I think I had one of the best desserts of my life last night at Twelve Gage, the newly baptized restaurant at the legendary Gage Hotel in Marathon, population 400 or so. I think it must have taken all 400 to pitch in making this dessert. Deconstructed a bit - something I hate it when chefs do - the base here is cinnamon and sugar bunuelos (kind of related to sopapillas, except flatter and crisper). Then there are scoops of three different flavors of ice cream: praline with crumbled pecans, “coffee and doughnuts,” and a pink-purple wonder made with blackberry and way-local prickly pear. On top of that, there’s a drizzle of chocolate and caramel sauces, a handful of thinly sliced strawberries and a few dollops of whipped cream. I know Marathon is the Gateway to Big Bend National Park in Far West Texas, but after this dessert, I don’t feel ready for any kind of hiking or climbing.
