208574 Tue Mar 16 15:15:59 -0800 2004 4 18 Manhattan 0 1110987 Anyone been? Sounds like a fun, fuun place! Tue Mar 16 15:15:59 -0800 2004 0 chowgal 1 1111040 Haven't actually eaten there, but it looks cool... small though, and was packed with dates on a Wed. when I walked by Tue Mar 16 17:59:50 -0800 2004 1110987 0 amans 1 1111087 I think of it as a place to have a flute of prosecco (and quince, the house cocktail-$10) and a few nibbles of some nicely prepared desserts. Go after a large meal. Tue Mar 16 22:23:44 -0800 2004 1110987 0 TrishUntrapped 1 1111105 I enjoyed this teeny little spot recently. By teeny, I mean 10 seats at the counter, and maybe room for 10 more squeezed into a banquette area. Very bright, very austere to the point of being antiseptic in pale, pale green and white. Chika, herself is absolutely adorable. I ordered the 12.00 dessert tasting (which is priced sans alcoholic accompaniment), and opted for green strawberry tea(I think 3.00) - a pale pink infusion served in attractive, clear teapots. I was first offered an amuse of a teaspoon-sized quenelle of white chocolate mousse sitting in a small puddle of a light rose syrup sprinkled with a dried raspberry powder. The mousse was delicate in flavor and texture, the syrup not too perfumy, and the fruit powder non-descript but pretty. Next, I was presented the main dessert,(which I would not have ordered had I known what the amuse was aforehand since the two were very similar) a mascarpone parfait in a citrus soup. This came in a flat soupbowl. A nice precise square of frozen mascarpone parfait was surounded by small pieces of supremed blood orange, orange and grapefruit, I think, in a light syrup-y "broth". Delicious, but somehow redundant of the amuse. The petit-fours course brought the tiniest circles of a thin blond sable-type cookie (must have been cut out with a pastry tip), topped with a weeny bit of whipped chocolate ganache and candied citrus, a delicious litle maccaroon, and the most ethereal marshmallow coated in toasted coconut - maybe the sice of a game dice. Everything was presented in a very zen-minimalist fashion. I got to sample a caramel ice cream friend had on her plate - which was amazing. The texture was unbeatable as the two chefs make frequent use of the paco-jet perched in the back counter for the sorbets and ice creams. All in all, I would return and thought it very fairly priced for the quality, although, and this is a gross generalization, I can't picture many of the men that I know enjoying those miniscule bites and calling it dessert - I think the food offers more of a ladies-tea party appeal. Wed Mar 17 08:54:51 -0800 2004 1110987 0 Heidi Claire 1 1112518 My husband and I were there on a friday night as part of our 10th anniversary celebration, and we had the dessert with wine pairings for $19 each. There were two amuses that night. We both thoroughly enjoyed it--and my husband is a BIG eater. We had eaten dinner prior, but not a huge dinner, and we were both satisfied. We were at the bar and Chika heard us talking about our anniversary, and she inscribed "Happy Anniversary" in chocolate on our petit fours plate--a nice touch! Thu Mar 25 17:24:33 -0800 2004 1110987 0 kcmunchkin