According to reigning Bay Area dessert queen Emily Luchetti (the famous, award-winning executive pastry chef at Farallon, 450 Post Street, SF, 415-956-6969), the whole low-carb, low-fat media craze has gotten way out of hand.

“Let’s just stop and think a little bit,” she says firmly. “Desserts give so much pleasure and they taste so good. As with everything, eating right is about moderation. There’s no reason to give up dessert, just don’t eat it every day of the week.”

Here here. Sure, the woman cooks sugar for a living -- but who cares? Weighted or no, Luchetti’s comments bravely challenge the skewed perspective of today’s carb-spurning dieters with a little thing called common sense. Gluttony is wrong, obesity is unfortunate, but every balanced lifestyle can and should include an occasional foray into the delicious, the luscious and the sweet. To abstain from such pleasures – especially in the Bay Area – is to deny thyself festive nourishment for the soul. Duh.

Every day across this great region, pastry chefs are experimenting with the freshest seasonal ingredients to create concoction after delectable concoction. Chocolate is thickened and cream is whipped, fruits are caramelized and ice cream is churned. Let the unimaginative eat cake – indulge instead in the distinct and adventurous plates that make our dessert makers famous. To help, we’ve sweated sugar and found inner diabetic joy discovering some of the most fun, exotic and sinful happy endings in the Bay Area. No really – you’re welcome.

Chocolate Ganache Wontons @ Tamarine Restaurant
546 University, Palo Alto (650) 325-8500
Ultra-swank Vietnamese restaurant Tamarine’s most popular dessert is something we like to call “tempting nuggets of ecstasy.” Ganache is a sublime mixture of warm, dark chocolate and cream, beaten together and left to thicken and cool. This mixture is then spooned into tiny wontons along with sprigs of fresh mint and a little bit of banana goodness. The wontons (pictured, left) are then flash-fried until crispy-chewy, and served atop a rich raspberry sauce with some vanilla ice cream. The result is a dish of treasures so ridiculously delicious, we wanted to eat them with our fingers, but were afraid the investment banker crowd might not approve. Luckily a waiter sensed our dilemma and intervened. “Forget the silverware,” he nudged. “Just eat them.”

To complement the crispy chocolate critters, proprietress Anne Le presented us with slow-drip cups of Vietnamese coffee, a creamy dessert experience in itself. The strong coffee is served with the drip mechanism still in place – a metal filter that looks like a miniature torture device sitting over each cup. As the dark liquid trickles down, it rests over a thick pool of condensed milk that lends increasing sweetness to the coffee with each stir. So if you like it black, let it rest and the sweetened leche will stay at the bottom, but if you enjoy a sweeter cup, stir it up. Paired with raspberry, chocolate and mint, Tamarine’s coffee-wonton dessert combination was pure, rich, exotic magic.

Crema Catalan @ Cetrella Bistro & Café
845 Main Street, Half Moon Bay (650) 726-4090
Several surprising details make Cetrella’s Spanish crème brulee more interesting, and definitely more intense than its French counterpart. “It’s more rustic, with stronger flavors,” explains executive chef Erik Cosselman. “You don’t see it on too many menus around here – even at Spanish restaurants.”

Which is probably why this bold and much hailed chef introduced it into his repertoire. Praised in February’s Gourmet Magazine as the main reason why “Half Moon Bay is on the rise,” Cosselman’s Mediterranean-inspired plates are eclectic and inventive, with a flavorful nod to old-world cuisine. To that end, the crema Catalan “lends itself well to the style of the restaurant,” he says.

Why? To begin, the dessert is made with milk, not cream, and infused with hearty amounts of lemon zest and cinnamon. Whereas traditional crème brulee is torched – which can sometimes leave a trace of Butane flavor behind – this pudding’s sugared crust is branded with a hot iron disk straight from the wood-burning fire. The result is a hearty but delectable combination of soothing creaminess, refreshing lemon, bold cinnamon flavors and a thick, crunchy, smoky sugar crust. Pick up your spoon and break new ground with this even older version of an old-time local French favorite.

Valencia Truffles @ Citrus Restaurant
In Hotel Valencia, 355 Santana Row, San Jose (408) 551-0010
The cozy Citrus Restaurant in Hotel Valencia is simple and elegant, but also electric, with vibrant Mediterranean color contrasts. Fire-orange chalices are set against the dining room’s dark wood accents, and a Spanish-inspired ceiling of cavernous orange smolders above the distinctive chocolate room.

Fitting, then, that their most delectable creation would be the Valencia truffle (pictured, below), a molten concentration of all the orange and chocolate flavors on earth in one explosive, cocoa-dusted ball. We experienced ours in rapturous silence, the one bite so powerful as to render us speechless and our accompanying chocolate soufflé seemingly flavorless. A best-kept secret on goodie-heavy Santana Row, Citrus’s Valencia truffles are a must-have mouthful for any chocolate-orange lover, but be careful – two might induce euphoric shock.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Pineapple Gelee @ Cortez Restaurant
550 Geary, San Francisco (415) 292-6360
One of the largest dessert trends in recent years has been to balance sweet with savory for maximum interest and intensity of flavor. At tony new Cortez Restaurant off Union Square, adorable pastry chef Karen Hatfield is constantly cooking up eclectic combinations to consummate her chef husband Quinn Hatfield’s modern Mediterranean-American small plates. Inspired by what’s seasonal, what’s regional and what’s available at the Farmer’s Market, Hatfield is always thinking of potent new flavor combinations that can often merge accidentally. “Sometimes I just notice how amazing pears and tangerines look right now, then turn around and spot some fresh tarragon,” she says. “We don’t serve what I call ‘silly’ or fusion food that involves way too many cultures and cuisines, but we do use varied French technique with wilder flavors and an interesting spin.”

For her latest plate, Hatfield has created a tangy and soft buttermilk panna cotta – Italian for “cooked cream” and a current area dessert darling – paired with marinated pineapples in vanilla syrup, a luscious pineapple gelee, and an eye-popping fresh basil sorbet. Sound suspect? It’s not – it’s sweet, sour and amazing. Using herbs and spices in dessert isn’t considered as radical as it was several years ago, but the concept still surprises chocolate lovers who think dessert should be straight-up sugar. “Chocolate will always sell the most, especially dishes reminiscent of childhood flavors,” she explains before mentioning a chocolate peanut butter truffle cake that flies off the menu. “But I prefer a unique and catchy burst of flavor.” Do yourself a favor – give the untraditional a try.

Kueh Nagasari @ Straits Restaurants
333 Santana Row, San Jose (408) 246-6320; 3300 Geary Blvd, San Francisco (415) 668-1783
Speaking of untraditional, Straits’ chef and owner, Chris Yeo, truly impresses with his menu of Singaporean cuisine – a blend of Indian, Malaysian and Chinese flavors and fragrances. Though his enormous space on luxe Santana Row is all American and ultra-modern, the modest Singapore native freshens local palates with his distinct and fascinating combinations. “We don’t have French desserts here,” he says. “I’m afraid these might not please you.”

Yeo couldn’t be more wrong. His delicious and exotic offerings strike a singular and refreshing note that immediately eclipses the tired tarte-tatin scene. Fried banana spring rolls, for example, are light and simple, transforming a whole, battered banana into a luscious, crispy dessert that is paired with homemade ice creams and crème anglaise. The biggest winner, however, is the kueh nagasari, a traditional Malaysian coconut flan with the light, gelatinous consistency of crème caramel (above, left). The flan is layered with thin banana slices and served with sesame almond snap (like peanut brittle only way, way better) and fresh coconut and mango sorbets, then drizzled with caramelized palm sugar and presented artfully with edible biscuit chopsticks. Of all the desserts we sampled, this was the surprise favorite; a comforting blend of pudding and crisp – and not a French flake of chocolate in sight.

Adult Milkshakes @ Jitney’s Bar & Grill
501 Broadway, San Francisco (415) 982-5299
Back to that sugar, the adult-only milkshakes at Jitneys Bar & Grill are the best dessert you’ll ever drink. Seriously. The recipe is so simple it’s almost embarrassing – one shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream (or Kahlua or Frangelico – or a combination of all three), several scoops of Dreyer’s vanilla ice cream and some milk. “We have a milkshake machine,” explains Erica, one of Jitney’s managers. “So that helps.”

Shockingly delicious, the smooth, chocolaty treat with an impressive kick leaves the after-dinner guzzler wanting more More MORE until it’s impossible not to try making one at home. But Erica’s right: Without the benefit of Jitney’s milkshake machine – not to mention the restaurant’s popular North Beach atmosphere and gorgeous Art Deco dining room – it’s not quite the same. Which, it must be said, would make their milkshake… better than yours.

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