Finally, a local chef had an epiphany and decided that, because every other restaurant in the city was offering crme brélée, tiramisu, bread pudding and mango sorbet on its dessert trays, it might be time to try something new. Happily for Kansas City, the enterprising Nathan Holm, executive chef at the new M&S Grill, thought of experimenting with something old. The dessert tray at M&S Grill has oversized sweets reminiscent of the baked goods at a 1940s steakhouse -- or Grandma's house. How about a big slab of red velvet cake thickly iced with cream-cheese frosting? Or a terrific Boston cream pie layered with creamy custard? Other vintage desserts that get a more creative spin are a walnut-and-caramel "Upside-Down Apple Pie" and the most luscious hot-fudge sundae in town: a martini glass piled with vanilla-bean ice cream, warm Kahlua fudge sauce, and three golf-ball-sized homemade truffles. They're not cheap, but nirvana never is.
