Yardbird Southern Table & Bar
Coffee
Dulce de Leche Strawberry Waffle – Dulce de Leche Waffle, Chocolate Sauce, Strawberries, Chantilly Cream
Maple Glazed Bacon Doughnuts – Caramel Dipping Sauce
Chess Pie – Sweet Cornmeal, Chantilly Cream, Caramel Sauce
Sweet Potato Pie with Crumbled Pecans, Whipped Cream
Biscuits with Honey Butter and Apple Butter
S’Mores Brownie with Graham Cracker Ice Cream, Hot Chocolate Sauce, Charred Marshmallow
Lemon Blueberry Sundae – Lemon Dill Curd, Vanilla Ice Cream, Graham Cracker Crumble, Blueberry Compote
Hummingbird Cake – Cream Cheese Frosting, Banana Pecan Ice Cream, Caramelized Pineapple
Deep Fried Oreo – Oreo Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate Rice Crispys
Raspberry Cheesecake – Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Sorbet, Raspberry Sauce, Chocolate Ganache
Strawberry Shortcake – Strawberry Ice Cream, Orange Strawberry Sauce, Sorghum Chantilly
Yardbird Banana Split – Caramel Popcorn Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce, Caramelized Banana, Shortbread Cookie
Receiving word a few weeks prior that Pastry Chef Vivian Chang would be leaving Yardbird at the beginning of November, a job at Pierre Gagnaire’s Twist offering the young woman a chance to spread her wings and develop skills under the guidance of a living legend, it was without hesitation that I booked a chance to visit her at The Venetian one last time for sweets and seated with five friends after lunch at Flock & Fowl the results were as good as ever, only three new items sampled but all as good as the realm of rustic-upscale dessert gets.
Having now visited Yardbird ten times since the start of the year, once since Todd Harrington handed the reins to Melvin Johnson at the helm, it is obvious to anyone who knows me that my affection for the Miami import has been cemented by the work of Chef Chang even more than the savory side of the staff and beginning with biscuits, of which I ate three, before progressing into crisp waffles both remain reference standard both locally and across the nation, the former more fluffy than Sunrise with more butter than Loveless while separating layers outdo many laminated pastries around the globe.
Upgrading the longstanding Miami Maple Bacon Donut during her one-year tenure and continuing to innovate until the end of her term, this meal saw Vivian unleash a Sweet Potato Pie that may as well have been made of silk given the smoothness of the puree and again seeing the innovative Strawberry Shortcake, S’mores Brownie, and beautiful Hummingbird her comprehensive reinterpretation of Southern classics was once again worthy of being witnessed, each bite as compelling as the last.
Again impressed by the Banana Split and equally set smiling by a Sundae that somehow saw dill accent lemon and blueberries in a most pleasant and unexpected way, suffice it to say that over the course of a year none of Chef Chang’s in-house Pacojet crafted ice creams was less than a resounding success, a compliment paid equally to Rice Crispy coated Oreos that solve the conundrum of how to prevent the center from becoming a soggy mess.
Rounding out the meal with a slice of cheesecake that saw Raspberries and Chocolate forms meld harmoniously amidst a creamy, tangy base it was no mistake that a few bites of the Chess Pie were set aside as a final taste, still the best version of the dish to date and one I don’t expect to be soon replaced.
FIVE STARS: To date not replacing Vivian, whose first day at Twist is November 3rd, the Chef claims nothing will change in her departure as the team has been trained well, and yet as much as I want to believe those words I still can’t help but be a little bit disappointed as the ‘skinny pastry chef’ signage above the kitchen tells us ‘not to trust’ has left some sizable shoes to fill.
RECOMMENDED: Close your eyes and point…then add on the Chess Pie, an order of Biscuits, nd a Hummingbird Cake.
AVOID: N/A.
TIP: Not all Desserts are typically offered during Brunch Service while the Chess Pie is unfortunately only offered from 10a-4p Friday through Sunday at this time.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
