Attention: "Gustatory Athletes"

Were you always the last to be chosen for the kickball team? Do you primarily attend baseball games for the hot dogs and cotton candy? Don't despair, there's still a competitive sport for you.

Beyond Biscotti

The practice of accompanying a cappuccino with a cookie has been popularized by Starbucks, which sells overly sweet, prepackaged biscotti. Let me offer you some toothsome variations on the caffeine-and-sugar theme.

If you can tear your eyes from the pastries at Tarallucci E Vino, you will notice some very special glass jars near the cashier. One is filled with torroncini. This orange-scented, honey-sweetened delight is halfway between an almond nougat candy bar and a cookie. A touch of black pepper renders it irresistible and addictive, but if you'd like something with more crunch, try the pepatelli: long, cinnamon-y almond cookies topped with a layer of meringue.

(If you can't tear your eyes from the pastries, by all means, succumb. There are chocolate-filled donuts, coronets, blueberry coconut cakes, eclairs, chocolate mousse and much more.)

Some afternoons find me in the long line at Crestanello, waiting to order some amaretti (three for $1) or pignoli with my cappuccino. The round amaretti are soft in the center and sugar-dusted, and the coffee is proudly custom-blended. (Crestanello is a great choice for a quick Italian lunch without table service. The cafe even imports its own olive oil.) I am the woman sitting near the front who can't restrain herself from eating the cookies before her penne al pomodoro.

Tarallucci E Vino, 163 First Ave., (212) 388-1190. Crestanello Gran Caffe Italiano: 475 Fifth Ave., (212) 545-9996.

Japanese Sweets at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

This weekend, celebrate the warmer weather with a Japanese pastry or three. Chef Motohiro Inaba of beloved tearoom Toraya will be providing a demonstration on the preparation of the festive Japanese sweets known as wagashi. You can see the artist at work on Saturday, April 26 from 12-1 p.m at the BBG's Alfred T. White Memorial Amphitheater. Japanese food and beverages will be available at the cherry esplanade from 11-5:30, and pastries will be sold on the rotunda from 1-5 p.m. (Afterword: The bento boxes were truly horrid, but Toraya lived up to its name with ginger-perfumed "moon cakes" stuffed with moist, sweet red bean jam.)

Brooklyn Botanic Garden: 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, (718) 623-7200. Or, if you'd rather go straight to the source, the Toraya tearoom is located at 17 E. 71st St., (212) 861-1700.

Afternoon Tea at Fauchon (CLOSED)

My grandmother never leaves the house without lipstick and heels. Being quite the social creature, she thrives on her excursions, but the harsh weather has made it difficult for her to go out. Last week, the thermostat finally reached 50 degrees, so I decided to pamper her with an afternoon tea. I just needed to find a sufficiently elegant venue for such a lady.

I found the perfect solution in Fauchon, the condiment nirvana that houses a charming tearoom. With its comfortable chairs and attentive waiters, Fauchon is an oasis of civility.

The extensive tea menu is organized into such categories as Ceylon, Assam, Darjeeling, Chinese, Japanese, flavored and herbal. Although I was intrigued by the geranium and ylang-ylang, I settled on a fragrant Earl Grey with flowers. I never knew that a cup of tea could be so flavorful! My grandmother opted for French-pressed coffee with a flask of warmed cream.

We ordered an afternoon tea for two. (There is also an a la carte menu, which includes light meals such as salads, quiches, and soups.) Our trays overflowed with five different tea sandwiches (I liked the cucumber watercress and the crabmeat), small crackers topped with either foie gras or smoked salmon belly, and sweets galore: raspberry linzer cookies, hazelnut sables, moelleux in flavors of pignoli, hazelnut, and pecan, small orange and chocolate eclairs, slices of fruitcake, petits fours, the famous almond-flour macarons, and finally, chocolates! Chocolates with the Fauchon emblem in gold, chocolates with a layer of crunchy rock sugar.

After a satisfied final sip of coffee, my delighted grandmother purchased an entire box of pistachio, apple, and chocolate-raspberry macarons to take home! (I think she will be venturing out very soon to replenish her supply.)

Fauchon: 442 Park Ave., (212) 308-5919. (There is also a much smaller location at 1000 Madison Ave.)

Acqua Pazza (Closed in 2006)

I love simply prepared fresh fish; the salt-baked bass at Al Di La is always delectable, as are the whole fish at Esca, Teodora and Milos Estiatorio. However, I may have just encountered a dish that blows all others out of the (ahem) water!

Acqua pazza, the signature dish of the eponymous eatery, is a whole fish baked a bath of seawater, Sicilian sea salt, white wine and cherry tomatoes, and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. The saltwater preparation renders the fish absolutely moist and flavorful. According to proprietor Umberto Arpaia, acqua pazza, or "crazy water", is the creation of Neapolitan fishermen who wanted to make sure they had something tasty to eat in case they were stranded in rough seas. Before setting out on a journey, they would stock up on olive oil and cherry tomatoes. Necessity is thus the mother of perfection! Today's fish was sea bass, which was accompanied by a small plate of chard and potatoes. Other fish on the menu include salmon, swordfish and grilled yellowfin tuna with balsamic vinegar.

My companion and I began our meal by dipping our warm crusty bread into the white bean scallion spread, then dug into bowls of sedanini. These were ribbed tubes of pasta interspersed with basil, plum tomatoes, and eggplant, and topped with zesty salted ricotta. (On my next visit, I will have to try the intriguing tagliolini al caffe: espresso noodles with white shrimp and porcini mushrooms.)

After the afore-mentioned sea bass and a chicken paillard with mozzarella and tomato, a small plate of homemade cookies made their appearance. The sugar-dusted pistachio biscotti and small chocolate-dipped butter cookies were perfect with coffee, but we went the extra mile and ordered zuccotto, a dome of chocolate mousse with caramel and passionfruit coulis. Maybe next time we'll sample the baba (sponge cake) with a choice of Haitian, Anguillan or Puerto Rican rum, or the sinfonia, a trio of chocolate sorbet, flourless chocolate cake, and rich dark chocolate mousse. One thing is certain; I am now a perfect sailing companion, as my meal at Acqua Pazza has transformed me into a human flotation pillow.

Acqua Pazza: 36 W. 52nd St., (212) 582-6900.

Battle of the Brunches (Part 1)

This past weekend, I made it my business to brunch at two different French bistros in Brooklyn: Moutarde and Loulou. Although both have much to recommend them, Loulou (CLOSED AS OF 6/09) really claimed a corner of my heart (and more than a corner of my stomach).

At Moutarde, I appreciated the pain au chocolat and buttery croissants in the breadbasket. The orange juice is not fresh-squeezed, but the coffee is good and strong. The menu mostly consists of egg dishes such as omelettes and scrambled eggs with caramelized onions. I did enjoy my generously hollandaised salmon Eggs Benedict with mesclun greens and roasted potatoes; the English muffins were crisply toasted.

Loulou is charming, rustic, and tiny. Watching the heaping plates of pain perdu (bourbon French toast) pass by, I felt as though I was living in Babette's Feast. The menu offers more variety than that of Moutarde, and the fresh orange juice is honey-sweet. I couldn't decide between the moules frites, palette (bread, egg and vegetable pancake), or the apple cinnamon crêpe. Finally I delighted in a savory egg and cheese crêpe with green salad. However, it wasn't quite enough to sate my legendary appetite, so I gave in to the craving for a warm bread pudding. Dense and eggy, sweet with maple syrup and smothered with melted semi-sweet chocolate, it was a recipe from heaven.

Moutarde: 239 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, (718) 623-3600. Loulou: 222 DeKalb Ave., Brooklyn, (718) 246-0633.