The Crow Bar and Kitchen in Corona Del Mar has reinterpreted s'mores, a staple of any campfire, by taking the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate, and creating a sundae. The Crow Bar's S'mores Sundae, our Dessert of the Week, has all of the essential ingredients, but chef Scott Brandon has amped things up. Made with toasted marshmallow semifreddo (a semi-frozen gelato and whipped cream mixture), homemade graham crackers, Belgian chocolate sauce, and Maldon sea salt, this is not your average sundae.
The graham crackers have a strong brown sugar flavor that is both unexpected and welcome. The texture and deep aromas of the Belgian chocolate sauce make it by far the best part of this dessert. The first bite of the semifreddo tasted exactly like a toasted marshmallow found on a s'more. The one quibble? The semifreddo was not so “semi,” just a whole lot of “freddo.” Delicious though it was, a crowbar (had to…) could have come in handy breaking down the “marshmallow” component of this dessert.
Despite the not-so-semifreddo of the S'mores Sundae, The Crow Bar is living up to its gastropub format by providing high-end food alongside an extensive beer list. With a dessert menu that includes such items as “Not Just A Ding Dong” and “Irish Car 'Bombe,'” the tastiest dessert of them all is the one without the clever moniker.
