To be fair, The Liberty Tavern, one of my favorite dining spots in Clarendon, did have little dry chocolate mousse cups on their Sunday brunch dessert bar, but the majority of the sweets on the table were commercial candies, including Tootsie Rolls, Necco Wafers, Whoppers, Mary Janes, and, ugh, Pixy Stix.

I have to admit, the candies are a brilliant idea. Grown adults acted as if they were kids at Halloween; they pawed at the table, grabbing various candies to unwrap back at their tables, far more excited by these “desserts,” it seemed to me, than by just another creme brulee or double chocolate cake.