Horne Your Own Specialties

Santorini's specialty: White against a blue backdrop

While many restaurants can lay claim to fame where their pancakes are concerned, doing so with the way they make their crepes is another ball game altogether. This is a finesse few eateries here have mastered to perfection. But to my delight, I can beg to defer with the way DB Bistro serves up this dessert.

Its berry compote is as divine on the palate as if they’ve been whipped up immediately after picking the fruit from the bush. And they actually serve that along with genuine fresh cream. But what makes Daniel Boulud’s serving a piece de resistance is his heavenly waive thin crepes: you are almost inspired to wax lyrical about how its slightly crisp periphery is no culinary imperfection; rather the gastronomical aria will have lost its soul without it.

And the greatest complement I can give this chef is by refraining from any attempt to replicate his dessert in my own kitchen. Then I give hubby the wonderful opportunity to take me to this bistro for the sole delight of partaking Boulud’s sweet magic, accompanied by a decided pink toast of kir royale.

In turn, that liberates me to perfect my own intoxicating specialties when we invite guests over for dinner. So if the night is hot and humid, I’ll offer a refreshing melody of strawberries and blue berries, generously wintered over with icing sugar and to be dipped into decidedly wicked double cream. If dusk brings in a hearty breeze, guests can indulge in a chilled New York cheese cake that’s smothered with whipped cream and plated drizzled with deliciously light mixed berry compote. But when Thor decides to bucket down, there’s always a piping hot apple strudel that’s liberally spiked with dry sherry and served with enough heavy cream to light a warm glow within each of us.

And unlike crepes, these desserts of mine require preparation before the guests arrive; freeing me to do what a hostess should spend most of the time doing: engaged in animated conversation with our guests.

Then my decision guarantees DB Bistro we’ll be there whenever we crave its crepes.