222336 Wed May 11 12:41:51 -0700 2005 2 18 Manhattan 0 1182741 If you're lucky enough to dine at Lupa and WD-50, don't skip dessert! I had two very "grown-up" dishes there that haven't gotten much mention, from what I've seen. At Lupa is the spiced-date with mascarpone. I confess I'm a date freak, but these were decadent and delicious even for skeptics. Spiced with all manner of warm seasonings, coated in some kind of a wine reduction, stuffed with an almond (not pit!) served warm atop a thin disk of mascarpone. At WD-50, the olive clafoutis with tangerine sorbet. A new addition to the menu, it deserves to stay. Four wine-soaked olives stud a rectangluar clafoutis in place of the usual cherries. Alongside is served a slightly bitter tangerine sorbet. Then there was the olive-caramel sauce drizzled sparingly across the plate. Tasted like some dark, rich honey. As for the olives in the clafoutis, they tasted like some dark, rich cherry, thick instead of juicy, perfectly balanced by the crusty on the outside, custardy on the inside batter. Overall, the combination of richness, mild sweetness, and slight bitter flavors was a knockout punch to knee-jerk desserts everywhere. -Spoony Wed May 11 12:41:51 -0700 2005 0 Spoony Bard 1 1182766 Thanks for your post. I STILL haven't been to WD-50, and after reading your post and the NYT Dining today, I see that I definitely have to remedy that shortcoming of mine! Thank you for spurring me to do so! Guess I'll have to get to Lupa too, as I'm a major date fan too. Wed May 11 13:20:56 -0700 2005 1182741 0 fresser 1 1183298 I so agree with you on WD-50's olive clafoutis. sooo amazing. but i didn't like any other desserts on menue there. Fri May 13 23:13:25 -0700 2005 1182741 0 ponkikki