Dessert’s Still Trending at Upscale Restaurants in Raleigh NC
Compared to the main course menu, dessert options might not always top your list of how to choose upscale restaurants in Raleigh NC. Scrumptious appetizers and entrees can leave patrons satisfyingly full long before the sweet course. Make your 2021 start off right — go with dessert first and celebrate your decision without guilt! Upscale Restaurants in Raleigh NC will cater to your palate, whether it’s the first course or the last.
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Comfort desserts continue to climb thanks to a slightly… STRESSFUL… year
The unsurprisingly biggest trend appeared even before lockdowns began: comfort food. And for many of us, comfort food includes sweets. Across the board, cooking and baking that connects us to our roots—our heritage or childhood—has been helping us feel grounded and safe in a turbulent time.
Upscale restaurants in Raleigh NC had already, over the past few years, been feeding our cravings for classics like peach cobbler and banana pudding (according to Grubhub’s 2019 list, jumping in demand by 300% and 241% respectively).
2020 only accelerated that trend—across all aspects of food, and life in general—with a vengeance! The not-always sophisticated, yet decidedly delicious apple pie (up 330%), and hot fudge sundaes (273%) top the list. Downtown Raleigh restaurants are adding drool-worthy nuance to tried-and-true favorites by dialing up the flavors we love—like French Vanilla cheesecake, or White and Dark Chocolate Mousse.
And many not only make us feel good, but they also contain ingredients that are pretty healthy, like fruit (maybe a snappy sorbet like Blackberry, Strawberry and Mango), nuts, dark chocolate, and even vegetables (e.g., pumpkin, or sweet potato in pie or Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake, or carrot cake). So, while dieticians might throw up caution flags, the dessert trend’s not all bad.
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Upscale Restaurants in Raleigh NC help make the most of life’s pleasures
The trend to indulge isn’t just about comfort though. The challenges of this year have made us extra aware that there are no guarantees in life, encouraging many of us to stop and smell the roses—or eat the sweets. We’re hard-wired to like sweet flavors which, together with the serotonin-boosting carbohydrates that desserts provide, are just about guaranteed to put you in a great mood.
Families and couples are seeking local restaurants with private rooms not just for social distancing, but to create memorable experiences. And indulging in a decadent dessert course spoon-by-spoon with your honey can be downright sexy…
This brings us to the next big trend that started percolating in the summer and will certainly come front and center now that the holidays are over…
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Could dessert at downtown Raleigh restaurants help reverse the “COVID-15”?
Instead of the Freshman 15, pundits have billed our nation’s average 3- to 15-pound weight gain during 2020 the “COVID-15”. And while downtown Raleigh Restaurants still offer to cater to your sweet tooth, there is trend for less sweet desserts that still allows you to indulge.
Think pastries, mousses and drinks built around dark or bitter chocolates, or given the punch of salty flavors like Salted Caramel Chocolate Pecan “Turtle” Cake. Or tangy choices like Key Lime Pie, refreshing after a spicy meal. And green tea and ginger additions, long popular in Asian cuisine, are growing in popularity too.
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Too full? DRINK your dessert
Those wanting the extra feel-good serotonin boost but unable to squeeze in another bite, might find a dessert cordial or drink the ideal option. Scrumptious fruit-flavors like the Appletini or Frenchtini (with raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice) add panache to a meal. Or for something sweeter, a caramel apple martini with caramel-flavored vodka, apple cider and butterscotch, or a Tiramisu cocktail with amaretto, creme de cacao or chocolate liqueur and coffee extract does the trick.
Upscale restaurants in Raleigh NC have long been go-to destinations for celebrations and adding joy to our lives, and that trend isn’t showing any signs of slowing down—right to the tantalizing desserts at the end of each sweet meal.