Just the Desserts
by Mary Hartford
At most restaurants, a passing glance at the dessert menu assures me I will be "too full for dessert". Dessert is not so sweet when a factory kitchen churns it out, flash-freezes it, then trucks it across state lines. Later at the restaurant, someone plucks it out of a box and heats it in the microwave for you. Delightful.
The wait staff doesn't always know where the desserts come from either. A server once assured me that an Italian pastry chef had prepared their tiramisu in Italy. Actually, she later confessed, an Italian had created the recipe. A facility at the home office somewhere in the Midwest had assembled, flash-frozen and shipped out the final product. Yes, that's it.
Merlino's Belvedere Restaurant in Caņon City serves Bananas Foster with a very different story. Not only do you know where it is made and with what ingredients, but you know who makes it and how they do it. Whether owner Mike Merlino or Chef Adam Merlino prepares the dish at your table, it is a captivating finale to your meal.
Order the Bananas Foster at Merlino's and your senses will be delighted. From the aromatic Madagascar vanilla-infused sugar, to the homegrown Sorrento lemon zest, the ingredients are fresh and distinctive. Chef Adam says the best part is the alcohol. He is only partly correct since the alcohol just evaporates away--but not without an impressive burst of flame. That is the exciting part. Children (of all ages) love it. I almost expected to see scorch marks on the ceiling, but Chef Adam clearly has everything under control.
"You are in for a treat," another customer had said. She was right, and she should know. I found out later that she orders the Bananas Foster every time she eats at Merlino's.
Too good to resist, you will not be too full, so try it. Bananas Foster at Merlino's Belvedere Restaurant in Caņon City, Colorado. Simply spectacular.
Mary Hartford
April 2010
Merlinos' BelvedereMerlinos' Belvedere Restaurant is Southern Colorado's Most Distinctive Family Restaurant. Our restaurant has been owned and operated by the Merlino family since it began in 1946. Our menu allows for a variety of choices including handmade pasta with our family secret recipe sauces, steaks, chicken, and seafood.