Once the province of cruise ships and ’70s steakhouses, tableside desserts are firing up a new generation of admirers in Greater Phoenix.
Tableside cooking reached its zenith in the 1970s, when the theatrical deboning of a sole fillet or the performative flambé of brandy-drenched cherries was part and parcel with a night on the town. The ritual fell out of favor in the chef-centric decades that followed, but in the age of Instagram and TikTok, eye-catching tableside preparations are making a comeback – particularly with the sweet stuff.
At Sexy Roman (W Hotel, 7277 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale, 602-609-7002, sexyroman.com), executive chef Jason Franey makes his tiramisu ($24, pictured) with a French twist, substituting egg whites for yolks in the ladyfingers he dips in coffee syrup and stacks with mascarpone and chocolate mousse. The server presents the tiramisu tableside and pours circles of coffee crème anglaise over the top from a copper saucepot, finishing the dessert by grating gianduja-style Valrhona chocolate laced with hazelnuts that spills over the plate onto the stark white tablecloth. It’s a stunning presentation and worth the mess.
Down the block at Shiv Supper Club (7373 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale, 480-841-8305, shivsupperclub.com), pastry chef Nundi Harris stages a splashy bananas Foster/baked Alaska combo ($34) that will dazzle even the most jaded diner. Made with house-made sponge cake dipped in rum syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream and caramelized bananas, the hybrid dessert is coated in meringue, frozen and ultimately delivered to the table, where a server pours a flaming rum glaze over the dessert, sprinkling it with ground cinnamon that sparks dramatically in the fire. “People love a show, and it’s great for a group,” Harris says.
In a fun bit of performance art, servers at Toro at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (17020 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale, 480-585-4848, scottsdaleprincess.com) set the stage for the restaurant’s signature La Bomba dessert ($36) by placing a layer of plastic on the table, Dexter-style. After a dramatic countdown, the server exclaims, “La Bomba!” and drops an edible chocolate bowl filled with fresh berries, bits of buttermilk cake, several scoops of ice creams and sorbet, candied pistachios and more from a height of about 3 feet, splattering the contents across the plastic. House-made passion fruit anglaise and raspberry purée join the party, creating a riot of flavor and textures. Theatrics aside, this glitzy dessert truly is the bomb.
