Dominique Ansel became a household name (among foodies, at least) when he invented the Cronut — a donut-croissant hybrid. People lined up for hours outside his Manhattan bakery just for the chance to taste one.
Now the pastry chef is doing something even more ambitious. He recently launched U.P., an eight-course dessert tasting menu that's available to just a handful of customers each week in the test kitchen above Dominique Ansel Kitchen.
Reservations are hard to come by, but for anyone with a sweet tooth, it's worth the effort. The menu is currently themed around "firsts," and includes dishes like "first kiss," with roasted peanut water and cream soda pearls, and "first dance," with strawberries and mascarpone.
The most visually stunning is "first heartbreak," a version of baked Alaska with Valrhona Guanaja bitter almond ice cream, meringue, and rice paper that diners set on fire themselves.
The experience is $85 per person, and $45 for the drink pairing.Reservations can be made through the kitchen's website.
Story by Julie Zeveloff and editing by Carl Mueller.
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