VUE

Visual appeal, taste and texture are the three main components you'll find at the forefront of any Vanillamore dessert. And Boyer's food philosophy? To "always have a twist on what's already known." eir menu playfully nods to nostalgic childhood classics we know and love, but with the finesse of a fine-dining restaurant. Take, for instance, the s'mores tapas — a mix of assorted chocolate, vanilla, and graham cracker shortbread cookies artfully arranged and served open-faced, topped with toasted homemade vanilla bean marshmallows and an accoutrement of caramel sauces. (e espresso is our favorite.) Acting as the chocolate, the dish is served with a side of decadent Aztec hot chocolate made with a blend of cinnamon, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. When it came to structuring the menu, Boyer knew they needed to give guests more than just one way of experiencing dessert. Aer countless trips to restaurants across the river, they were able to narrow down their brand and vision by presentation style. She explained, "We explored just doing dessert flights at one point. We also explored doing just dessert tapas but I think those two things are already known and understood by people, but not necessarily in the dessert world." Just like you would order, say, a wine or beer flight, Vanillamore is serving three small bites of different desserts based on a common theme or flavor. Along with a few seasonal offerings like their Ginger & Spice and Winter Citrus flights, guests can indulge in the Crazy for Caramel or Chocolate Obsession which features a dark chocolate cake with almond cream and espresso caramel; spicy chocolate ganache tart with hazelnuts and sea salt; and the chocolate chip cookie sandwich served with a cold glass of malted milk. While admittedly their dessert "charcuterie" boards come with a bit of a learning curve, Boyer doesn't want that to intimidate you. Inside Vanillamore's pastry display case, guests can find both the chocolate and vanilla charcuterie boards laid out with note cards that characterize what's what. Each board comes with two of their "salamis" which are not actually made of meat, but rather dried fruit and either dark, milk, or white chocolate. ere's also cookies, doughnuts, and slices of cake mimicking toast; some sort of macerated or candied fruits; caramel sauces and mousse that act as the spreads; and accents to bump up flavor and texture such as sprinkles of fleur de sel, olive oil, candied nuts clusters, sesame seeds, and lemon peel. VUE ON DINING V U E N J . C O M 106

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