The last time I went to this place, I was on a diet. It was almost three years ago – I’d given up carbs in want of a quick slim down that didn’t require physical activity (during what I call my sedentary years). As proud as I was to resist letting anything at San Diego’s Extraordinary Desserts touch my lips (with the exception of a few sips of cold water), the concoctions lining their display have shown up in my daydreams and fantasies ever since.
Last weekend when I was in San Diego once again to celebrate my 2nd oldest’s 21st birthday – remind me to bring up the nose ring later if I forget; actually, I won’t forget – I was once again in the middle of a no/low-carb thing in preparation for my Vegas trip. However, the birthday girl earlier wanted Italian and I was so close to vacation that I figured I might as well eat like I was on vacation; and even if I managed to lose another pound or so before getting to MGM’s lazy river, my bikini wouldn’t know the difference. So I said what the heck, and got the fam to head a few blocks away from our lunch spot in Little Italy to Extraordinary Desserts.
It’s a good thing there’s no place like this near the LBC – otherwise, I might get the hankering to quit my civil service job and fill out an application to wait tables or work behind the bar; that way I’d have daily access to incredible (extraordinary) sweets with a discount. And booze too!
It was hard to make a selection once we were seated. I’m not a chocolate person. But I am a chocolate CAKE person. Because of this fact, I finally opted for a slice of their Viking cake based on looks alone. All I noticed were stacked layers of dark brown cake. Little did I realize the chocolate creme brulee and milk chocolate cream padding these layers, nor the crushed chocolate almond praline crust pushed into the frosting. It was ridiculously decadent and effervescent and palatable and crunchy-smooth if there’s such a thing. It was truly a sensual experience. We probably could have used a room, my cake and I.
Also tasty were my husband’s Dulce de Leche cheesecake – with caramelized pecan edges, a hint of sea salt, and whipped cream – and the birthday girl’s berries and ice cream (not the raciest choice for a 21st birthday, but it fit her; she did enjoy her first official, card-wielding drink at ED, a sangria made at the bar; as a non-wine person, she was a little disappointed at the taste so I had to explain the complexities of true sangria; how the fruit sits and ferments a bit with the alcohol from a liqueur, which isn’t commixed with the wine until later, along with a clear fizzy soda and a sweetener; she was likely only half-listening).
Now about the nose ring. Those two words coupled together usually don’t cause any bother for me – people should feel free to pierce any ol’ hunk of cartilage they’d like. But when my husband and I picked up our new 21-year old to find her with not a teeny sparkingly nugget pierced delicately through one nostril, but rather a thick and rounded rod of metal reminiscent of something you might find on a bull drilled through her nasal septum, we got a little itchy. We were honest about our initial dislike (in particular, our 11-year old). We did our best to look away, to avert our eyes. But it’s her nose and she’s been an adult now for three years. And, as she told us several times, she could always tuck it in (ewwww!).
I’ll get used to it, I’m sure (though I don’t think my hub will anytime soon).
At least there were desserts.
Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego’s Little Italy
and one other location
1430 Union Street