Food & Drink

Why Southern Desserts Are the Best Desserts

Every region does desserts but none as successfully as the South

By Chelsea Lin, Naomi Tomky and Megan Lamb February 6, 2018

Beignets-31_NEW

This article originally appeared in the February 2018 issue of Seattle Magazine.

This article appears in print in the February 2018 issue, as part of the cover story, “The United States of Food.” Click here to subscribe.

Restaurant Roux (CLOSED)
New Orleans Beignets
Brunch, dinner, happy hour…any time of day is a good time for beignets. The square, fried yeast doughnut made famous at Café Du Monde in New Orleans is best enjoyed locally at Restaurant Roux, the Fremont neighborhood restaurant where owner Matt Lewis made a brick-and-mortar home for his popular Where Ya At Matt? food truck. Follow any of the Nola-inspired dishes with warm beignets ($6 for three), served under an avalanche of powdered sugar.
What Else To Order: The chicory coffee, a traditional pairing with the doughnuts.
Restaurant Roux, Fremont, 4201 Fremont Ave. N; 206.547.5420

A la Mode Pies
Florida Key Lime Pie
Although Seattle is almost 3,500 miles from Key West, this Floridian staple can be found in delicious approximation at A la Mode’s two shops. Admittedly, real key limes—the small, round cousin to the standard supermarket variety—are awfully expensive here. So, owner Chris Porter combines key lime juice with fresh lime juice and zest for a sweet-tart pie ($32) that’s sure to satisfy. 
Know Before You Go: You can now get A la Mode’s pies, including key lime, delivered to your door via Amazon Fresh.
A la Mode Pies, Phinney Ridge, 5821 Phinney Ave. N; 206.383.3796
West Seattle, 4225 Alaska St.; 206.456.4343; alamodeseattle.com

Theo Chocolate
Tennessee MoonPies
The moonpie, that packaged cookie-and-marshmallow dessert your mom may have packed in your lunch box, celebrated its 100th birthday last year. And while there’s something satisfying (if unidentifiably plastic-y) about the original, Theo Chocolate has taken the Tennessee treat, renamed it a Lunar Pie ($7.50) and gilded the lily: chocolate marshmallow and cocoa-nib crust covered in dark chocolate, all made in house and only available at the Fremont factory store. We dare you to finish a whole one.
Where Else To Find It: Looking for the original? You can usually spot the packaged sweet at Walmart or Walgreens.
Theo Chocolate, Fremont, 3400 Phinney Ave. N; 206.632.5100 

Simply Soulful
Mississippi Banana Pudding
This tiny café, hidden off Madison behind Cafe Flora, is best known for its sweet potato pie, from a recipe handed down from generation to generation. Once you’re already sitting down to a meal of fried catfish and grits, it only makes sense to add a dessert. But while the sweet potato pie is the star, the banana pudding ($5.95) is the ingenue that steals the show. The boxes of Nilla wafers shine from a high shelf, the cookies awaiting their turn to fall apart under a layer of whipped cream and rich pudding.
Where Else To Find It: If the warm Southern hospitality and family-run feel here make you happy, find a similar vibe (and more catfish) at Jackson’s Catfish Corner in the Central District.
Simply Soulful, Madison Valley, 2909-B E Madison St.; 206.474.9841; 

 

Follow Us

Love at First Spark

Love at First Spark

Redmond pizza joint earns another honor

Italy loves Spark Pizza. The venerable Redmond restaurant has been named one of the Top 50 Pizzerias in the United States for the second consecutive year by Italian publication 50topizza.it. The online guide recognizes the best pizzerias in the world and is updated annually. Spark last year finished No. 48. It finished No. 31 this…

Tastes of Mexico

Tastes of Mexico

Special dinners at El Camino seek to educate and entertain

Illuminated beneath the glow of Fremont’s famous rocket, two dozen Seattleites gather at El Camino restaurant to enjoy a specially curated meal featuring authentic Mexican dishes paired with three pours of Wahaka Mezcal. The enclosed patio is strewn with colorful punched banners and paper lanterns. Light dances above tables set with flickering votives, bowls of…

Seattle Restaurant Week kicks off

Seattle Restaurant Week kicks off

Expect a broader range of dishes at several different prices

At times referred to as “Restaurant Weak” for menus limited in scope and portion size, Restaurant Week is coming of age after 20 years. In the beginning of what would become Restaurant Week, chefs and restaurateurs often compromised on portion size and sometimes quality.  Chef and restaurateur Brian Clevenger, who owns General Harvest Restaurants (Vendemia,…

Fish Feast

Fish Feast

Take part in an Italian-American tradition while enjoying Seattle's fantastic seafood

Consider Paju’s fried rice a seafood dish thanks to the addition of squid ink. The catfish sandwich at Matt’s in the Market has been a menu mainstay for years.Is it a hush puppy or a crab dish? At Emerald City Fish & Chips, it’s both.