Las Vegas restaurants offer colorful array of holiday desserts
You’ll definitely want to save room for dessert — at least when it comes to this Instagram-worthy collection of holiday sweets.
Pecan, bourbon and cranberry tart
Honey Salt, 1031 S. Rampart Blvd.
Honey Salt’s holiday tart starts with a Southern pecan pie mixture that’s laced with bourbon and topped with candied cranberries and spiced whipped cream, $8, through the holidays and into early next year. honeysalt.com
Holiday fortune cookie
Tao, The Venetian
The famed Tao fortune cookie gets dressed for the holidays. The pastry filled with white and dark chocolate mousse is drizzled with white chocolate, sprinkled with sugar snowflakes and served with seasonal fruit, $17, through the end of the month. taogroup.com
Grinch’s Tartufo
Lavo, Palazzo
Grinch’s Tartufo is a Neapolitan gelato cake topped with whipped cream and strawberries and encased in a faux Christmas ornament of Valrhona white chocolate, which is melted tableside with flaming Grand Marnier to reveal the goodies within, $19, through the end of the month. taogroup.com
Peppermint Bark Cake
Milk Bar, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Milk Bar adds holiday color with the Peppermint Bark Cake, layers of crunchy cocoa crumbs, chocolate fudge, peppermint frosting and crushed candy cane bits, $54 for a 6-inch cake or $120 for a 10-inch. Peppermint Bark Truffles are made with double chocolate chip cake and crushed candy cane bits, rolled in red and chocolate sprinkles and minty sand, 12 for $24. And Peppermint Pretzel Snaps have returned, combining pretzels, peppermint, caramel and chocolate atop a crisp dark chocolate wafer dipped in white chocolate peppermint bark, six for $30 or 12 for $57. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Deep-fried pumpkin pie
Distill and Remedy’s, multiple locations
The sister restaurants are putting a new spin on an old favorite with deep-fried pumpkin pie, a slice of traditional pie lightly coated in pancake batter, deep-fried, dusted with cinnamon-sugar and topped with whipped cream drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauces and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, $5.95. There’s also a bite-sized version, $5.95; both are available through the end of the month. distillbar.com, remedystavern.com
12-minute milk and cookies
Robata En, 4480 Spring Mountain Road
The warm chocolate-chip cookies at the new Robata En in Chinatown are baked to order in just 12 minutes and served with a glass of peanut milk and ube jam — and through Christmas, they’re half-dipped in peppermint chocolate, $12.
Holiday cookies
Carmine’s Pizza Kitchen, multiple locations
The whole Carmine’s staff gets together to make up the cookie trays that are a favorite project of owner Carmine Vento. There are 2.5 pounds — about 22 or 23 cookies, in eight varieties — on each cellophane-wrapped tray, $29.95, while they last. carminespizzakitchen.com
Macadamia nut pie
Kona Grill, 750 S. Rampart Blvd.
Besides the obvious, this pie is loaded with Kahlua and coconut flakes and served with vanilla bean ice cream, $12 a slice, $50 for a whole pie, Dec. 24-27. konagrill.com
Pumpkin cheesecake
STK Steakhouse, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
A creamy pumpkin filling is set off by gingersnap crumbs, candied pepitas and spiced whipped cream, $15, through the winter. stksteakhouse.com
Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.