There was a time in my past when a simple phone message -- "carrot cake today" -- would send me scurrying out of the office, headed for a rendezvous with the dessert at the now defunct Buttercup Tea Room restaurant in Annapolis.

Since then, my carrot cake fervor has faded. But the other day, as I drove 60 miles scooping up slices of carrot cake from three different locations, some of the old ardor returned.

Chicken Out

Address --6270 Columbia Crossing Circle, Columbia

Phone --410-872-8600

Hours --11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday

A half-pound slice of towering carrot cake with six layers was $4.29. There was plenty to eat, but the frosting was so-so and the cake too sweet for me.

Know of a good carryout place? Write to rob.kasper@baltsun.com.