TEA AND MACAROONS AT DOCE VIDA? YES, PLEASE!

by Ronny Green

Walking into Doce Vida Brazilian Bakery, I was immediately transported down the proverbial rabbit hole where I landed right in the middle of an enchanting tea party. The glass cases display an assortment of enticing eye-popping cakes and homemade sweets and the shelves are adorned with a variety of ceramic tea sets. For a moment this charming space made me rethink my whole concept of happy hour; can we meet for tea and macaroons rather than cocktails and hors d’oeuvres?

If you followed 318Central.com’s Taste of Mardi Gras adventures, then you may be familiar with the stand out dessert of the evening from Doce Vida; guava cream cheese king cake. Fast forward to spring where the berries are ripe and in season and the conditions are perfect for a Chantilly cake. This Chantilly cake bowl, yes you read that correctly, is an adaptation of the Chantilly cake you would taste in New Orleans but with a twist. Instead of almond flavor, fresh orange juice is used to create a unique twist that you won’t find anywhere else. The robust flavors of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries with that Chantilly cream will melt in your mouth. The banana pudding bowl is a true comfort dish with layers of extremely moist and sweet pudding filled with chunks of bananas, vanilla wafers, and cream. One spoonful takes me back to the days of hovering in the kitchen waiting to lick the mixing bowl.

If the delightful ambiance of Doce Vida walks the walk, then the wide array of sweet treats talks the talk. There are forty-six different cheesecakes and eighty-seven varieties of macaroons! Unfortunately, my diet won’t allow me to indulge in all eighty-seven flavors of macaroons, so I will start with seven and work my way up. This is my first-time trying macaroons so I had to get the full “pinky out” experience and have a spot of tea with them. If I had to pick; the guava crème cheese and Chantilly with raspberry jam were my top 2 faves followed by the pistachio. Passion fruit, pineapple, almond and raspberry flavors rounded out my options each packing a unique flavor punch with every bite.

Doce Vida opened in 2019; is the lifelong dream turned into reality of Neila Craig. Neila’s first confectionery creation came at the age of 15 when she whipped up her parents 45^th wedding anniversary cake. She remains true to her Brazilian heritage by re-imagining American desserts with recipes, techniques, and ingredients from her youth.