Tonight was full of sweetness!
As you may remember, my friend Laurel got engaged over Fourth of July weekend and tonight a group of Laurel’s closest friends and family (girls only!) got together at The Dessert Lady in downtown Orlando to celebrate.
The bride to be is sitting at the head of the table, in case you were curious about the star of the evening. 
I’ve been to The Dessert Lady with my mom, sister and Ryan before so I knew we were in for an indulgent night of delicious desserts.
Laurel, our friend Cherayne and I split a sampler platter so we could try a bunch of the different desserts.
Our platter included:
- Peanut butter pie
- Oreo cheesecake
- Chocolate zuccotto
- Chocolate chip tiramisu special
The chocolate zuccotto stole the show! It was basically a dome of dense chocolate cake (almost brownie-like) that surrounded white and dark chocolate mousse. The cake was then topped with chocolate ganache icing that I wanted to marry.
All of the desserts were so rich. Though I’m in the camp of people who don’t believe that there’s such thing as a dessert that is “too rich,” about an hour after dessert, my stomach started talkin’ to me. I’m feeling a bit crampy at the moment and think I’ll blame the cheesecake. My relationship with peanut butter and chocolate is much too strong and solid for me to blame those desserts for taking me down.
I’m pretty sure that The Dessert Lady created my dream restaurant. A restaurant full of decadent desserts? Genius idea. Though I have absolutely no interest in ever owning my own restaurant, if I was going to do so, I think a dessert-only place would be the best fit. I’d also have self-serve frozen yogurt on tap that you could serve with any dish.
A seafood restaurant that serves lots of shellfish would be my runner-up restaurant.
Questions of the Evening
- If you were going to open your own restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
- What would be your specialty dish?
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mmm this place looks delicious!
“I think I’ll blame the cheesecake.” lmao!
oh. my. gosh, those look absolutely incredible.
my restaurant would be a BAKERY and it would have every kind of brownie imaginable. and they’d all be fudgey and undercooked. 😉
A pasta restaurant with tons of pasta dishes like rich cheesy ones or healthy cold pasta salads 🙂
Easy. I’d serve raw bar seafood, pizza, chips and salsa and hot and sour soup. Now if only I could come up with a name for it..,
i’m in!
Sooo those are probably the best looking and sounding desserts I’ve seen!! It’s like heaven all in a plate;)
So my dream restaurant would feature some sort of massive, calorie free, chocolate, Oreo, peanut butter cheesecake. Is That too much amazingness thrown into one? Nahh
My restaurant would definitely be something Dessert Lady -ish. I’m about to google it now!
oh wow, that looks amazing!!
I’d serve cafe style (soups, salads, paninis), with a bunch of decadent ice cream and fro yo creations for dessert. A little bit of ‘indulgent’ and ‘less indulgent’ I guess 😉
ohh those desserts look wonderful! I have to say there are definitely desserts that are too rich for me but hardly ever too chocolatey! 🙂
I would have to do some more thinking to figure out what signature foods I would want to serve. I think I would want to do local foods so the dishes could be varied. Otherwise I would get bored! 😛
I just realized I love food to much to pick what type of restaurant I would want.
Hmm, it would probably be a breakfast place with lots of delicious dessert ish pastries. Breakfast is by far my favorite meal. (If anyone walks Parks and Recreations, I just had the image of Ron Swanson pop up in my head).
Yummm those deserts look amazing! Sharing is the best ‘guilt free’ way to try a little bit of everything!
Your gift looks super cute! Mind if I ask what it is? I am a bridesmaid for my friends wedding in September and am trying to make a list of neat gift ideas for the up coming events 🙂
Desserts*** haha oops!
Mmmmm Chinese food with American desserts and salads. A fantasy may as well go whole hog!! Which, incidentally, is a great dish! Whole hog and rice! But my dish would be steamed hainanese chicken and rice.
I’d open a place with a focus on local food and vegan of course, probably high raw. Whew who knew that I would ever feel this way. And of course, I’d have some seriously yummy vegan desserts too. Like the chocolate chip cookie balls I made last night.
YUM-O!! Times like a million!
Those desserts look sooooooooo good!
I think you already know what my restaurant would be…cupcakes and fro yo (with lots of rainbow sprinkles!) 🙂
I think I’d also have to go with dessert restaurant with cake! I’m a big fan of plain white wedding cake! I couldn’t ever argue with chocolate, red velvet, or marble cake though.
Haha wow I think that my stomach would have been a little upset too…but I wouldn’t have been able to stop eating :). I think I would have a dessert restaurant or bakery. If it would be possible to mix a DQ reese’s peanut butter cup blizzard, my favorite cake with buttercream frosting, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies together- that would be my specialty haha
New American food, heavy on small plates because I love variety. Signature dish…that’s so hard! Maybe a dessert? An ice cream-y delicious dessert with my mom’s homemade hot fudge to top it off. Yum!
What a fun way to celebrate your friend’s engagement!
My husband dreams of opening his open Italian restaurant or pizzeria one day. Where obviously our signature item would be our family’s secret sauce recipe!
Oh wow. that place looks SOOO GOOD! I think I’d open up a local fruit and veggie shop. That also carried local plants/flowers/seedlings. And have workshops on how to grow your own garden!!!! Ohhh, a girl can dream!
Awww man, I could never ever work there! I would be in a state of non-stop sugar coma/stomach cramp!
Those desserts all look so fabulous! 🙂 If I was going to open up a restaurant I would want it to be a breakfast/lunch place that served a lot of fresh, whole foods. I would also want to have a lot of baked goods/desserts made with whole grains and other unrefined products. My signature dish would probably have to be a softer take on some cookies that my mom makes that have butterscotch, oatmeal, chocolate chips, pecans, and cocount! Those sure would be good ingredients for a decadent granola!
wowww. those cookies sound unreal.
I’d love to open up a breakfast place that only serves breakfast food ALL day! Breakfast for breakfast, breakfast for lunch, and breakfast for dinner 🙂
Those cakes look amaaazinngg!!
that does sound like a dream restaurant!!
i’d make a southern bbq/mashed potaters joint.
best food in the worlddddd.
YES! that sounds delish.
I totally agree with you that there’s no way desserts can be “too rich.” I just feel that’s ridiculous. There’s no too much of nothin’ when it comes to desserts.
I think I would go for a place that has like sandwiches, veggies, hummus, and frozen yogurt. And iced coffee. That would be wonderful. I would basically just stop cooking and go there every day.
oohh fun question!!! i would have a totally gluten free restaurant..with gluten free everything!! i love food too much to focus on one type 😉
Oh I have thought about this many times! I have no plans to open one because it sounds entirely too stressful, but if i did, it would be a do-it-yourself cupcake bar with wine pairings. There would of course be a healthified cupcake section too 😉
oh i looove the idea of DIY cupcakes!
I would love to have a fancy ice cream/fro yo shop. With as many flavours, toppings possible. Im thinking brazil nuts, tart cherries, or wacky trail mixes he sky is the limit haha 🙂
my dream is to open a restaurant. It would be very relaxed feel, but look trendy ( if that makes sense). completely gluten free and all ingredients would be segregated and made on the spot so if you have food allergies it’d be easy to accommodate you. The WORST feeling in the world is going somewhere and not being able to pick many things on the menu bc of your allergy ( im allergic to onions and stay away from gluten so its so tough! they both sneak into EVERYTHING). But my specialty dish would be : onion free guacamole ( so hard to find!), lobster, raw oyster / shrimp/ mussels , and amazing FILLING salads with ingredients that are far too neglected like sweet potatoes, kale and roasted eggplant.
wow not like i put any thought into that at all….
I would love to open a vegetarian/vegan restaurant!! 🙂
I would want to open a bakery…filled with lots of sweet treats!
I’m with you on the seafood idea! My boyfriend and I love fresh seafood… doesn’t hurt that it’s healthy, too!
I make a mean shrimp scampi, so that would have to be my “specialty” dish.
Those desserts look delicious!!! I would have to open a restaurant serving specialty pizzas (with every topping weird people like myself enjoy… Broccoli, veggie sausage, etc!) and then an unlimited Wheat Thins menu with all the flavors…
That looks heavenly! I would open up a fro yo shop with every topping under the sun! I would also serve ice cream for those who ‘don’t do nonfat’…my 2 fave things under one roof- I might as well be living like a millionaire just at the idea of it 😉
You’re so right–no dessert is TOO rich. Some desserts just make our tummies talk. 😀
I would love to try everything on the sampler plate you shared. Especially the peanut butter pie, which is near and dear to my heart.
I’ve dreamed about opening a frozen yogurt/coffee shop since I was in high school. In college, my best friend and I came up with the name “Fro Yo and Joe.” Even though I’d love to see my dream come to fruition, I have a feeling that it will always remain a permanent Plan B. 🙂
Specialty dish: cheesy omelets!
Hmmm I’d have an oatmeal restaurant! 🙂
i’d have to say that i think dessert bars will become more popular, they are awesome. i know a few opening here!
Opening my own restaurant has actually been sort of a far off dream for me since I was in 7th grade when I declared that I wanted to open a bakery! I love baking sweet treats, and sometimes I love putting a secretly healthy twist on treats without anyone knowing 😉
That dessert looks great. A perfect place to celebrate a sweet love!
I don’t want to open a restaurant.. rather a self-serve frozen yogurt place. There are NONE in my area and it is QUITE a shame. I’ve look into how much it would cost to franchise one. Maybe someday! haha
That is such a neat idea for a restaurant — I’m way jealous. The desserts look incredible.
If I were to open something, it would be a bakery, for sure. I would specialize in cupcakes, but would make all sorts of baked goods. I think I would also do coffee/breakfast/sandwich type deals as well. I actually still consider doing this. This…or law school. Haha.
I am planning on opening a cafe and bakery bookstore. Small soups, sandwiches salads, and obviously baked goods! Our specialty item would be Gingerbread of coarse. <3
Fun question!
I think I would like to own a cafe with lots of fun coffees and desserts.
The goal here would be to attract a group of 6 funny people to hang out there on my couches all the time a la Friends so I would be constantly amused!
This is a genius idea! I have ALWAYS wanted to go to a fancy restaurant and simply order an amazing dessert and a glass of wine. I think it would be so classy and fun.
That place looks phenomenal! I’m the same way with peanut butter and chocolate. 🙂
I’d definitely open a seafood place and have a seafood linguine as my specialty dish.
If I could open my own restaurant it would probably be very similar to the Cheesecake Factory with tons of options 🙂
And by the way, those desserts look AMAZING!
I think my dream restaurant would be that restaurant you were just describing!! 🙂 I would love to open a bakery with all sorts of yummy pasteries. And my speciality dish would probably be my chocolate chip cookies.
Looks like you had a great time!! 🙂
I am with you, I would absolutely open a dessert only restaurant 🙂
I love this post! If I opened a restaurant, it would be a breakfast joint. My husband makes killer buttermilk biscuits, so that would be our claim to fame. I also have a name picked out…Ms. Ruby’s Biscuit House (named after our dog, of course). I feel kind of silly admitting all of this! 🙂