Sucre

On top of all of the rich food and booze and general debauchery that characterizes the New Orleans experience, the trip just wouldn't be complete without dessert. New Orleans just wouldn't be New Orleans without beignets, pralines and Bananas Foster.

Now keep in mind that I am in no way criticizing the merits of New Orleans' signature desserts. However, if you take a trip down the Mississippi River, Sucre will give you a clue as to how many other ways sweets can be amazing beyond the realm of the traditional.

Sucre is captained by Chef Tariq Hanna. Hanna applies his passion for pastry arts to create a abundance of savory sweets to satisfy a sweet tooth of any shape and size. He'll throw in a few hints of pralines and bananas to please the purists, all the while combining new elements that make you think deeper about dessert.

The storefront is located on the busy Magazine Street thoroughfare. Sucre makes ice creams, gelatos, pastries, candies, cookies and cakes. The artistry of the fare is breathtaking.

I enjoyed the sugar-free raspberry sorbet. It was a deeply sweet expression of pure fruit. Another Columbus resident reviewed the (non-vegetarian) macaroons. She enjoyed them, but gave a slight nod to local favorite Pistacia Vera.

I'm hardly the first to notice Sucre. It seems that everybody adores the macaroons. See O Magazine, the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN and even Maxim extolling the virtues of the sweets at Sucre for proof. I particularly like Hanna's quote in Southern Breeze Magazine: "Everything in moderation, as long as you moderate frequently." Check me off in the box as another adoring fan.

Sucre