of strawberry to create a cool treat. It’s the perfect dessert for a retro eatery like Schell’s.
Key Lime Tart and Banans Foster Cheesecake – Viva Bistro & Lounge
The only thing better than dessert is two desserts. With Viva’s Duets menu, the $35.99 dinner for two included your choice of two mini desserts. The key lime tart was sweet enough to make my mouth pucker and the cheesecake was extra moist. This was a case where we were served both quantity and quality.
Orange Creamsicle Crème Brulee – The Hitching Post Restaurant and Bar
It looked like traditional crème brulee, but it tasted like a popsicle from childhood. The Hitching Post’s orange creamsicle crème brulee was beautifully caramelized with a heaping helping of whipped cream. But it was the citrus twist that took this dessert from delicious to divine.
Vietnamese Banana Cake – Hong Thanh
A cake that was nothing like a cake. With a flaky top crust, layers of bananas and a thick custard, Hong Thanh’s Vietnamese banana cake looked and tasted more like a pie. And a darn good one at that. Add on a dip of ginger ice cream and you have a sweet and spicy dessert that was one of my all-time favorites.