- * * * Photos by David Samayoa * * *
Here are some photos from the chocolate buffet at Cantina Beach (Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne). French pastry chef Patrick Lassaque and assistant pastry chef Bethany Haltibeitel took three days to prepare the spread.
It was $22 per person for the dessert buffet. I skipped the fancy meal for Valentine’s Day (opting instead for a cheap meal at a chain restaurant) and went straight for the fancy dessert. I sampled eclairs served with Cocoa Krispie-like croquants, chocolate covered strawberries, gianduja (chocolate and hazelnut) cheesecake, financier with chocolate, and a coco crumble with spicy ganache. My favorites were the chocolate covered strawberries and a milk chocolate mousse with passion fruit cream on the bottom.
- Milk chocolate mousse with passion fruit cream
Other desserts I didn’t get to try were white chocolate panna cotta with fresh raspberry, vanilla creme brulee and bittersweet chocolate mousse, white chocolate lollipop hearts, chocolate pound cake, and caramel and milk chocolate test tubes.
- Chocolate covered strawberries
It’s hard to overindulge in chocolate like I might at a regular buffet. The nachos and salsa that were orginally brought to our table were actually a fitting palate cleanser, along with the glass of malbec that I ordered.
- White chocolate panna cotta with raspberries
A complimentary shot of Agavero, a tequila liqueur infused with damiana (a reputed aphrodisiac), was included in the price. I am partial to tequila, so I enjoyed the sweet and smooth sample. Reps from Gran Centenario also distributed shots of Rosangel, the tequila infused with hibsicus or jamaica. This tequila also went down smoothly, with perhaps the faintest hint of hibiscus.
