Delice a sweet return

The new Délice European Bakery & Cafe in Midtown Crossing is smaller and more modern than the Old Market original, which closed in 2009. But fans of the old spot will appreciate the new incarnation's attention to detail.

DÉLICE EUROPEAN BAKERY & CAFE

Where: 3201 Farnam St.
Prices: $10 to $15 per person
Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Information: 505-9500 or www.deliceeuropeanbakery.com

New owners John and Karen Tollinger have revived the old menu, hired the former location's longtime pastry chef, Heidi Schlicht, and involved some other familiar faces in the transition.

Former owner Pat McDermott and daughter Holly Engdahl were visible on recent visits — he sitting outside making notes on the menu, she working the counter — and in everything from the old gray plastic trays to the clear glass plates. I even recognized McDermott's tidy penmanship on the labels in the pastry and savory cases.

The new setting has less Old World charm than the old spot, and about half the square footage. It also is more vibrant: paprika, olive and pumpkin accents; a banquette covered in a French-Danish floral pattern; modern art by local artist Steve Joy; a fireplace; tiny tables and darkly stained tall-backed wooden chairs.

On the order-at-the-counter menu: the same tasty coffee drinks and wide repertoire of sweets (French pastries, cakes, tarts, tortes, cookies and all manner of chocolate-dipped whatnots); as well as soups, salads, sandwiches, fruit-and-cheese plates and savories popular with ladies who lunch — all reliably fresh and ultimately comforting, even when microwaved to order.

Two key differences: They don't make their own bread anymore. (Not enough room in the new kitchen, Schlicht said.) And all the savory entrees now come a la carte.

I was happy to see old favorites: the ribbon-tied bags of chocolate-covered espresso beans, the chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons, the tidy opera cakes and napoleons, and the savory pies.

Save room for dessert, but start with the lovely turkey-and-sweet-potato pie: neatly stacked slices of sweet potato, chunks of roasted turkey, sautéed onions, Monterey Jack cheese, thyme and a custard of egg and heavy cream, tucked in a flaky pastry and baked. It's Thanksgiving in a forkful.

Or go for the quiche Lorraine: a wonderful herb-flecked egg custard, neither shrunken nor oozing on by-the-slice reheating; bits of ham, Swiss and onion, and a flaky crust with an expertly rolled edge.

Or do the lasagna — a generous rectangle with ruffled noodles, cottage cheese and ground beef in tidy layers and a bright red sauce that sings of pure tomato.

There are all sorts of ladylike something-salad sandwiches. The tarragon chicken salad croissant I tried tasted fresh, but the flavors were a little muddied: too much red bell pepper and onion for me, not enough salt or tarragon.

But caramelized onions elevated the French dip sandwich: Swiss and shaved beef on a slightly too-puffy ciabatta, served with oniony jus.

Fruit (fresh, ripe, bite-sized chunks of melon, pineapple, strawberries and grapes) or the red potato salad (liberally sprinkled with fresh dill) are happy accompaniments.

There's also a rotating array of soups. The Hungarian mushroom was a tad underseasoned but interesting: a milky broth flecked with paprika and fresh dill and sauteed slices of cute little mushrooms.

And then there's dessert, glorious dessert! Where to start?

If you're getting it to go, with a bold coffee or latte, and eating it in your car or on the sidewalk, I recommend the chocolate espresso cookie (crisp and flaky at the edges, chewy and fudgy in the middle) or the macaroon (a big scoop of coconut goo dipped in dark chocolate, what a Mounds bar wants to be when it grows up).

If you're dining in, go with the fruit tartlet (prettily glazed fresh fruit in an adorable tart shell), a slice of the chocolate ganache torte (chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache) or the oh-so-elegant opera cake (dainty rectangles of almond sponge cake layered with coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache).

Order dessert from the pastry case when you decide on the rest of your meal — and don't touch it for a good 10 minutes so that the chocolate and butter and other good stuff in it can warm up a little. I didn't get loads of coffee or almond flavor from the opera cake I tasted on one occasion, but I fear that was only because I ate it when it was still too cold.

Counter help was friendly. And quibbles had more to do with spacing and pricing than service or food.

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