A good publicist has to be convincing.

All-star PR guy Ryan Conti has Northwest Indiana roots but works business connections all over the country, working with comedian Gilbert Gottfried and New York gossip columnist Michael Musto on various projects and appearances to handling press for Oliver North and actress Tuesday Weld (the latter in the midst of finally finishing her autobiography due out next year).

But when Conti phoned me earlier this month, he had food on his mind.

This time, instead of pitching names to me, he was touting what he described as "out-of-this-world cuisine" and "recipes that are ink-worthy."

He was referring to his recent palate encounter at Cafe Elise, 435 Ridge Road, the restaurant result of the culinary creativity of owner/Chef Scott Dixon and his wife Sue.

The restaurant features an intimate and elegant bourgeois atmosphere, highlighted by mood lighting, heavy draperies, wood paneling, potted plants and table settings that feature a beautiful array of mix and match patterned china a la the Mad Tea Party in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland."

But even better than the feast for the eyes are the feasts set before guests in the double dining rooms.

Usually, a written piece about a dining experience would tackle the starter course and main entree.

But in this case, it's pastry and dessert chef Yvonne Williams who has earned her place early in the word count.

My first cookbook features more than a few recipes for bread pudding, which mouthpiece Conti realized ranks as one of my favorite things.

"You have to try out the recipe by Miss Yvonne for her chocolate chip and peanut butter bread pudding," he said.

"It's an explosion of flavor like you've never had in your life."

His build-up couldn't be more true. Now, my quest is on how to get her permission to publish the recipe. But for now, it means a visit to Cafe Elise.

The other highlight that hits the right spot at Cafe Elise is the unusual and clever contrasting menu planned by Dixon and his staff.

For example, I know from farm experience it's not always easy to get our own Hoosier favorite fowl -- aka Indiana duckling -- on many restaurant menus.

Cafe Elise's is cooked to perfection, a pan-seared duck breast cooked over a wood-burning grill served over sweet potatoes and sauced with a sweet red wine and cranberry and sage reduction.

I had never visited Cafe Elise, but I remember my food columnist colleague Jane Dunne, who shares the pages of "Shore" magazine, mentioning it on several occasions, including the fact that Dixon opened this place a decade ago in September 1998, naming it after his daughter Elise.

I remember even then being impressed with Dixon's story, which Dunne once described as "a lineage that includes several years with Carolyn Buster at her still-missed Cottage and nine and a half years as dining room manager of Garry Saunders' Miller Bakery Café."

To experience it for yourself (before it becomes inevitably jam-packed once discovered by the Chicago set on PBS's "Check, Please!"), call (219) 836-2233.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

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