Sweet of the Week: Beet Soft-serve at A10

I never thought I’d crave a beet and goat cheese salad for dessert, but A10 has me singing a different tune. The savory duo, a common combo for the salad course, gets the dessert treatment in top form at the Hyde Park restaurant. Here, the dessert course brings out the sweet components in each ingredient, while keeping it all rooted in the form of a mildly savory soft-serve ice cream. It’s an apt, exciting finale to a menu filled with modern European creations. 
 

A10
Soft-serve at A10

Soft-serve ice cream is a mainstay at A10, regularly featured in different flavors throughout the year. Considering the steady presence of soft-serve at sister restaurant Yusho as well, it’s safe to say chef/owner Matthias Merges knows what he’s doing with ice cream. Upon a recent visit, the ice cream du jour was a red beet variety, lending a rosy luster to the soft-serve as well as those sweet notes inherent in beets. The innate earthiness of the beets was present as well, keeping it nicely tempered from excess sweetness. Instead of whipped cream, dollops of melted goat cheese are nestled alongside the ice cream, offering a tangy punch with each bite. There’s also plump blueberries and housemade ice cream cone shards for crunch. Altogether, it’s a thorough and thoughtful reinvention of the soft-serve template, and one most definitely worth screaming about. 

- Matt Kirouac

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