Herringbone
Double Espresso on Ice
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream
Rare to visit a restaurant for one item, but told by a trusted source that Chef Geno Bernardo’s in-house pastry ladyhad created a “butter cake that will make you see Jesus” it was almost as if good fortune was smiling double since plans were already in place for dinner at Bardot that evening, the ‘pre-gaming’ dessert actually described by the Chef as a bread pudding, but otherwise largely living up to the rumors.
Having already been wowed by Herringbone a week prior, Geno’s beautiful presentation of peerless ingredients well worth investigating for those who favor great fish and produce, it was with some surprise that I was informed that the four sweets previously experienced were actually crafted by the downstairs bakery at Aria, and yet as good as they all were none stood a candle to the “weekly special” I was about to indulge in.
Described simply as “Bananas Foster Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream,” but clearly more involved than that considering the cream, streusel, and molten bourbon caramel it is actually somewhat difficult to explain ‘why’ Herringbone’s Bread Pudding is so remarkable but getting down to basics the answer is really one of texture, the cubes of bread somehow remaining almost as light as if they weren’t custard soaked despite the obvious buttery richness while contrast is provided by similarly sized chunks of seared bananas, some pudding soft while others have just started to caramelize.
FIVE STARS: Apparently just a ‘special,’ but definitely living up to that title – and then some – this should be a must on the radar of everyone with a sweet tooth in Las Vegas whether at the end of a meal from Geno and his team or as a destination in and of itself.
DEAR GENO: Put this on the menu and hire that woman to get started on the rest of the desserts stat.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
https://www.aria.com/en/restaurants/herringbone.html#/Menu
