Purportedly a former speakeasy, the lower level of Patisserie Chanson in New York’s Flatiron District has been transformed into a permissible (and much preferred) type of bar: a Dessert Bar. However, the desserts served here will likely be just as unconventional as the previous dive’s drinks. Chef Rory Macdonald has constructed a music-themed menu, coinciding with the establishment’s name (the French word ‘Chanson’ translates to ‘song’) filled with exotic desserts demanding to be tasted.
Originally from England, Chef Macdonald previously worked in restaurants in Spain and London, and as the head pastry chef of Michelin-starred Hakkasan Restaurant. These diverse cooking experiences have clearly inspired his current dessert-vision, which proves to be as strange as it is appetizing.
The bar’s 6-course menu, “The Art of Dessert,” begins with truffle popcorn and includes other creative concoctions like yuzu honey meringue, moliterno with black truffle, and more. But don’t be fooled, this unique gastronomical experience comes at a price — $68 to be exact. However, in our minds, this is totally worth it. Where else can you expect to find Apple Jalapeno dessert dishes in New York City?
Along with being a speakeasy, the space was formerly used as an underground gambling school, established in the prohibition era. The bar’s drink menu makes playful nods to the space’s illicit past with craft cocktails like the Alice Iver Tubbs (‘Poker Alice’), and other well known casino personalities and games.
Macdonald’s first solo enterprise puts the perfect modern twist on the traditional patisserie. The Dessert Bar offers a relaxed, intimate ambiance for the sweet-tooth of New York to gather and feast upon his inventive desserts.
Address: 20 West 23rd Street, lower level.
Next, check out Nutella Bar Coming to NYC’S Eataly is the Latest Dessert Craze, and read Discover La Milagrosa Speakeasy, Hidden Behind a Mexican Deli’s Freezer Door.
