Seasons’ sweet additions

We at CL don't make a habit of plugging corporate-owned restaurants, but Seasons 52 is one of the best non-indies out there. It boasts a menu that changes according to what produce is locally in season (hence the name), and is certainly worthy of exception — especially when it comes to the restaurant's exceptional Mini Indulgences miniature dessert menu.

The smart and visually stunning sweets are served in shot glasses. Newest additions include the Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte, Belgian Chocolate S'More and Fresh Blueberries & Lemon Curd. 

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte has chocolate cake baked in-house and is layered with chocolate sauce, peanut butter mousse and chocolate peanut crunch. It's garnished with a tuile, a housemade peanut crisp. The Belgian Chocolate S’More is a scrumptious twist on the campfire staple, with chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse and chocolate chips, and then topped with a toasted marshmallow and a chocolate-dipped graham cracker. The new Fresh Blueberries & Lemon Curd mini has lemon curd that Seasons 52 slow cooks in-house. The curd is mixed with blueberries, topped with whipped cream and finished with a sprig of Chervil.

Surprisingly pleasant, even for non-butterscotch lovers, the Butterscotch Budino with Salted Caramel has a subtle but rich butterscotch custard that's topped with caramel and finished with Hawaiian black sea salt and a dollop of sour cream. It's recommended to swirl it before eating for a mouth-watering treat.

Also on the menu:

Pecan Pie with Vanilla Bean Mousse and a cinnamon honey-glazed pecan.
Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Honey with cream cheese icing and a candied carrot garnish.
Key Lime Pie with toasted meringue and a double-layered graham cracker crust.
Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cannoli with a cinnamon cannoli shell.
Mocha macchiato with chocolate cake, caramel sauce and whipped cream.

During our preview, our cordial server James Lewis offered a flight of white wines to accompany the desserts. We tried the Warre Otima 10-Year Tawny Port (Portugal); a Selbach-Oster Auslese (Germany) and a Jam Jar Sweet White Blend (West Cape). 

We suggest a light flatbread if you want to try multiple indulgences. The artichoke and goat cheese flatbread we chose was the perfect prologue to a fantastic finale.

This article appears in May 1-7, 2014.