Sweet of the Week: S'mores at The Brass Monkey

The imminent arrival of summer means dessert cravings pivot from pie and cocoa to warm-weather sweets like strawberry shortcake, banana splits, and the almighty s'more. Few things depict the essence of summer sweets quite like the latter. It's the rare dessert to instantly conjure nostalgia and vivid imagery of fireside lore. It's at once a token of childhood and a timeless favorite for adults. It also happens to be the perfect dessert for a restaurant like The Brass Monkey, a West Loop newcomer that prides itself on its Americana. The vaguely '70's-inspired restaurant peddles dishes from bygone decades, running the gamut from gourmet "TV dinners" to meatloaf. Nothing punctuates a meal here better than their whimsical interpretation of s'mores. 

 

S'mores are generally pretty straightforward: graham cracker + chocolate + marshmallow = voila! The Brass Monkey manages to capture all those essential flavors while still having fun with it and getting creative. For instance, the s'mores dessert features a graham cracker brownie as the base, simultaneously combining two of the three s'mores players in one enticing bite. It's topped off with some cinnamon gelato, a melee of toasted marshmallows, and chocolate sauce. Altogether, it boasts a good amount of sweet spice, some creaminess from the gelato, the toasty aroma of charred marshmallow, and the graham cracker-like crunch courtesy of a few shards of brittle. You'd think you were camping! And you didn't even need to put on bug spray. 

- Matt Kirouac