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[title]“Smore” at Allium (120 E Delaware St, 312-799-4900; $10)Who said s’mores can’t go high society? While the Four Seasons recently reconcepted its fine-dining restaurant Seasons into the midscale farm-to-table joint Allium, pastry chef Scott Gerken still puts a fanciful spin on his creations, including his modernist sculpture take on s’mores. The decidedly unsloppy stack of milk chocolate mousse, toasted marshmallow and sugared graham cookie contains the same elements as its classic inspiration, but should make celebrating tots feel ooh-la-la.
S’more pizza at Flo and Santos (1307 S Wabash Ave, 312-566-9817; $6)Kids never seem to tire of pizza, even as a sweet ending to a meal of it. Follow up the pepperoni pie with this dessert take: pizza dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, slathered with chocolate and caramel sauces, garnished with mini marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs then baked until good and gooey.
S’mores doughnuts at Beavers Donuts (beaversdonuts.com or Twitter @beaversdonuts; 6 for $5)Twitter-savvy doughnut fiends know to track down this cute and friendly food truck. Hop on the trend train and take the kids for an adventure with a reward of fried goodness drizzled with chocolate and marshmallow sauces, then garnished with graham cracker crumbs. (Beavers’ catering license means it can park on private property and skirt city regulations to fry fresh on the truck.)
Vegan s’mores pancakes at West Town Bakery and Diner (formerly Bleeding Heart Bakery, 1916 W Chicago Ave, 773-904-1414; $2.50/each)It’s got a new name, but this is the undisputed leader in the vegan baked goods arena (which is, albeit, a lot like being the skinniest kid at fat camp). Slide into a booth and dig into a meat-and-dairy–free breakfast take on the s’more: dark chocolate pancakes (pictured) under a pile of vegan marshmallow cream, garnished with coconut ganache and graham cracker crumbles. Can’t get enough? Grab a s’mores cakeball ($1.50) from the pastry case on the way out and prepare for the sugar crash by the time you get home.
Mary Tyler S’mores at Hamburger Mary’s (5400 N Clark St, 773-784-6969; $7.75)What kid doesn’t want to get messy with a DIY s’mores treat? Save yourself the trouble of building the fire and head to Hamburger Mary’s, where the tabletop flame lets diners torch the marshmallow themselves before stacking it onto grahams with a hunk of classic Hershey’s chocolate.
S’mores gelato at Bellezza Gelato Caffe (3637 N Harlem Ave, 773-545-1239; $3.50–$4.50) The two-dozen flavors of gelati and sorbetti at this superior sweet shop rotate often, but come summer you can usually depend on a tub of s’mores gelato having a rightful place among the options. Unusually delicious graham cracker gelato gets a thick swirl of chocolate sauce and mini marshmallows. Tip: Get a scoop for the tyke, then go gourmet for your own with the berry-packed zabaglione gelato, spiked with just enough marsala wine to catch a midday buzz.