How Sweet It Is

Submitted by Jonathan Nassar

Happy New Year! Like many, I am happy to have 2020 behind us. As I write this, I’m thinking about Christmas, New Years’, my mother’s January birthday, my January birthday, the Lunar New Year — lots of reasons to celebrate and to get a sweet treat. So, I thought I would share some desserts that have recently made my year a little sweeter.

A lot of folks know Common Bond for their large array of baked goods — but a quicker option is the newer drive-thru location. Common Bond’s On the Go is located at the northwest corner of White Oak and Heights and is a great option for combining a quick lunch with an upscale treat. I unexpectedly ended up trying their strawberry-passion dessert, which was a nice balance of strawberry and passion fruit — not too sweet, not too tart.

To celebrate my son’s birthday, we ended up going to a slightly older mainstay: Crave Cupcakes in Uptown Park. Crave is always good for a hastily planned celebration, and it is easy to get a variety of flavors in a quantity to suit your needs. One gluten-free, one strawberry, one chocolate, and one vanilla suited us perfectly. They have a variety of themed fondant toppers to tailor the cupcakes to the occasion.

A more common splurge is donuts — and one of my favorites is Hugs & Donuts on 19th Street and Shepherd. The kolaches are good, the coffee is good, and I think a lot of people know they have an excellent variety of unique donuts. But when I want to splurge a bit, I go for my absolute favorite: the tres leches donut. Even to someone who is picky about tres leches, it hits the spot.

I think all of us have had to find ways to celebrate and make our special days still feel special — even those of us in the most strict of quarantines. I hope I've helped you think about a few ideas!