The Tell-Tale Sign A Restaurant's Crème Brûlée Is Worth Ordering Or If You Should Skip

Picture it. You're at the end of a wonderful meal under the flattering lights of a lovely restaurant. You've nearly finished wining and dining with one of your favorite people, who suggests you split dessert or, even better, each get your own. The place has crème brûlée on the menu, which is great, unless it isn't. But guess what. Even if you don't quite know that you know, you've probably already processed enough data to determine whether this particular combination of custard and torched sugar is worth its salt.

If you conducted even a little research when choosing which restaurant to visit, you probably already know whether your pick has a proper pastry program. This dedicated department is a good sign that the crème brûlée is a-okay, according to Trew Sterling, executive pastry chef of Pastis Miami. In an exclusive conversation with Chowhound, the pâtissier shared some wisdom worth noting when discerning the difference between a quality crème brûlée and one worth skipping.

"Attention to detail in desserts often reflects the same care that goes into the rest of the food," Sterling says. A place that buys its desserts, instead, is just serving whatever was delivered that day — if you're lucky. Now, that cheesecake of indeterminate origin or whatever might turn out to be just fine. But a place that allocates time and resources to sweet treats, not to mention has a pastry department or chef (which Sterling says is increasingly rare), is more accountable for their outcome.

If a dessert, or any restaurant dish, simply isn't to your liking, the reason is between you and the plate. But, in the event that you want to go so far as to send something back, a move that confirmed grump Gordon Ramsay wishes more restaurant guests would make, you might want to better explain why. And if that brûlée is broke, in a manner of speaking, the finished egg might be to blame.

"In my experience, a lot of places tend to overbake their crème brûlées, which leads to a 'scrambled egg' texture," Trew Sterling says. "This usually happens because they didn't use a proper water bath or their bake was too hot or too long." This is, of course, good to know, whether your server is taking notes (which they would most certainly be doing to be polite, so try to keep the tips to a minimum), or if you're just going to make your own darn crème brûlée at home next time. Sterling also cautions against overcomplicating it in either case.

"I think that applies to a lot of desserts, but simplicity is key. It should be approachable and straightforward, with a clean flavor profile," he says. "I guess I'm a bit of a purist; I prefer my crème brûlée lightly flavored with vanilla so the burnt caramel topping can really shine." Fire that sugary top just right and it'll gleam literally, too.