Question: Who has the best tiramisu in town?

        Answer: Oooh, I'm not sure I want to stick my neck out on this one. There are almost as many versions of tiramisu as there are of artichoke and spinach dip or barbecued ribs. I've had so many that it's hard for any version to make a big impression. On the other hand, I've never had a terrible tiramisu because if you get it even close to right, it's going to at least be sweet, rich and moist.

        To be good the way it's supposed to be good, tiramisu should be made with mascarpone cheese. That's a rich, Italian cream cheese that has a certain tang. And there should be some coffee flavor, giving it a bracing contrast to the sweet cake and creamy filling. The problem with most tiramisu is that it's too sweet.

        I think Germano's tiramisu is the best, and I feel comfortable recommending it because the pastry chef is one of the owners, so you'll get the same version I did. It's not too huge, not too sweet, but very rich, with tender, liquor-soaked cake. It accomplishes the right contradictory effect of being rich but seeming light.

        Another good version is the tiramisu they almost always have at Cristof's in Glendale, which I described as dreamy: dense, cheesy and soaked in espresso. Maybe it's as good as Germano's. (Maybe I need to go back and try both of them again. . . .)

        Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong.

        Maybe you like the huge bowl of tiramisu they serve at Bucca de Beppo in Norwood's Rookwood Commons. It's also cheesy and substantial, and very rummy. Or you go for Ferrari's in Madeira and Symmes Township. (This very good version is also available at Bassano's in Milford and downtown). I liked the strawberry version I had this summer at Chez Nora in Covington, as well as the version served in a goblet at Sonoma in Covington, so light it's almost a different dessert.

        By the way, tiramisu is not a classic dish but a fairly recent invention. According to John Mariani's Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink (Broadway Books; $17), it was invented in the 1960s at El Toula restaurant in Treviso. It means “pick me up.”

        Send questions to dining critic Polly Campbell by fax: 768-8330; e-mail: pcampbell@enquirer.com.
       

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