If you’re anything like me, you won’t be fully satisfied without indulging your post-dinner sweet tooth. Enter La Dolce Vita on Main Street, the best dessert place in town.
Tucked in the back of the Chop House, this little sweets lounge specializes in cocktails and desserts, all of which are made completely from scratch. As if the concept of an all-dessert restaurant wasn’t already intriguing enough, the contents of the menu are sure to get you through the door. My friends and I go with a few dishes in mind to split. We start with the chocolate melt cake topped with handmade Bailey’s-infused cookies and cream gelato. If you are a die-hard chocoholic, this dessert is for you. The cake is dense and the flavor is rich — although my favorite part had to be the gelato. Creamy and thick, plus perfectly shaved chocolate pieces on top? Epic.
As recommended by our server, we also tried the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream and caramelized bananas. Only way to describe it: OMG. Combining two classics, this dessert definitely lives up to my standards (which are pretty over the top). Even if you’re not instantly drawn to it while looking over the menu, try this moist and super-sweet dessert anyway.
To top it all off, we decide to finish with one of Dolce’s seasonal options: apple crisp topped with house made cinnamon gelato, a dried apple slice, and drizzles of raspberry coulis and a maple bourbon caramel. We didn’t intend to save the best for last, but this dessert dish was the star of the night. If you are one of those people who clings to cold weather and enjoys the crumble of crust on a pie, then look no further.
All in all, La Dolce Vita is a winner – every dessert we tried had us squealing with chocolate-induced glee. I’ll gladly take another visit and try to find that miss on the menu, but considering this experience, it’s not likely.
Address: 322 S. Main St, Ann Arbor
Hours: Mon-Thurs 5 p.m., – 1o p.m., Fri-Sat 5 p.m. – 11 p.m., Sun 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.