Beppe

What is your vision of heaven? Mine is a place where there are always fresh, sun-kissed tomatoes and strawberries. I think I may have found a piece of heaven in Beppe, a Tuscan restaurant in Gramercy Park. Our waiter informed us that Beppe owns a farm in upstate New York. That would explain the astonishing intensity of the tomatoes in the pappa (tomato bread soup with basil and pecorino), pepolino (fresh flat pillows of pasta in a tomato sauce), and the romaine, fennel and tomato salad that accompanied my orata (white-fleshed Mediterranean fish roasted with garlic cloves, fresh oregano and lemon).

Other high points of the evening included an rich onion soup topped with a thick layer of Parmigiano under which sat a poached egg, and a creative presentation of New York strip steak: a mosaic of thinly sliced red meat accented with a green herb sauce. We also made sure to order the Tuscan fried potatoes. Although I was slightly bemused by the large hunk of herbs on top, I found the fries crispy and satisfyingly salty.

And now it was time for my favorite part of the evening: dessert. The dessert decision was left to me and I rose to the occasion, ordering the crespelle. A salad of farm-raised strawberries made its appearance alongside two gossamer crepes filled with sweet ricotta and decorated with plumes of chocolate syrup. My brother happened to be in the neighborhood and stopped by our table. During his brief visit, he proceeded to wipe out much of our dessert, so we gladly ordered another helping.

I will end by saying that Beppe serves a terrific extra-strong cappuccino. The caffeine is helping me write this column.

Beppe: 45 E. 22nd St. (212) 982-8422.