Best Dessert: MAD
Did you know there was once a strawberry mousse that wanted to be a lemon so bad it ended up masquerading in a perfectly air-brushed disguise, sticker and all?
The dessert menu at MAD is expressive, exploding with creativity, and executed at the highest level. So, Fresa Wannabe, the aforementioned dessert, is as Instagram-able as the hallway of mirrors leading to the bathroom, but step outside of the box further with Ajo Negro & Miel del Bosque, a textural delight with clove-like meringue puffs and honey that support the fermented ingredient’s ability to go both ways.
Crisp Churros Con Chocolate and the oozing Coulant de Queso Manchego, a lava cake made with Manchego cheese, are also a must. Assorted ice creams and sorbets are spun fresh with a Carpigiani machine in the back, and as mostly all desserts are priced under $14, best try a few. Pastry chef Karla Espinosa, who is given free rein of everything sweet, says the dessert menu is projected to change seasonally — though many desserts, like the popular manicured-passionfruit spaceships of Huevos Voladores, might hang on for a little while longer. Reservations recommended.
4444 Westheimer, Houston
281-888-2770
madhouston.com
Readers' Choice: Dessert Gallery
3600 Kirby, Houston
713-522-9999
dessertgallery.com