Tremont Desserts | West Village, NYC

Sticky toffee pudding answers fall's call

The West Village's Tremont exists as if located within a comfort-only force field.

The street is tree-dotted West Village perfection, and broad corner windows reveal ivory walls, lattice dividers and richly dark wooden tables within.

The food is not ambitious–nor do we always want our dinner to be. Wide bowls of Exile Chicken Soup ($10) bump up against grilled baby squid with chickpeas ($15) and dry-rubbed pork chops with greens ($26).

And it's on the dessert menu that we found a dish that does this tranquilized state of grace best.

Pastry chef Jade Zimmerman began working at Tremont in early fall, and has been cooking sticky toffee pudding ever since ($10). Described by servers as a bread pudding, the confection leans more toward the sticky English style.

Ooey-gooey, rich with dates and served warm with a sopping of brown-sugar-butter-cream toffee sauce, this is not a sweet to be eaten in the warmer months. It's squarely a fall dish–one that pleasantly doesn't fall back on familiar apple and pumpkin flavors.

Make a panful now and then bake one again the day before Thanksgiving (click here for the recipe). This is a sweet that loves a good overnighter.

Tremont, 51 Bank St. (at W. Fourth St.); 212-488-1019 or tremontnyc.com