2008 Dining Guide 2008 Fall Dining Guide By Tom Sietsema Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 Sound Check: 84 decibels (extremely loud) I finally have the perfect response to the oft-asked question: "Where can we go for dessert?" Fans of chocolate and coffee got their wish fulfilled this year when this dazzling dessert boutique in Penn Quarter opened its doors and began offering elegant, multi-course "experiences" in a world of (sweet) flavors. One of my current passions here is the "Italian Voyage." It starts with a thimble-size serving of vanilla panna cotta in a tiny moat of chocolate, rouses jaded palates with a trio of tiramisus in strawberry, chocolate and classic coffee accents -- each elegantly displayed in a flute -- and concludes with fetching petits fours, including chocolate-edged amaretti. (And this comes from a guy who is agnostic about chocolate.) While the kitchen, under the watch of pastry chef Santosh Tiptur, is best known for its artful sugar work, savories shouldn't be ignored. Balancing the menu are sophisticated twists on homey classics. Mac and cheese can be ordered with orecchiette and bacon; sliders come in such exotic combinations as an Indian-spiced chicken patty with a cilantro-flecked bun. The crowd, a rainbow coalition of loungers, skews young and fun. And the eye candy extends to the dining areas, rich with faux leather, real spun sugar sculptures, shimmering tiles and faux "waves" of chocolate flowing from the ceiling.
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