It's true: Eat dessert first.

It's impossible to consider dining at the new Heidi's and not take a crack at co-owner Heidi Woodman's gorgeous, boundary-pushing sweets. Two favorites: a blissfully creamy exercise in the always-compatible chocolate-marshmallow-peanut butter triumvirate, and an elegant Napoleon built with thin slivers of roasted pineapple and allspice-scented phyllo dough, topped with a lovely basil ice cream.

Dessert hounds at Pizzeria Lola need to know two things. One, chef/co-owner Ann Kim bakes a wicked-good chocolate chip cookie. And two, a person cannot leave without availing themselves of the absurdly tasty soft-serve vanilla ice cream, topped with a drizzle of fruity olive oil and a few twinkly sprinkles of sea salt.

At Vincent, the sumptuous choices include a luscious creme caramel-chocolate pot de crème-crème brûlée assortment, a dizzyingly over-the-top chocolate-hazelnut cake dressed with a pear poached in red wine and lovely gelatos. But the top of the heap is the favorite of chef/owner Vincent Francoual's childhood: a few scoops of vanilla ice cream, a pitcher of warm, insanely rich chocolate sauce and a handful of tiny, crisp madeleines. Who knew perfection could be had for just $8?