Traditional desserts included moderately sweet dulce de leche cheesecake; fried bananas; flourless chocolate cake; vanilla flan; and sponge cake soaked in tres leches, a citric glaze adding punch.
The layers of her majestic Mont Blanc, for example, include Japanese sweet potato purée, roasted sweet potato, Chantilly cream, chiffon cake, vanilla ice cream and meringue ($9).
WHAT WE LIKED Borek, mussels, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, baba ghanouj, falafel, cauliflower cakes, grilled lamb, grilled kofta, salmon, King Tut lamb shank, rack of lamb, semolina cake, vanilla custard, feta cheesecake, mango pudding, mint tea.
Since yesterday was Easter and Mrs. Astor is known for her hats, each table got a cake (vanilla with plum filling) topped with a different hat shaped from marzipan.
WHAT WE LIKED From a menu that changes weekly: stuffed figs, octopus with chorizo, pear salad, calamari salad, beets and goat cheese salad, Tuscan flat bread, lobster-crab ravioli, oven-roasted Chilean sea bass, braised short ribs, pan-seared scallops, oven-roasted black fish, apple crostata, molten chocolate cake, vanilla panna cotta, tiramisu, gelatos.
A small wedge of velvety, creamy American cheesecake ($6), with strawberry coulis, could not have been more sinful or better, but a homemade brownie tower ($8) was a hodgepodge of slightly hard cake, vanilla and cappuccino ice cream, whipped cream, hot chocolate fudge, sticky bun pecans and who knows what.
RECOMMENDED DISHES Fluke crudo; grapefruit salad; cavatelli; pizzoccheri; garganelli with lamb ragù; testa cappelacci; orecchiette with sausage; sweetbreads; olive oil cake; vanilla-buttermilk panna cotta; pear crostata.
Vanilla cake with vanilla icing for dessert.
Each day, the bakery offers four classic permutations of cake and frosting: vanilla vanilla, vanilla chocolate, chocolate vanilla and chocolate chocolate.
Although Warner and I never could decide what makes the best accompaniment to the cake -- vanilla ice cream or whipped cream?
The cake has vanilla frosting with a bright blue trim.
