Sweet Worcester - decadent desserts and designer cakes

Last night was date night for my husband & me. After a great casual outdoor meal at Junior's Pizza Grille on Shrewsbury Street, we set out on foot to find a nice shop for coffee and dessert. I had been hoping for a place with some "atmosphere" but my less-than-comfortable footwear ensured that we could not wander far. The only place within our walking range was called Sweet, and to be honest the exterior did not impress. I could see right through the large window into a brightly-lit shop that seemed devoid of decoration. But the sign said coffee and desserts / open late, so we went closer to peer in the window, and I'm glad we did.

The first thing that beckoned to us was a case full of cupcakes and small desserts. Coffee and coffee-machines were at the back. My favorite dessert is tiramisu, and I could see some there in the case, which clinched the deal for us. We went inside.

The walls are white, decorated only with one poster and a few polka dots. The lights were, in my opinion, a bit too bright. A rack held some free local magazines. My eyes scanned the room and stopped on a doorway leading to something in back. It didn't have a door, but instead had elegant-looking, top-to-bottom curtains pulled back with ties. I wondered--what could this be? I stuck my head through the curtain and could not believe my eyes. A room with atmosphere, dark and dreamy, with a bar and comfortable seating all around. It looked like a secret world in there. Very mysterious--but in a good way.

It was explained to us this way by the wonderfully courteous front counter person, Jennifer: the front room is quick and casual desserts, but the back room is "a dessert experience." There is a Prix Fix menu of special desserts for $9, some of which had familiar names like Bananas Foster and Creme Brulee. I was briefly tempted VERY strongly by the special coffees which includes my all-time favorite, the Nutty Irishman. But we had to pass on the dessert experience. We had spent enough money on dinner and a smaller dessert was what we needed. We decided to have a coffee each, and share one of the ample-sized tiramisus. The tiramisu was good, but the coffee was outstanding! I haven't had such a nice, smooth cup of coffee in a long, long time. To paraphrase the old commercial, this coffee was good to the last drop.

It got more interesting as I began to talk to Jennifer, who was turning out to be a good spokesperson for this establishment. No wordless blank stares or attitude from THIS barista! Jennifer cheerfully explained that the owner buys ingredients from local establishments. For example, the milk and cream comes from Cooper's Hilltop Farm in Rochdale, Mass. But what really impressed the socks off me was that the owner (Alina Eisenhauer) grows herbs and spices on the roof of her restaurant! I love that.

So we will definitely be going back. And on our next date night, we may just skimp on dinner so we can take a trip through those velvet curtains and partake of the dessert experience.