More ice cream (but not Capogiro this time)

The other day, I needed some ice cream (yes, NEEDED), but I wasn't quite in the mood for Capogiro. I wanted something harder, more traditional, less refined. So off to Scoop de Ville I went.

After a false start-- I didn't want my ice cream put through the pulveriser, which they pretty much do automatically unless you specifically request the toppings just on top of the ice cream-- I got the holy grail. That would be, of course, a "small" portion of vanilla hard yogurt topped with Heath Bar. This so-called "small" was definitely enough for two people, and I have a pretty much never-ending appetite for ice cream. They don't skimp on the toppings-- I couldn't even begin to finish the crumbled Heath Bars, even with the copious amount of yogurt there as well, and eventually I just threw in the towel. But man, this stuff was good. The yogurt wasn't overly yogurty or tangy and tasted pretty much like basic vanilla ice cream, a perfect foil for the never-ending Heath Bar. Warning: this WILL make your jaw ache from chewing and pull out all your fillings in the process. But hey, it's part of the game, right?

Yes, there is frozen yogurt under there

So the moral of this story is if you want toppings on top of your ice cream, rather than mixed in, at Scoop de Ville, ask explicitly when you place your order. And if you do, you'll be rewarded by a huge, decadent treat reminiscent of a classic ice cream parlor's finest. Yum!

Scoop de Ville
1734 Chestnut Street
215-988-9992

Ice cream saves the day

On an epically bad day last week, I needed ice cream. That's really all that needs to be said about why I ended up at Holey Cream, desperate for as much cold stuff as I could stuff in my face to numb what had gone on earlier. Fortunately, I encountered two very kind employees who plied me with as many samples as I could handle, and then once I chose, piled a "small" cup high with as many scoops as it could hold, bending the rules to fit two flavors in one cup.

I ate all of this. It required both spoons.

My choices were Heath Bar and a Caramel Turtle flavor. The flavor profiles were fairly similar: creamy vanilla ice cream accented with crunchy caramel notes. The cream was clearly premium, rich and smooth and filling and fattening. And as the caramel flavors melted and anesthetized my tongue, I inwardly blessed the person who invested ice cream. Thank you, whoever you are (were), for providing me a cost-effective way to drown my sorrows in sugar and saturated fat. Amen.

Holey Cream
Ninth Avenue and 53rd Street
212-247-8400

Ice cream is goooood

If you have read this blog with any frequency, you will know that I eat ice cream with devoted regularity (quoth AV's mom: "You guys eat a lot of ice cream." Yes, yes we do). Even in the dead of winter, my weeknights feature a trip to the freezer for a scoop or two; my weekend nights are often marked by me dragging AV out into the freezing cold for an even more freezing treat. But now that it's almost spring, ice cream consumption is coming back into social acceptance. Ignore those bandwagon jumpers, ice cream, you know who your TRUE fans are!

Exhibit A: Last Saturday evening, on a decidedly chilly night, we headed to Sedutto at 87th and 1st for an after-dinner treat. I like Sedutto because they have amazing hard frozen yogurt, and this time both AV and I went for my favorite flavor there: low fat Heath Bar frozen yogurt.

Oh yum

The ice cream is vaguely caramel-flavored, and there are big chunks of delectable chocolate-covered toffee sprinkled throughout. Unlike some watered-down icy versions of hard yogurt, this stuff is rich and creamy and doesn't taste low-fat. Plus, my vast travels through the frozen yogurt world have taught me that low fat Heath Bar frozen yogurt pretty much doesn't exist anywhere. Cookies and cream, yes; Heath Bar, no. So thank you, Sedutto, for filling this gaping void and enriching our lives.

So, in short, it's good. Go have some.

Sedutto
1666 First Avenue, at 87th Street
212-876-1604