Many times dishes don’t live up to their menu descriptions. But at Sauté Bistro (2303 Richmond, 713-522-2106), the menu doesn’t live up to the dish, at least in the case of the nondescript-sounding Mexican Spice Cake ($4.50). The waiter did an equally poor job of describing the cake; he had no clue as to the dessert’s ingredients. But what arrived was a masterpiece. The ice-cold, dark-brown cake is three quarters of an inch thick, cut in a triangular shape, and smells like chocolate. Cinnamon and pecans adorn the top. It has a dense, hard chocolate exterior and a slightly softer cake interior. The cake offers a complex series of flavors — intense chocolate with overtones of cinnamon and vanilla.
This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2008.