Who Can Satisfy a Sweet Tooth?

Anything called the "Chocolate Tower" demands a challenge, right? Especially when it comes stabbed with a knife so it can be carved up among three or four people.

That's how this week's Chowdown Showdown started. I was idly glancing at Stonefire's dessert menu with two members of the Yorkville Patch Moms Council and - on the spot - decided it was time for a dessert Chowdown Showdown. And chowdown I did.

We got the Chocolate Tower, which the menu bills as a "huge slice of layered fudge cake, served slightly warm." The presentation was excellent, but the cake itself was a little dry. (One of the Moms Council members ended up mushing it on her plate as she talked, because it just didn't have the fudge-laden consistency we were expecting.)

The creme brulee, on the other hand, was enticing. We didn't get to witness the brulee flame-torch process, but the crystallized sugar was an excellent contrast to the dessert's creamy texture. The strawberries added just the right touch.

The good: Desserts are more fun shared, so I appreciated that the portions lent themselves to multiple spoons/forks.
The bad: The "Tower of Chocolate" left me craving a chocolate layered cake I had once bought from Jewel Osco's bakery section.

On the other end of town, I dove into a banana split at Silver Dollars. I enjoyed the fruit toppings - pineapple and strawberries - with a generous sprinkling of walnuts. The banana split also came with chocolate syrup and a variety of ice cream flavors, although I ordered just vanilla. All in all, it was everything one expects in a banana split, and it left me wondering why I don't eat more ice cream in winter.

The good: Fruit mixed with ice cream - how can that be wrong?
The bad: I have no criticism.

This was not just any cheesecake. This "berry crumble cheesecake," which the menu announces will be available for a limited time only, starts with a cookie crust and is topped with currants, blueberry and a crumble. The cheesecake itself had a good, firm texture and wasn't so sweet that it overpowered the toppings. The beautiful presentation issued a tasty promise that this dessert fulfilled.

The good: The combination of flavors and textures.
The bad: I don't want to think about the calorie content.

And the winner is: Blackstone Bar & Grill. I enjoyed the creme brulee and the banana split, but the cheesecake was the decadent experience you hope for when ordering dessert at a restaurant.