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D-Bar’s walls slightly resemble Tiffany & Co.’s robin’s egg hue. But forget diamonds. These desserts are any girl’s (and guy’s best friend). Food Network personality Keegan Gerhard and his wife Lisa Bailey opened D Bar and it’s easily one of my favorite dessert places in town. Such offerings as “cake and shake” and “cookies and milk” refuse to settle for first grade birthday parties. The vanilla malt is so carefully prepared it slowly morphs into a delicacy and the chocolate cake with manjari frosting is quite possibly the richest, creamiest slice I’ve ever had. Plus, watch the owners prepare desserts behind a modern bar until midnight on weekends. Everything from the presentation (the vanilla malt, peppered with chocolate-covered rice balls, balances on a mound of sugar in the slotted plate) to the ambiance and the case of lemon and peanut butter and jelly cupcakes is a reminder that regardless of age, dessert never goes out of style.
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Crème brulee: the obligatory dessert order. You know you can’t DIY without serious bodily injury or an emotionally destructive temper tantrum (a dessert requiring a blow torch, really?) and someone else at your table is probably craving it. All you can do is take one for the team, then sit back knowingly when you find that it is truly brulee (burnt!!) or the crème curdled. At the Cruise Room, Denver’s oldest bar located in the historic Oxford Hotel, I found no proof of malfunctioning kitchen appliances. The top was as perfectly bronzed as a beach babe. The custard remained chilled and consistent all the way through. The smoky, red shaded jazz bar is conducive to enjoying this French dessert while sipping a vanilla bean or white chocolate after dinner martini.
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Every time I ate gelato, I became increasingly convinced that I had found the best gelato in Denver. Savoring each bite, I’d place some subtle textural nuance that made this cup slightly better than the last, which was better than the last, etc. Then, much to my simultaneous delight and embarrassment, I traced all these gelati back to the same brilliant source: Cherry Creek’s Gelato d’Italia. The brick and mortar location offers lavazza, a popular Italian coffee, Italian sodas, handmade desserts like $1 Old World Strudel and best of all, at least 24 flavors of what I can now confidently say is the creamiest gelato I’ve ever had. My favorite? Greedily, the spumoni: a layering of chocolate, pistachio and cherry flavors. If you can’t make it to the Cherry Creek location, find its gelato at Parisi’s, Whole Foods and Deli Italia.
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Quite frankly, I wouldn’t care if ham and cheese filed separation papers tomorrow. But my beloved sopapilla and fried ice cream—that’s a different story. Granted “fried ice cream” seems more counterintuitive than, say, fried dough. But the crunchiness of Las Delicias’ ice cream, covered in corn flakes then deep fried, perfectly complements the airy, powdered-sugar dusted sopapillas. Drizzle with honey and you’ve got the hottest/coldest combo in Denver. If you’re not ready for a double dose of deep fry, try the sopapillas with classic vanilla bean ice cream at the Rio Grande.
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It’s no wonder baklava’s origins are foggy. It seems that every known ethnicity would want to claim this delicious, age-old dessert. While I’ve tried it at various Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants, my favorite is the Jerusalem Café’s. Each layer of the baklava’s crunchy phyllo dough fully absorbs the simple sauce of butter, water, sugar, vanilla, honey and cinnamon to boast unceasing flavor. Chopped nuts, also the product of hours basking in the sweet sauce, add a muted crunch. So it’s also no wonder that, located near the University of Denver, the restaurant has become a go-to for ravenous co-eds. The baklava glistens in a puddle of the watery syrup as it arrives at your table. But after eating a well-seasoned lamb kabob or falafel, soon you’ll be the one soaking it all up.
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To me, the East Coast means authentic cannolis. When in Rome—or Carlo’s bakery—I justify. Here, if I crave a taste of Italy a la New Jersey, I head to Pagliacci’s, nestled in Denver’s former Little Italy. At the five-generation old restaurant, a savory cioppino special prepares my palate for my favorite Italian delight in Denver. Cannolis insist on fresh preparation, a soft shell or lukewarm filling indicating any slight lack of timeliness. But the cannolis at Pagliacci’s are crisp until the last bite, just a dusting of powdered sugar and maraschino cherry perfecting an already molto bene Italian pastry.
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Ah fudge, one of the few desserts that you can eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner without facing social ridicule, particularly if you’re a tourist visiting one of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s original Colorado locations. Or, if you’re pretending to be a tourist visiting one of its original Colorado locations. Sure, the franchise is everywhere now. But we all know that it was once a little treasure we called our own. So, if only for nostalgia’s sake, go on. Get yourself a big hunk of fudge (plain—none of that gooey, crunchy nonsense) and a box of truffles for dessert.
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Every city needs a retro style ice cream parlor where a vintage sign hangs above perpetually chipper patrons, the line almost always stretches outside and if someone lets the door slam in your face it’s only because there are entirely too many options cluttering the board behind the counter. Denver’s is Bonnie Brae Ice Cream. All 50 plus flavors are made right there on University Blvd. and one scoop is the size of a typical two. My top choice is toasted almond. But other highlights are Banana Walnut, Amaretto Peach and Lottachocolate.
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Crossing any cultural, historical, intellectual barriers is the molten chocolate lava volcano tower delight found all over the state. A moist chocolate cake exterior with a gooey molten center, complete with powdered sugar, thinly sliced almonds or a mound of fresh fruit, it’s everything the quintessential chocolate dessert should be. Whatever the name, wherever the restaurant, each provides an original take on the mouthwatering modern classic. I often head to Boulder’s The Mediterranean. New desserts constantly cameo on the menu, but the tray has always boasted the lava cake, proud, unconquerable and unapologetically rich. Also celebrate the success of the coco indulgence with Corridor 44’s version, topped with whipped cream and berries.
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Pizza for dessert? You bet! Marco's Nutella Pizza, a delicious treat to share with your date, is made with Nutella baked in the middle of the crust. We also recommend the Pizza Dolce, with sweetened ricotta, honey drizzles and toasted almonds.