READERS' PICK: There are cakes, and then there are cakes. And when there are cakes that seem to be crafted more from alchemy and imagination than flour and egg whites, they are usually French. And they are all at Le Bistro. These are the cakes you dreamed of before you learned the word "metabolism": five layers here, two kinds of butter cream frosting there, cheesecakes, flourless cakes, a cake made of chocolate eclairs ... fresh fruit, rich mousse, shaved chocolate, real whipped cream. You won't find a more decadent dessert case devoted to this singular art form.
STAFF PICK: The Barrio Grill, 135 S. Sixth Ave. Our perfect world would be made from clouds of vanilla crème brûlé, islands of chocolate custard with caramel beaches, hills of dusty chocolate truffles and crème anglaise-capped trees of fresh berries. But since we won't be stumbling upon any caramel beaches in the Sonoran desert any time soon, we'll wander down to our old fave Barrio and roll around in our caloric reveries.
