AI FIORI

Desserts shine at Ai Fiori, and we aren’t just saying that because we know the pastry cook. Pastry is an exact art. Unlike the savory, you can’t improvise on the fly. As a result, dessert, even at an otherwise great restaurant, can feel monotonous, yet another molten chocolate cake. But dessert at a Michelin-star level innovates and surprises, with Ai Fiori being no exception. While plates ranged in technique and style, they all shared inspiration from classic Italian desserts you might see at an osteria in Rome and were elegantly re-imagined by Executive Pastry Chef, Mari Gaube.

Brian, our Captain for the evening.

The meringues were like a cluster of clouds. Inside them was a surprising pop of acid from the passionfruit, mango, and pineapple confit fillings that oozed as you cracked the sweet, crisp shell. The tart middle was mellowed by a swipe of white chocolate for a well-balanced dessert.

The nocciole mouse was a table favorite. It was composed of a slender rectangle of hazelnut mousse stacked on a hazelnut sponge cake with hazelnut gelato nested like an egg atop toasted hazelnuts. You couldn’t possibly squeeze anymore hazelnut into this dessert, if you tried. Finished with a thin line of caramel and a chocolate curl, the dish felt like an homage to Nutella, the Italian pantry staple.

The mille foglie, which literally means “1000 layers” in Italian alternated squares of delicate puff pastry with a light honey cream filling and rhubarb compote. It was served with a pale pink rhubarb gelato. The plate was incredibly light and like the meringues had a good balance of acid from the rhubarb which also lent the beautiful pink hue to the plate.

Even the chocolates sent out at the end of the meal were stunning--the salted caramels in particular, with their silky dark chocolate shells that melted into pools of buttery salted caramel.

A pretty sweet way to end the meal, if you ask us.

All photos from the event are available on our Facebook page here.