Also this issue:

Better Late Than Never
Inclement weather has delayed the pick-your-own berry season.
-Elisa Ludwig

June 12-18, 2003

food

offthemenu

by Juliet Fletcher

It’s still possible to find decadent establishments where the last course of a meal takes first priority. You just need to know where to look. Down in Bella Vista’s rich territory of bakeries and patisseries, there sits a newcomer: Dessert, an evening-only café devoted exclusively to the pursuit of richness.

"We're coffee and dessert people ourselves," says co-owner JoAnn Greco. "Late at night, looking for a good place to find dessert can be frustrating. Busier restaurants sometimes can't seat you if you won't commit to a full meal -- and the only alternative is an all-hours coffee shop." As Greg Pastore, co-owner, adds: "Nobody really wants this morning's muffins."

The pair aims for a cozy neighborhood operation, with a mission to field the best creations from the area's bakers, and serve them in the elegant atmosphere they believe they deserve. Comfortingly classy china cups and saucers serve up Torreo coffee and assorted blends from House of Tea; while crumbs of Miel's lemon and linzer bars or Petit Four's white Bavarian cake are swept into linen napkins.

Greco says she's aware of the dessert- establishment trend, seen at Boston's grand Finale and the sharply trendy Sugar dessert bar in Chicago. But the impetus for their venture came from closer to home: Greco, a writer, and Pastore, better known in Bella Vista as president of the Town Watch and co-chair of their zoning committee, have lived in Bella Vista for years. Pastore, a 12-year resident, owned the empty storefront, situated at 806 S. Sixth St., and the pair were initially more interested in persuading an Old City business to open up a Bella Vista branch. Though businesses such as Metropolitan Bakery and Foster's expressed some interest, none bit -- and so a plan for Dessert was born, partly, Pastore says, "to create a place my friends and I would like to have in our neighborhood."

Dessert hopes to offer restaurant-style service -- there's no counter, just patient waitstaff. And though it's open until 11 p.m., the owners decided against a liquor license. They'll be offering tiramisu by Blair Bleacher, an independent baker with time at Susannah Foo and Rosalina's under his belt, and orange cheesecake by Karin Howell, whom they headhunted from the Restaurant School. Desserts are $6.50 and hot drinks are $3.50.

Greco and Pastore -- taking their first shot at restaurant ownership -- deciding "exactly what to offer, then finding who could produce it." Still, in this business, Greco admits, the professional approach only gets you so far: "Everyone always wants to talk about their grandmother's homemade recipes."

In Short:

The Palm breaks out hard-shell delights in time for summer: One split jumbo five-pound Nova Scotia cold-water lobster is available to share, accompanied by salads, two side dishes and two steaming cups of coffee. The dinner special is available until Aug. 31, at $75 for two.

Send tips to juliet@citypaper.net.