P*ong: Plated Perfection! (3/2009 CLOSED. A tragedy!!!)

I first encountered the magic of pastry chef Pichet Ong at the "2005 Ten Best Pastry Chefs in America" awards. Two years later, Ong is presiding over a truly inspired menu of sweets and savories at P*ong. Tonight, a friend and I went over for the three-course dessert tasting, and with each course, our excitement built until we absolutely could not wait to see what would come next. We spent most of the evening looking at each other with incredulity and wordless delight.

The counter prep space was stocked with peppers, genmaicha, cardamom pods and ground vanilla beans. I knew this would be a truly stimulating experience! Even the cocktail menu was intriguing, with ingredients like mint oil and organic green apple juice. Although I was curious about the chocolate mojito, I went with some wild mint tea, and my friend ordered a glass of tempranillo.

Our first course was a Meyer lemon shaved ice sprinkled with smoked salt and pepper over a thick layer of unsweetened Vermont mascarpone. Tiny snips of mint leaves decorated the tart, refreshing ice. The dish took my friend back to her childhood, when she used to drill holes in the Meyer lemons from the trees in her yard and suck out the sweet juice. The smoked salt amplified the sweetness of the lemon.

Our taste buds now awakened, we swooned over the chevre cheesecake croquettes. Rolled in chopped walnuts with somewhat of a graham cracker crust taste, the mounds of sweetened cheese lay atop tiny, vanilla-bean-flecked chunks of pineapple compote and a swirl of bittersweet chocolate coulis. Divine!

Next, we dug into a plate of strawberry tea sorbet atop sliced strawberries punctuated with little bits of sugary wasabi candy, and a block of extraordinary white miso ice cream sandwiched between two slices of light, buttery pound cake. The white miso ice cream was as intense and rich as peanut butter, and was also enhanced with a bit of sea salt. (I need to bring home a pint of this!)

Meanwhile, I looked at the group next to us with envy; they'd had the presence of mind to order the five-course dessert tasting, and were happily lapping up a Stilton souffle and arugula ice cream. But soon, an unexpected fourth course erased everything from my mind except pure, unthinking bliss. A "napoleon" of dark chocolate slices layered with rich, creamy sesame spread came with tangy ricotta-mandarin ice cream over a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds, and a splash of ponzu vinegar caramel and halved edamame. The napoleon was like the best chocolate truffle I've ever eaten.

All of a sudden, a mysterious fifth course arrived! "Pichet just put this on the menu today," explained the host. A cool, velvety chocolate parfait topped with raspberries and drizzled with exotic rosewater blew our minds. "I think I'm having an out-of-body experience!" my friend raved. "There are no words."

Pichet made our day!

(If you want to you want to take some of Pichet Ong's genius home, you can buy a copy of his fascinating book "The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired Desserts." Inside, you'll find recipes for Chinese-American cookies and Grand Marnier tofu cheesecake. He'll even sign the book for you!)

P*ong: 150 West 10th St., (212) 929-0898.