Chocolate Apricot Tart w/Crème Fraîche from Mado
Item Purchased: Chocolate Apricot Tart w/Crème Fraîche
Location Purchased: Mado / 1647 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $6.00 + tax
Purchased on: 05/02/08
Review: Usually after finishing a fantastic meal with the swirl of savory flavor still mingling in my mouth, I want something light, simple and sweet for dessert. I knew Mado would have no problem with the simple. Simple, yet inventive and well prepared is what Mado seems to do best, so I was covered on that point. Chocolate and tart, when put together completely nix any chance of light in my mind, so I decide to go with the flow. The flow of dessert, however, doesn’t often include crème fraîche in the river. Still, co-owner of Mado, Rob Levitt spent the evening convincing me of his mastery of the savory, it was time to let his trusted wife convince me of the sweet.
Trust is a wonderful thing.
The dense dark chocolate with just a hint of apricot flavor all atop a crisp crust was quite a palate consuming experience that could have, alone, made the savory slip away into a misty cocoa-hazed memory. If I were in control, I would have left it at that.
It’s a good thing that Allison Levitt is Rob’s trusted wife and not me (for many different reasons). The crème fraîche initially hit my tongue and the sour obliterated the other flavors. After a few seconds, however, the flavors struck a balance which hit one last spike by trailing it through the sweet chocolate sauce drizzled decoratively on the plate. Through balance, the dense became light and the sweet stood out against the sour, making this a fantastic and well executed dessert.
Like I said, trust is a wonderful thing.
Rating: 4.25 / 5
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