Just Desserts: East End Restaurants with Desserts Made to Be Shared
Friends and lovers share so much, why should the enjoyment of dessert be the exception? Our East End restaurants offer a bevy of options for sharing every sweet, memorable bite.
Gazing out at the tumbling surf and the long stretch of pristine beach at Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, even with the chill of winter in the air, has been known to invoke visions of Caribbean escape. Their award-winning Scarpetta Beach restaurant makes that vicarious trip to the islands complete with the first shared bite of their Coconut Panna Cotta with caramelized pineapple and guava “soup.” This is a journey you definitely don’t want to take alone. Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, 290 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, gurneysresorts.com
The Nutella Turnover is a sweet ending to a delish Café Crust experience. A large, warm, flaky pastry with hazelnut Nutella filling is cut into multiple pieces and served with a light raspberry sauce. It’s meant to be shared, but we won’t judge if you want it all for yourself. Café Crust, 850 County Road 39, Southampton, cafe-crust.com
Keeping with the Nutella theme, we can’t recommend Toast Coffeehouse’s Krispy Nutella French Toast enough! With a crispy rice coating, drizzled with Nutella and garnished with fresh strawberries, this is the perfect capper to an eggs Benedict dish or other savory delight. Toast Coffeehouse, 46 East Main Street, Patchogue and 242 East Main Street, Port Jefferson, toastcoffeehouse.com
There are desserts to share, and then there are desserts that simply must be shared. The bread pudding at GoodFood. (“good food period”) in Mattituck should never be eaten alone. It’s just so rich. Did we mention that the “bread” is croissants…chocolate croissants? You’re starting to get the picture. Go slow and enjoy every rich, creamy moment with a friend. Good Food., 535 Pike Street, Mattituck, gfperiod.com
Sometimes a dessert is so good you don’t want to share it, but you do want to share the experience of it. Such a dessert has been on the menu at The American Hotel in Sag Harbor officially forever. A true classic, their Floating Islands are a delight every time. The “AH” has been (unofficially) voted the number one East End restaurant at which to pop the BIG question. Maybe you’ll find a certain ring afloat on your island—dot, dot, dot. The American Hotel, 45 Main Street, Sag Harbor, theamericanhotel.com
The best desserts to share with your Valentine are the ones you can also take home to share in private, right? Chocolate sauce comes immediately to mind. But a handy “hot” chocolate gourmet dessert are the Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies with cayenne at Bistro Été in Water Mill. Cayenne is considered the ultimate, spicy-hot aphrodisiac…Bistro Été, 760 Montauk Highway, bistroete.com
Sometimes you’re looking for a treat that’s out of the ordinary to spice things up. If a slice of date cake seems like the perfect choice for date night, offering your better half a little more than half of Claude’s Sticky Toffee Date Cake is the perfect move—made more extraordinary still if you’re bold enough to ask for a little extra of the accompanying bourbon anglaise sauce. Sweet! Claude’s at the Southampton Inn, 91 Hill Street, Southampton, southamptoninn.com
Banana bread pudding is, in and of itself, proof that Cupid exists and is still working his magic on making perfect mergers come to fruition. When paired with the Mocha Cremeux and black walnut ice cream that Topping Rose House has brilliantly brought to this marriage, the dessert is transported to a truly decadent level worthy of its own mythology. Topping Rose House, 1 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, Bridgehampton, toppingrosehouse.com
What could be more romantic than a milkshake with two straws? Pull this classic move with shake that’s anything but typical at Union Burger Bar in Southampton, where the “Real Deal” dessert shakes—such as the Big Blue Bunny with vanilla ice cream, a rainbow sprinkle-frosted rim, and ice cream cone “ears,” or the Not Sorry, a peanut butter shake with peanut butter cups and a Nutella- and Reese’s Pieces-frosted rim—scream for Instagram immortality. Along with many more Real Deal and classic options, couples can share Boozy Shakes, like the Shakey Bailey (a cookies & cream milkshake, Baileys Irish cream and Stoli Vanil vodka) or the Drunken Jelly Doughnut with vanilla ice cream blended with jelly doughnuts and Chambord. Make those straws extra thick and bring a spoon. Union Burger Bar, 40 Bowden Square, Southampton, unionburgerbar.com
With sweet treats and shades of red sprinkles everywhere you look as Valentine’s Day approaches, your subconscious is likely beginning to form an intense craving for a light, fluffy slice of red velvet cake. Baron’s Cove’s take on this scarlet delicacy has a delicate chocolate flavor and butter cream cheese frosting—a match made in heaven—and when topped with its Valentine’s-exclusive blood orange sauce, your taste buds will sing hallelujah! Of course this cake delights diners year-round. Baron’s Cove, 31 West Water Street, Sag Harbor, baronscove.com
If you’re looking for a treat that’s not chocolate or ice cream, selecting a sharable dessert can be a bit tricky. Unless, that is, you’re dining at Rumba, in which case their award-winning key lime pie is an inspired choice. With a soft graham cracker crust and whipped cream topped with crushed pecans, this semi-tart treat is the epic conclusion to an evening of fine Caribbean cuisine. Grab two forks and dig in. Rumba, 43 Canoe Place Road, Hampton Bays, rumbahamptonbays.com
Seemingly created with the idea of sharing in mind, the Cheesecake Tasting at The Clubhouse in East Hampton offers a trio of adorable individual cakes in a variety of flavors, including plain, Oreo, Reese’s, coconut, key lime and caramel pretzel. A happy couple—or even a throuple—can choose three and share them all, or keep them separate. But what fun is that? The Clubhouse, 174 Daniels Hole Road, East Hampton, ehitclubhouse.com
The Preston House’s Dusted Beignets in a Brown Bag—which you can choose to enjoy with any or all of the indulgent dips (house-made Nutella, Meyer lemon, mixed berry)—are the culinary equivalent of that little present hiding its secrets inside a gift bag until just the right moment. Even in their pure sugar-dusted state, served warm at your table, these bite-size bits bring a little bit of the Big Easy right here to Riverhead. The Preston House & Hotel, 428 East Main Street, Riverhead, theprestonhouseandhotel.com
The secret to perfect profiteroles is a puff of pastry, light enough to be the definition of airy while having enough body to cradle the frozen treat inside without being overwhelmed by its creamy coldness. The secret to Pierre’s take on this classic French dessert is grabbing an extra vanilla-ice-cream-filled pastry, drizzled in Belgian-style chocolate for yourself when your significant other is looking the other way. But who can take their eyes off these? Pierre’s, 2468 Main Street, Bridgehampton, pierresbridgehampton.com
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