Ottawa City
Dec. 2004/Jan. 2005
BITE: Chocolate Pecan Square
Nuts have no business in baked goods. They just go chewy and soft, release their oils when heated and well, spoil the fun. At least that's how I felt before I discovered the more-decadent-than-decadent chocolate pecan square at Bridgehead(108 Third Ave. and three other locations).
The fact that nine-square-inches of yumminess is affectionately known around my house as a "goo-goo bar" reveals how child-like is its appeal. There's something instantly nostalgic about biting into sweet, sticky, gooey layers of nuts, chocolate and buttery caramel on a cookie crumb crust. At the same time, there's something rather sophisticated about its topping of glazed pecan halves and dark bittersweet chocolate disks (not to be confused with the less stylish chocolate chunks) that gives this dessert a whisper of adults-only appeal.
Perhaps the best thing about Bridgehead's chocolate pecan square is the extent to which it is deliciously incongruent with the coffee shop's otherwise earnest, admirably responsible persona. Ordering a fairly traded, organic and shade-grown soy latte with a lick-your fingers, close-your-eyes and moan dessert, is like a weight-watcher ordering a Diet Coke with his Big Mac. Talk about having the angel and devil perched on each shoulder.
With a Bridgehead just down the street, my husband and I have had to construct a few goo-goo rules to help us refrain from over-indulgence: 1. Thou shalt put the square on a plate before eating it. 2. Thou shalt cut the square into quarters; and 3. Thou shalt eat no more than two quarters in one sitting.
On second thought, it seems rather silly to try and put restraints on a plateful of unbridled sinfulness. Forget about "doing the right thing" during your next coffee break. Let loose, Order a goo-goo bar. Go ahead, I dare ya. Eat the whole thing. - Shawna Wagman
