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View Winners → Archive Sep 10, 2013
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While we’re tired of the sticky, sweaty days of our city’s extended summer, we’re certainly grateful for any excuse to cool down with some sweet, refreshing treats. But while froyo has always been a trusty and convenient solution, we’ve decided now is a great time to go and explore some alternative desserts. After all, those with sweet tooths deserve a chance to claim refined palates of their own. From deep-fried pop tarts served with ice cream, to alcoholic boba, we’ve got a sweet fix for you.
Ice Cream Sandwich at Night + Market | Photo cred: Darin Dines
Ice Cream Sandwich
Where: Night + Market | 9043 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA
Price: $4.50
Thai street food restaurant Night + Market is notorious for its bracing hot meals, and to cool it down, Chef Kris Yenbamroong serves up a Thai rendition of the classic American ice cream sandwich: grilled sweet bread stuffed with coconut sticky rice and a scoop of coconut ice cream, topped with toasted mung beans and sweetened condensed milk. Simple, yet refreshingly delicious, this “sandwich” is a winning formula.
http://thenightmarket.blogspot.com/
Bobagasm
Where: Boba 7 | 518 West 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Price: $6
Regular boba is a cult favorite, but imagine adding a little bit of alcohol to the mix–or in Boba 7’s case, mega-shots of it. From their menu, bobagasm caught our eye. I mean, “-gasm” at the end is sure to grab attention. This boba concoction — a combination of kahlua and baileys with delectable balls of honey–is sure to delight those looking to be efficient in satiating their sugar/alcohol vices. Also worth mentioning is their Green Tea Heinekin boba. Beer and boba? Who’d have thought?
http://www.labobatory.com
Picarones at Mo-Chica | Photo credit: Phoebe Chuason, Refinery 29
Picarones
Where: Mo-Chica | 514 West 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Price: $7
Over at Mo-Chica, a contemporary Peruvian restaurant downtown, Chef Ricardo Zarate is serving up a healthy dose of vegetables for dessert in his picarones beignets. Sweet potato and kabocha, a type of Peruvian squash, are deep fried, dusted with sugar and served alongside a shot glass full of chancaca honey dressing. Extremely light and fluffy, the delicate dessert is a fan favorite.
http://mo-chica.com/
Sweet Corn Crepes
Where: Napa Valley Grille | 1100 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Price: $8
The best part of these crepes at the Napa Valley Grille is 1) they are gluten-free, and 2) they fulfill your sweet tooth! The corn crepes by themselves aren’t overly sweet, but with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh blueberries, your sugar rush is met without having to live with the guilt.
http://www.napavalleygrille.com/
Pat Bing Soo (Korean Shaved Ice)
Green Tea Pat Bing Soo at Miss Coffee | Photo credit: Richard L.
Where: Miss Coffee | 300 S. Hobart Boulevard Suite 101, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Price: $16
The base of pat bing soo may be the same — shaved ice and sweet red adzuki beans — but not all come in a huge Pyrex measuring cups. Miss Coffee gives you an equivalent of eight bowls in one order — so definitely bring your homies. Have an open mind about the sweet toppings and try your hardest to cool down whilst trying hard not to think about the cups’ conversion to calories.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/miss-coffee-los-angeles
Deep Fried Pop Tarts
Where: Beer Belly | 532 South Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Price: $6
Not sure how to make a childhood favorite better? You fry it and add ice cream, obviously! It’s like Beer Belly is making up for all the times you were sent to bed without dessert. The traumatic time will melt away forever once you eat a spoonful of this, we promise.
http://beerbellyla.com/
Simplified Bacon Chocolate Crunch Bar
Photo credit: Frisee Waltz
Where: Animal | 435 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Price: $8
Oh, c’mon y’all. This is LA. What would this list be without the quintessential LA-made bacon dessert craze? Animal’s signature bacon chocolate crunch bar was originally introduced in 2009 but still remains to be a favorite to this day. The chocolate tart is so rich that the salt from the bacon alone can’t tone it down, so the crunch bar’s creators Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo paired it with a salt and pepper ice cream to balance out all that chocolately-rich goodness.
http://animalrestaurant.com/
