Carrot Cake @ Bistro Orleans
Bistro Orleans has moved so rapidly from a little neighborhood joint to a borderline gourmet bistro that a few additions to Chef Archie Saurage's menu have taken me by surprise. For instance, after I had a slice of their carrot cake, I asked the server who they bought the cake from. The answer: it was baked in house. I shouldn't have talked about it quite as much as I did after that, because now they often run out of the dessert. If you score a piece, know that it's very large, creamy but not too rich, and riddled with just the right amount of carrots.