Florence Fabricant

"The first bite reveals the rich, meltingly warm bittersweet chocolate inside -- too good to be true. The aroma of the fine chocolate that Mr. Vongerichten and other chefs use perfumes the air in a manner that no cake mix can duplicate."

Hal Rubenstein

"The two floors have shed their East Side generic prissiness and blossomed as a kiss-in-the-shadows bordello duplex, which makes sticking your finger into the sauce oozing from the original-and still the best-Valrhona cake lasciviously right. Now let someone lick it off. The chef would like that."

Amanur Rahman

"A cross between a cake, a pudding and a souffle, this mini-dessert is simply divine."