Whipped cheesecake

Restaurant 715

Lawrence, Kansas

Creator: Kelly Conwell

Price: $13

A deconstructed cheesecake: Whipped cheesecake, brown-butter sourdough crumble, orange, rhubarb jam, fresh strawberries, and fresh mint. A combination of different textures along with sweet, salty, sour and savory flavors.

Magic Mushroom

Huntress Steak House

San Diego

Creator: Melanie Stagnaro

Price: $18

Peanut butter mousse, huckleberry jam, dark chocolate

Wrecking Ball

Barton G. Miami Beach

Miami Beach, Fla.

Creator: Barton G. Weiss

Price: $300

In keeping with Barton G.’s famously theatrical presentation, this dessert for a group features 24-karat gold “savage” red velvet cheesecake filled with cream cheese frosting, white & dark chocolate ganache over 24-karat gold candy glass. The dessert is wheeled in on a seven-foot crane, a wire is cut dropping the cake through the candy glass table

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Waterbar

San Francisco

Creator: Erica Land

Price: $12

A warm, caramelly Sticky Toffee Pudding is a beautiful thing, and this is a beautiful Sticky Toffee Pudding, made with fresh Medjool dates, maple, brown sugar and topped with mascarpone. This dessert was also featured on the Food Network on “Beat Bobby Flay.”

Firefly Lemon Tartufo

Esquire by Coopers Hawk

Chicago

Creator: Matt McMillon

Price: $14

A tribute to the very first movie shown at the iconic Esquire Theatre, “The Firefly,” in 1938. Served on a black plate playing backdrop as the night sky, the lemon gelato tartufo signifies the moon while the yellow candies symbolize fireflies dancing in the moonlight.

Crème Brulee Tart

Mala Tavern

Lahaina, Hawaii

Creator: Alvin “The Kitchen Assassin” Savella

Price: $14

Salted crème brulee, with bits of cherry cake, whipped cream. A spin on the classic dish, but this one is gluten free, made with rice flour.

Homemade cheesecake

Vestry

New York City

Creator: Shaun Hergatt

Price: $15

Secret blend of cheeses, honeycrisp apple, ginger, hazelnut, chow mein noodles. The dessert is presented as a wedge of Swiss cheese with a mouse chasing it — tail and all. The dish itself is a nod to NYC’s affinity for cheesecake.

Chocolate Chili Tart

Ellie’s Restaurant

Dallas

Creator: Dan Landsberg

Price: $11

An elevated take on the classic chocolate tart, Ellie's leverages iconic southern and Tex-Mex inspired flavors like smoked bacon brittle and chili to create an unexpectantly decadent dessert.

Cinnamon Pistachio Butter Cake with an Orange Glaze and Vanilla Ice Cream

Martini’s Grille

Burlington, Iowa

Creator: Olivia Mellinger

Price: $12

A smooth butter cake is given texture with crushed pistachios and spice from cinnamon that pairs with a light orange glaze on top for a balance of sweet and spice.

Eight Layer Carrot Cake

JRDN

San Diego

Creator: Christian Molle

Price: $12

This local winner of best dessert in San Diego three years running is a classic. It’s served with caramel corn as a compliment. And both ginger and yuzu are used in the cream cheese icing , which gives it a Japanese flair that ties it to the restaurant’s menu.

Missionary Crisp

Better than Sex, A Dessert Restaurant

Key West, Fla.

Creator: Dani Johnson

Price: $13

Red Delicious skin-on apples, layer cake, a sea-salt graham-cracker crumble, soft caramel, cinnamon, cracked caramel candy as a garnish and vanilla bean ice cream.

Textures of Chocolate

Mohonk Mountain House

New Paltz, N.Y.

Creator: Audrey Billups

Price: $16

A study in chocolate featuring Valrhona chocolates: caramelia, guanaja and cocoa powder.

Meyer Lemon Chess Tart

Plank Seafood Provisions

City: Austin, Texas

Creator: Flagship Restaurant Group

Price: $12

Blueberries, coconut milk and buttermilk crumb made in-house with locally or responsibly sourced ingredients.

Strawberry Chocolate and Brie Mousse

Canoe

Atlanta

Creator: Jessica McKinney

Price: $11

Valrhona strawberry chocolate, bruléed brie, pretzel and basil. This dessert was inspired by the chef’s grandmother’s Christmas Eve recipe.

Diplomate Mousse Pinecone Cake

Soby’s New South Cuisine

Greenville, S.C.

Creator: Tarciani Harger

Price: $9

Chocolate cake, caramel and hazelnut crunch in a pinecone-shaped shell on a plate garnished with pistachio “moss” and crumbled cake to resemble the ground.

Vacherin with Carrot, Cream Cheese & Pecan

The Musket Room

New York City

Creator: Executive Pastry Chef Camari Mick

Price: $16

This meringue dessert is presented on ribbons of carrots with pecans.

Bill-E’s Chocolate Belly

Bill-E’s

Fairhope, Ala.

Creator: Bill. E. Stitt

Price: $12.99

Bill-E's savory pork belly bites and sweet salted caramel bites covered with bourbon brown sugar glaze and topped with a smoked cherry.

Honey Lemon Cheesecake

Naples Sailing and Yacht Club

Naples, Fla.

Creator: Michael Kitun

Price: $12

This gorgeous mini Honey Lemon Cheesecake is garnished with lemon, honey and honeycomb.