Meet Phil, a new dessert at Palms in Las Vegas — VIDEO
He’s kind of a little guy, maybe five or six inches tall. But The Space Invader who’s infiltrated Greene St. Kitchen at the Palms makes up for his size with plenty of pizzazz, not to mention lots of fruity flavor.
The Space Invader — who’s been nicknamed Phil by its creator, pastry chef Krista Seal — is a Baked Alaska of sorts, angel food cake with strawberry sorbet and ice cream mixed with Fruity Pebbles cereal, then rolled in more Fruity Pebbles. This moundlike base is then covered with a multi-tiered cloak of Italian meringue (which is somewhat denser than French meringue), toasted with a torch and sprayed with blue food color. Candy eyes make it a he, and Phil gets moats of creme Anglaise and strawberry coulis before being finished with a shower of more Fruity Pebbles.
And then comes the big show. Phil is covered with a glass dome and his industrial-aesthetic plate set on a base designed by the restaurant’s executive chef, Joe Zanelli, with compartments for dry ice, water and flashing colored lights. After it’s brought to the table the server removes a panel and out comes a cooling mist, enveloping the table and the guests. The Space Invader, or Phil, is $24 and enough for a group.
Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.