Between Boutique Café and Lounge

It’s been days since I had the avocado-chocolate napoleon at Between, yet I still haven’t decided if I liked it. The tall glass had chocolate cake on the bottom, an avocado mousse on top and, somewhere in between, a citrus mousse that was so acidic it felt effervescent on my tongue. My companions and I repeatedly scooped the thick, sour, sweet stuff into our mouths. Then, still not quite sure what we thought of it, we’d dig in again.

Had every dish at Between been so confusing, our meal would have gone south long before the dessert course. But as it happened, chef Radhika “Rad” Desai’s menu is full of combinations that, while uncommon, are usually successful. That night we gorged ourselves on spicy, cumin-scented burgers sandwiched between soft Chinese bao buns. We dunked sweet, panko-and- cornmeal–crusted Vidalia onion rings into a spicy yet cool chile-garlic-cilantro sauce. And we treated ourselves to copious amounts of lobster, which arrived in an indulgent trio: a rich curried bisque; creamy maki rolls; and risotto cakes that we slathered with black-truffle aioli.

Of course, we did come across some lackluster “sweet heat” shrimp. And there was an overly herbal cheesecake with rose syrup. But we kept on eating anyway. (Hell, even the napoleon was gone by the time we left.) It wasn’t always because the food was so good; we just didn’t know when we’d get to taste such flavorful combinations again. —David Tamarkin

1324 N Milwaukee Ave at Paulina St (773-292-0585). El: Blue to Division. Bus: 9, X9, 56, 72. Dinner (closed Mon). Average share plate: $12.