Whimsical Desserts
By Alex Felsinger, Contributor
Some say presentation is everything, and these local restaurants have gone all out to create dessert menus featuring some of the most awe-inspiring, unusually shaped sweets around. From "s'more nachos" to ice-cream sushi, these desserts amuse diners with their artful, entrée-like presentations.
Photo courtesy of Ben Demey
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Umami
2909 Webster St, San Francisco, CA
Chocolate-chip-cookie-dough ice cream comes shaped like a sushi roll with chocolate dipping sauce, wasabi whipped cream and edible chopsticks at this upscale Japanese restaurant. -
Velvet Cantina
3349 23rd St, San Francsico, CA
The s'more nachos at this Mission favorite consist of fresh tortilla chips topped with chocolate sauce, graham-cracker crumbs and toasted marshmallows. -
La Copa Loca
3150 22nd St, San Francisco, CA
For their “ice spaghetti pomodoro,” this gelateria shapes vanilla gelato into pasta-like strands, then smothers them in fresh strawberry sauce, white chocolate and cream. An alternate version includes chocolate spaghetti sauce. -
The Cake Gallery
290 Ninth St, San Francisco, CA
“Steak cake” might sound like a not-so-clever attempt at renaming shepherd’s pie, but it’s not actually made out of beef--it’s a cake shaped like a rib-eye steak. This special-order bakery will customize orders of any shape, size and flavor. -
Sauce
131 Gough St, San Francisco, CA
Instead of the typical white bread, pan-toasted white sponge cake sandwiches housemade strawberry preserves and peanut butter at this creative eatery. Vanilla ice cream completes this odd take on the classic PB&J. -
SPQR
1911 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA
Their dessert panino, essentially a glorified grilled-cheese sandwich, skips the cheese in favor of sweets like caramelized milk, pears and shaved chocolate. -
Gialina Pizzeria
2842 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA
Skip the argument over the last slice of pepperoni. Instead, order a second pizza pie that is as sweet as pie--covered with Nutella, mascarpone and amoretti.
