Rating: 5/5, 3037 Locust St., St. Louis, MO, 63103, 314-535-7800, www.fountainonlocust.com

Upon arriving at Fountain on Locust, I thought I was standing outside a classic French chocolaterie. From the architecture and inviting sign advertising to their ice cream and classic cocktails, everything maintained a distinct French flair.

Once inside, I was astonished by the culture war that Fountain on Locust presents: The interior was very art deco—from the paintings to the light fixtures to the bar itself—yet, over the speakers, I heard Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, James Brown and Jefferson Airplane.

We sat at one of the central round tables and glanced at the menu.

To start things off, I ordered the Fountain Flower Tea for Two, designed especially for those on dates. What you get is two snifters of hot water, inside of which is a handmade tea-roll and two pieces of chocolate of your choice. Here’s the fun part though: If you let the tea-roll sit for long enough, it eventually opens up, inside of your glass, into a flower. This is a very cute and enjoyable item for couples.

The dinner choices are limited to pizzas, sandwiches and salads, the majority of which offer a slight spin on the status quo.

For example, the sandwich that I ordered, the Royal Grille, is described as an adult grilled cheese, consisting of both cheddar and mozzarella, on grilled whole wheat bread with Fuji apple slices.

The sandwich was not bad, although I felt that the apples were nearly invisible, making it taste like a regular grilled cheese with a different texture. I believe this dish certainly has potential, but it just needs work on the execution.

My date ordered the Famous Birdseed Salad, but instead received the Fountain Salad. The server was very apologetic for the mix-up, and allowed us to keep both salads for the price of the cheapest one, which, as someone who reviews restaurants, was an excellent opportunity for me to garner more information on the available dishes.

The Fountain Salad is a rendition of the classic grilled chicken salad, with the addition of diced apples and dried cherries. Served with some Parmesan cheese, this salad was a winning combination of flavors. One of the most important aspects of this dish was its reasonable serving size—not small enough to be insulting but just enough to allow room for whatever else one wanted next.

The Famous Birdseed Salad was quite remarkable actually. Its name comes from the sunflower and pepita seeds, along with other nuts and fruits, that are combined with mixed lettuce. What made the dish so special, however, was what was resting on top: a single, large slice of apple that had been bruléed. For those of you who don’t know what this means, a light coat of sugar was sprinkled on top of the apple and then caramelized with a kitchen-sized blowtorch. It was a dessert in and of itself and certainly worth the trip.

After all the dishes were finished, we finally got the chance to look over the extensive dessert options: from classic sundaes, milkshakes, malts and ice cream cones (including the World’s Smallest Ice Cream Cone for $0.79) to Fountain on Locust’s Specialties, which were more appealing.

From all the options, including the Standing Banana Split, the Nutty Irishman and the Bearcat, we eventually chose the Dark and Sinister and the Supreme Cream Puff.

After waiting a few minutes and enjoying the unique atmosphere, both desserts arrived.

The Dark and Sinister was a tall glass filled with rich chocolate ice cream, topped with marshmallow sauce and a single chocolate coin. Do I really need to say that it was delicious?

The Supreme Cream Puff was not overshadowed by its name. It was a huge baked cream puff shell filled with vanilla deluxe ice cream and topped with hot fudge.

Fountain on Locust offers a pleasant atmosphere, unexpected entrees and astounding desserts.

Final Thoughts:

Guy’s Perspective: For a fun, romantic and not terribly expensive date (the entire meal cost $40), this is the place to come.

Gal’s Perspective: Ladies, for any chocolate craving or just a place to go hang out with some friends, you’ll never be disappointed here.