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

Je & Jo: A sweet goodbye to Hell's Kitchen

As I neared the end of packing my apartment for my move to Philly, I moved into the stage of trying to use up everything in my fridge and freezer. That included the ice cream that I always have on hand; once that was done, I had a few nights left to have some last desserts in NYC. When I heard the news that Je & Jo ice cream had opened up a tiny storefront just about a block away from me, I knew their innovative four-ounce cookie-dough ice cream cups would be one of my last NYC tastes.

I asked the friendly counter worker for her recommendation as I tried to choose among the vanilla (with chocolate chip cookie dough), peanut butter (with peanut butter cookie dough), or vegan coconut (no cookie dough). Upon her counsel, I chose the classic vanilla with chocolate chip.

Like a new-school Hoodsie

It comes in a cute little compostable container, and it's inherently portion-controlled, which is nice. My only complaint about the pre-packed cup format is that it precludes sampling, which is my usual way of choosing my ice cream flavor. That aside, it's cute and portable, if a bit pricey at $4 (that'd be $1 an ounce, folks). Of course, it's all-natural, hand-made, and all that jazz.

But how does it taste? Aside from the very top and edges of the ice cream, which suffer from a bit of freezer exposure due to the paper lid and container, pretty darn delicious. The vanilla flavor is pure and, well, natural: it tastes like vanilla and cream. The cookie dough, of which there were about two medium-sized chunks, was appealingly gritty, with tiny chocolate chip specks for a little chocolate flavor. The only problem here is the distribution; it seemed as they had partially filled the cup with ice cream, then laid a couple pieces of cookie dough on top, and then finished with another layer of ice cream, creating sort of a parfait, or an inverse ice cream sandwich, if you will. So it's tough to access the cookie dough when you're digging through a lot of ice cream; you sort of have to smoosh around the ice cream as you eat to get to that middle layer. In sum, I wish there had been a whole lot more cookie dough, and I wish it had been more evenly distributed.

Ice cream layer, then cookie dough layer

But that's only because it was delicious. Flavor-wise, ice cream and cookie dough were both noteworthy, and I support both the ethos of the company and the friendliness of the staff. Even though I'm moving away, I'm glad I got a chance to try Je & Jo, and I hope they thrive. Make the trek west to support them yourself-- your taste buds, if not necessarily your wallet, will thank you.

Je & Jo

515 W. 47th, between 10th and 11th Avenues

212-967-4856

LWF&D goes to Napa (and SF) and eats even more ice cream

One of the reasons I had chosen Incanto as my SF birthday dinner location was due to its proximity to Humphry Slocombe, one of the most famous ice cream shops in the area. Being the ice cream connoisseur that I am, I was determined to give their creative flavors a try, so after dinner at Incanto, we all hopped in our cars and drove the mile to the Mission district.

After parking, we walked a couple blocks to Humphry Slocombe and saw... the longest line I've ever seen. It snaked out of the small shop and down the block, moving slowly but just quickly enough to trick you into staying. If you didn't know what was going on, you'd think that the place was giving something away free... but it wasn't. All these crazy people were waiting outside in the chilly SF weather to pay for their ice cream.

Regardless, we stayed, and after a half hour or so, we made it into the store to investigate the flavors. Humphry Slocombe is known for its off-the-wall concoctions, from peanut butter curry to their famous "secret breakfast" (bourbon with cornflakes, which tasted just about as weird as it sounded). We each tasted as many flavors as we could handle, and props to the counter staff for being friendly and accommodating when facing an interminable line of people who wanted to taste everything before deciding.

My uncle went for the Gabba Gabba Hey sundae, with balsamic caramel ice cream (tasted like a slightly caramelized balsamic vinegar... very intriguing), brownie, amarena cherries, and whipped cream. Decadent and delicious.

Mountain of oozy deliciousness

I chose half McEvoy olive oil, half brown butter. Yes, I realize it's kind of weird to have a dessert based entirely on greasing agents, but still. The olive oil-- always one of my favorite ice cream or gelato flavors-- was floral and herbal to the extreme, creamy with almost a citrusy tang from the intense olive oil. But surprisingly, the brown butter was my favorite, with a nutty taste and a lovely caramelized note from a bit of brown sugar. Ridiculous. And, it should be noted, a huge amount of ice cream-- for a "small" order, this was an overwhelming quantity for any post-dinner eater.

So much ice cream it won't fit in the bowl

So, that's Humphry Slocombe for you. We ate standing up, crunched into the tiny store; we waited over a half hour for our post-dinner treat. Was it worth it? Sort of, I'd say. I'm definitely very glad I tried it, and the ice cream was truly delicious. But I couldn't imagine making that my local ice cream shop if I lived nearby, perhaps because when I want ice cream, I want it NOW. I'd never brave that long a line on a regular basis, but most people are more patient than I. If you're in the area, definitely decide for yourself...

Humphry Slocombe
2790 Harrison Street, San Francisco
415-550-6971

LWF&D goes to Napa and eats a lot of ice cream

Our hotel was just down the street from the Oxbow Public Market, one of the coolest places in Napa. It's a large indoor market with lots of different food stalls (kind of like the Essex Street Market back here, but a bit nicer and more relaxed), including an outpost of Kara's cupcakes, a produce stall, an oyster bar, a tea shop, a coffee station, etc. etc. But the most important place of all, according to me, was the outpost of Three Twins Ice Cream. Three Twins is noted for being one of the best ice cream purveyors in the area, so I was there. Literally. Many times.

The first visit was after our dinner at Obuntu. After a couple of samples, I chose a small cup of half mint confetti (pretty much standard mint chocolate chip) and half burnt caramel. The burnt caramel was the winner here, not nearly as bitter as some renditions of the flavor but plenty smooth and creamy. And the sprinkles were surprisingly delicious as well.

Happy birthday to me!

The next night after dinner I tried their lemon cookie flavor, and I never went back. It's a light lemon base with vanilla (potentially lemon?) sandwich cookies inside... it was an incredibly familiar flavor, like the girl scout cookies of my youth, without being overpoweringly lemony. Addictive and powerful, it replaced burnt caramel as my favorite.

Half lemon cookie, half burnt caramel

Oh, and another night I got half lemon cookie, half cookies and cream, which was also a damn fine rendition of a classic.

More sprinkles!

Suffice it to say that Three Twins makes some incredibly delicious ice cream. If I lived anywhere near one, I'd be there on a shamefully regular basis.

Three Twins Ice Cream
610-644 First Street, Napa
707-257-TWIN

A foray into ice cream bars

A while back, courtesy of the lovely folks at Foodbuzz, I received a coupon to try the new Magnum ice cream bars making their debut in the U.S. Once they showed up in my local Food Emporium's freezer case, I redeemed the coupon and shoved the bars in the freezer. And then kinda forgot about them.

But last week, on one of those blistering hot days, I popped one open and set to work. Here's what it looks like:

Wrapped in gold...

Denuded

And here's the first bite:

You can kinda make out the layers there

Whoa. This thing is powerful. I chose the caramel version, which is filled with vanilla bean ice cream, which is enrobed in a thin layer of chocolate, and then a slightly thicker layer of caramel, and then a much thicker layer of chocolate. In case you missed it, that means there are TWO layers of chocolate on that there bar.

How does it taste? It's very rich. The ice cream, while probably pretty rich on its own, is completely eclipsed by the chocolate and caramel. The caramel is sweet and slightly gooey; the exterior shell of chocolate is smooth and delicious. Curiously, the only part of the bar that didn't quite do it for me was the interior layer of chocolate; it tasted like a different kind from the outer shell, and it had a bit of a mockolate-y aftertaste for me. I actually think if they'd done away with the interior chocolate layer and just gone ice cream-caramel-chocolate it would have been a more balanced confection. But overall, this was one delicious indulgence. And if you want to enjoy it, don't look at the calorie count. Trust me.

Magnum ice cream bars. Available in grocery stores.

L'arte del Gelato comes to the rescue

You may have read about a certain dessert debacle at a certain parents' anniversary dinner at a certain "Kitchen" in Soho. Well, clearly something had to be done; I couldn't end my evening on such a disappointing note. So after the last bite had been eaten and our time at the restaurant was up, I set out with the parents for a walk into the West Village. The destination: gelato. Any gelato.

We first stopped into Cones, but the long line and "one flavor per small" policy made it a no-go. So around the corner we went to L'arte del Gelato, which was the winner.

I really wanted the olive oil gelato, and there was a label for olive oil in the case-- joy!! But when I got to the front of the line, the scooper told me they had run out of some flavors and hadn't changed the labels. This, of course, included the desired olive oil. Disappointing. I tried tastes of nutella and what was described as "cookies"; both, strangely, had weird textures and odd flavors (like freezer burn?). And due to the two-sample-per-person limit, I couldn't vet any other flavors before I dug in. Ah well; I gambled with a small cup of half hazelnut, half peanut, and fortunately it was successful.

Savior

They were both pleasantly nutty, with smooth textures and no distracting chunks or bits of nuts. While it may not have been the best gelato I have ever had, it satisfied and left me happy in the way that certain Kitchen's ice cream most certainly did not.

L'arte del Gelato
75 Seventh Avenue South
212-924-0803

David Burke Kitchen delights... until dessert

Last week marked my parents' 38th wedding anniversary (!!!), so to celebrate, we all went out to dinner at David Burke Kitchen in Soho. I'd heard good things about the new outpost of David Burke's empire, particularly about the desserts, so I was excited.

Despite the fact that it was empty when we arrived (literally-- we were the first group to be seated that evening, which is always awkward), the space is quite nice. It's subterranean but still full of light, bright and whimsically decorated.

We started off with a bottle of prosecco to toast the parents' achievements (the wine list skews quite pricy, so budget accordingly). This went well with the bread course, which offered a choice of sourdough, multigrain, or olive walnut bread-- as much as you could eat throughout the meal, courtesy of an obliging bread man. The olive bread was luxuriously studded with enormous olives and was delicious with the soft, spreadable butter. My only gripe was that they only provided one tiny dish of butter for the table of five (maybe two tablespoons total)-- upon request more arrived, of course, but still.

LOVE olive bread!

Then came the appetizers. Mom and Dad both ordered the market salad, which we'll get to later. The bro went for the lobster soup, which came first as a bowl of just the included lobster dumplings and associated garnishes. As the maitre d' placed the bowl on the table, he asked the bro if he'd like more soup; "Sure, a little more," D responded in slight confusion. Of course, then the soup was poured tableside from a teapot-looking contraption, the plan all along. Mad props to DBKitchen for punking my brother. Culinarily punking.

Ashton, is that you?

While the appetizers were appreciated, the entrees were even more successful. Mom went for a soft-shell crab special, which the waiter offered to prepare in an entree portion (it was designed as an appetizer). As a lover of soft-shell crabs, she loved this preparation, which is visually bizarre yet kind of cool.

Tentacles everywhere

Dad and LM went for the pork chop, a huge Flintstones chop crowned with a couple of gargantuan onion rings. I took a bite of LM's onion ring, and it was exemplary-- fluffily battered yet still sweet and toothsome. They both really enjoyed the pork chop, though they noted it was a bit on the fatty side. LM also ordered a well-received and visually quite pretty side order of basil whipped potatoes.

Crowning onion rings

Purty potatoes

The bro went for the short rib, which got crowned with a dollop of truffle cream tableside (guess he was all about the tableside preparations that night, eh?). Along with the accompanying cavatelli and wild mushrooms, the bro pronounced the shortribs perhaps "the best plate of food he's ever had." Cheers to that!

Best?

My choice was the same market salad Mom and Dad had had as an app. I got mine sans bacon, but it was still plenty interesting. It was a huge tangle of lightly dressed greens crowned with some translucently-thin shavings of what seemed to be pear; in the mix were roasted walnuts, caramelized dices of some sort of root vegetable (could easily have been potato or turnip), and a few large hunks of aged goat cheese. This was one of the more interestingly composed salads I've encountered-- a fine and satisfying balance of textures and flavors, and quite filling to boot.

Highly recommended

So the meal seemed to be on an upward trajectory, and given the raves I've heard about the desserts, I couldn't wait for the final showdown: dessert. We were all quite full at this point, so only Mom and LM got a real dessert (the chocolate caramel fudge cake), while I got an assortment of three of their ice creams.

The fudge cake went over well; it was pretty much just as you'd expect from the photo: chocolatey, cakey, pretty to look at. It got the job done.

Chocolate cake

But my ice creams-- for shame! This was, without a doubt, the worst ice cream I've ever had. And if you read this blog regularly, you'll know how much ice cream I eat and how much I love ice creams and frozen treats of all kinds. All three flavors here-- vanilla, cajeta (goat's milk caramel), and chocolate-- were atrocious. Icy, thin, flavorless, not rich at all: it tasted like eating ice with a bit of skim milk poured over it. The texture was all wrong. The flavor was all wrong. I took a couple bites, and once I realized what was going on, I did the unthinkable: I stopped. Not sure if this is sad or not, but this is the first and only time I've ever stopped eating a dessert a few bites in because it was terrible and simply not worth the calories (even at Scarpetta, when I should have stopped, I didn't.) It's just such a puzzler, because it's not difficult to make delicious ice cream, and if you can't, just order it from any of the many fantastic companies that deliver to restaurants (Il Laboratorio del Gelato, anyone?). Also, on a completely separate note, it's a little disappointing for an ice cream dessert preparation at an upscale restaurant to come with no garnishes or fun add-ons (whipped cream, cookie garnishes, anything); given that the ice cream was so vile it didn't matter, but had it been delicious the three small shot glasses of plain ice cream still would have been somewhat disappointing.

Worst?

Anyway, dessert screed over. Aside from that, the rest of the evening was pitch-perfect-- food was delicious, space enjoyable, and service prompt and friendly and everything you could ask for. In the right context and with a much improved ice cream service, DBKitchen could be pushing five spatulas. As it was, it landed at a low four, providing a memorably delicious evening to most of the party and unfortunately only truly disappointing the reviewer.

David Burke Kitchen
23 Grand Street at 6th Avenue
212-201-9119

The sweets are the stars at DB Bistro Moderne

DB Bistro Moderne is a classic choice for a swanky, pre-theater dinner in the Times Square area. While we didn't have a show to attend, Mom and I ducked in for an early dinner last week, dodging the too-close-together tables to dine on some sophisticated, beautiful food. And what did we find?

Well, we were in the middle of the pre-theater rush, so at times things felt, well, rushed. Or at least sort of-- the upscale version of rushed, if you will. But that also meant that our food arrived promptly, starting with the bread-and-butter course, which consisted of both tiny cheese sticks (think slightly less cheesy cheez-its) with anchovy dip and strikingly green, creamy zucchini dip AND a large cone filled with hearty bread slices, white baguette, and pretzel-style baguettes along with a palette of soft, room-temperature butter. Whew. I ate a slice of the bread, which was sourdough, tangy, and surprisingly good for its plainness. The butter was also admirably creamy and flavorful.

Mmmm bread

Cheesy batons!

Mom went with the prix fixe menu, a relative bargain at $45 for three courses. Her first course, the fish quenelles with sauteed rock shrimp, spring bean fricassee, and lobster emulsion, was a big hit; she described it as "something like a matzo ball." For all those non-Jews out there, that means it's kind of like... um... well... just Google it.

The matzo balls are underneath the foam

Next, Mom's entree was the sauteed sea bream with roasted ramps, onion puree, and tomato confit. While she enjoyed this, it didn't seem to inspire as much swooning as the appetizer. I tasted a bit of the shockingly green puree, and the oniony taste was powerful; certainly not for the faint of heart.

Pretty, though!

My choice, on the other hand, was slightly on the blander side. I chose the "legumes de marche," described as young garden vegetables, ricotta cheese, and beet vinaigrette. This one was pretty much just as you'd expect: a tangle of spring veggies, each perfectly cooked but not necessarily in close harmony with its neighbors. Don't get me wrong-- it was beautiful and very fresh. But aside from a slight overarching bitterness, there wasn't a huge amount of flavor here aside from "vegetable." You know what I mean. The ricotta was delicious but there was so little of it and it was so mild, as ricotta is wont to be-- this salad practically BEGGED for a strong, salty complement (pecorino, anyone?). Ah well. Such as it is.

Also beautiful, veggielicious

On to dessert! Mom's prix fixe choice was the chocolate hazelnut bar, a candy-bar style confection with a thick layer of rich chocolate-hazelnut ganache sitting on a crackly feuilletine-style crust. The accompanying scoop of cookie ice cream was deliciously cool and fresh-flavored. My one tiny bite of the bar was so rich I can't imagine finishing the whole thing, but Mom did an admirable job.

For some reason I was unable to get a non-blurry photo of this dessert. You get the idea.

I was originally brought the wrong dessert, so while I waited for the right one to come out, I munched on the tiny gratis mignardises that were brought to the table. First, I devoured a raspberry macaron, which was nearly perfect: crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, incredibly sweet and tasty and bursting with raspberry flavor. I'm not particularly a macaron fan, but this may have converted me. There was also a bit of chocolate studded with nuts, which was also very rich, and a little slab of semi-fruity cake (date cake, maybe?) that was very chewy and surprisingly bland. Hmmm.

Look at that beautiful macaron!

And then my "real" dessert arrived: gianduja chocolate mousse with hazelnut rice crispy bar, lemon cremeux, and nougat ice cream. I was later told this was the debut night for this dessert, and I'd say it's a success. First of all, it's beautiful-- just take a look! There's a layer of addictively crunchy hazelnut feuilletine somewhat similar to the base of Mom's chocolate bar, all of which is covered with a whisper-thin layer of mousse. Make your way toward the inside of the bar and you'll be surprised by an almost microscopic layer of lemon cremeux making its way in between those two layers, adding a surprising bright note to the chocolate-hazelnut richness (there are also two accompanying dollops of the lemon cream elsewhere on the plate for consuming straight-up). The nougat ice cream (my second nougat ice cream experience in three days, bizarrely) is nutty and creamy, perfect for including in each chocolatey bite.

Unassumingly rich and tasty

Overall, it appears that dessert is DB Bistro Moderne's strong suit. There is clearly talent and creativity in the pastry kitchen; each dessert emerging from the kitchen was more beautiful than the last, presented in incredible architectural styles that you rarely see around town (seriously, check out their version of tiramisu). The savory kitchen is certainly no slouch, of course, in either preparation or presentation, but it's the sweets that elevate DB Bistro Moderne to a four Offset Spatula destination. Go, and be sure to leave room for dessert.

DB Bistro Moderne
55 W. 44th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues
212-391-2400

A gelato craving duly addressed at Grom

Earlier this week, I had a killer gelato craving. Insistent and persistent, it wouldn't let me rest until I had gotten some of that cold, creamy goodness so appropriate for delightful spring weather like this. I had had grand plans to check out one of the gelato places downtown that I haven't yet tried, but once I finished dinner on the appointed day, I kinda wanted it, like, now. So I set off for the nearest high-quality gelato place nearby: Grom. Sigh.

Grom is kind of like Pinkberry in my book, in that I always leave just ever-so-slightly unsatisfied. While Grom (unlike Pinkberry) at least isn't mostly air, it does have the same skewed dollar-to-amount-you-get ratio (I think in some circles that's also known as "value"). I've been to Grom a few times now, and while the gelato is quite clearly made of the highest quality ingredients, you truly only get about five or six bites of it before your $5.25 is gone. At least if you get a nice counter staffer, which I did this time around, you can sneak in several samples before making your choice.

Interesting biodegradable spoons

My selection was a small cup of half Bacio, half Torrone (nougat). After tasting that insane dark chocolate at Capogiro, I've been in search of the same brownie-batter flavor, which Bacio was not; instead, it was a slightly bitter milk chocolate studded with nearly whole hazelnuts (and a lot of them!). Combined, the flavor fell slightly short of the desired Nutella, and quite a bit short of the luscious richness of Capogiro's Scuro. The Torrone, however, was quite nice, a smooth nougat-y base filled with another kind of nut (almonds, I think)? The sweetness offset the slight bitter edge of the Bacio, and alternating tastes of each provided a perfectly delicious dessert experience. And while I still left feeling ever so slightly ripped off, the beautiful evening and the chance to eat some tasty ice cream while sitting outside offset it. Sort of.

Grom
1796 Broadway, between 58th Street and Columbus Circle
212-974-3444

Celebrate the coming of warmth with... ice cream, of course

Now, this may come as a surprise, but the other day, it was...warm out. Yes, warm, as in, spring-- sunshine-- 70s. And since we all know the weather gods may revoke such privilege at any moment, it makes ample sense to celebrate it when we have it, no? So after dinner and a quick drink with SL, I trotted over to Holey Cream on my way home for some celebratory frozen treats.

They had both my favorite flavors from last year, so I got a small cup with half of each. Sadly, the two flavors were perched one on top of the other rather than side by side, so I had to do some Macgyvering to get alternating bites of each. The top scoop was their iconic chocolate peanut butter frozen yogurt, a low fat concoction featuring chocolate yogurt studded with chocolate chips and ample ribbons of alluringly frozen peanut butter. The bottom scoop was their berry pomegranate with granola, a vanilla frozen yogurt base with swirls of berry jam and the occasional crunchy granola cluster. Both flavors are something special, but the latter is powerfully sweet; the combination of the two helps cut the sweetness somewhat.

Their portions are impressively ample

So there ya go. Spring, ice cream, deliciousness. It's pretty simple, no?

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

The best Capogiro yet

So last week I found myself in Philly once more doing a whirlwind, one-day househunting trip for my apartment next year. I needed to get the job done that day, and fortunately I did, leaving me with just enough time to grab a bite (and a dessert) before boarding my train back home. And if you think I WOULDN'T visit Capogiro yet again for my dessert, you clearly haven't been reading this blog for long enough.

I tried a bunch of flavors, but I keep coming back to the hazelnut, for good reason-- it's spectacular. This time, I paired it with Capogiro's scuro flavor, which is their version of dark chocolate. Usually I don't go for chocolate ice cream, but it looked so dark and delectable... Well, this stuff nearly blew me away. It's a dead ringer for brownie batter, rich and really sweet and intensely chocolatey, the perfect foil for the nutty hazelnut.

Like a gelato black-and-white cookie

This combination was by far my best yet, the perfect way to celebrate my apartment-hunting triumph.

Capogiro Gelato
117 S. 20th Street, at Sansom
215-636-9250

Finding the love at Love Gelato

A couple days before AC left the country for a months-long stint in Uganda, we met up for the last time in a while at Love Gelato in the West Village. It's an attractive little gelato shop, bright and white with large windows facing the bustle of 7th Avenue South. The decor is uncomplicated, and the focus of the room is a small gelato case holding a dozen or so flavors. AC and I sampled our way through the menu before deciding on our flavors.

A small cup is really small, and you can only have one flavor because, as the scooper told me, it's "one scoop." So after sampling a few flavors, I settled on a scoop of the hazelnut flavor. AC went for the tiramisu, with the scooper kindly including one of the ladyfingers garnishing the gelato tub upon request.

Light 'n' fluffy

Swirls of coffee

While this clearly isn't the most authentic gelato in town-- the scoopers use an actual ice cream scoop rather than a paddle, and they give out faux-silver plastic spoons rather than the traditional gelato mini-shovel-- it's pleasant enough. The hazelnut wasn't in-your-face, but it was pleasantly nutty. The tiramisu, on the other hand, smacked you in the mouth with its powerful, bitter coffee flavor. Texturally, Love's gelato is a little lighter than others around town, with an almost whipped appearance and a slightly plasticky, buttery, glossy sheen to it.

I wouldn't return to Love for the gelato alone, especially with so many outstanding options nearby (Grom, L'Arte Del Gelato...). But if you're looking for a place to sit and linger, Love fits the bill: with a handful of tables, it's a good place to linger over a cup of uncomplicated frozen treat.

Love Gelato
167 Seventh Avenue South at Perry Street
212-929-2870

White is the new black (sesame)

Yes, it happened, the moment we all knew was coming sooner rather than later. I indulged in my inaugural Kyotofu soymilk soft serve of the season, and readers, it was delicious.

This time around I was drawn by the "white sesame" flavor. You all know I'm a huge fan of the black sesame, and I figured that white sesame could be equally intriguing. I was right; white sesame is incredibly delicious, with a similar peanut-buttery bite at first taste that retires quickly into a mellow vanilla after a couple of cold mouthfuls.

Overflowing fruit compote

I chose the black sesame with a swirl of their chocolate flavor, which is a pretty inspired pairing, but next time I go back (I mean, let's be honest, there will definitely be a next time) I think I'll just get the white sesame on its own. Problem is, the chocolate is so assertive that the delicate white sesame flavor is almost completely overwhelmed, so you end up with what's basically a cup of chocolate soft serve. Not that that's bad, mind you, but if you want to let the white sesame shine, you've gotta give it top billing.

Till next time, Kyotofu...

Kyotofu
705 Ninth Avenue, between 48th and 49th Streets
212-974-6012

Checking out Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack

The other day, I was in the local Food Emporium and came across a pint of Ben & Jerry's newest flavor, Late Night Snack, inspired by the comedic stylings of Jimmy Fallon (somehow?). I'd read a lot about the flavor online and had been curious to check it out, even though I don't usually eat Ben & Jerry's. But there it was. And it was on sale for $3. So I bought a pint.

Here was my pint

It sat in my freezer for a while, until last weekend, when I got home and decided to crack it open. Here's what I saw:

Where's the magic?

And then I dug in and got myself a scoop. The deal with this flavor is that it's supposedly vanilla ice cream with a "salty caramel swirl" and "fudge covered potato chip clusters." You can see some of the cross-sectioned clusters here:

Mmm, clusters

So how did it taste? Honestly, I didn't detect much of the caramel swirl, but I got a LOT of potato chip flavor. The pop of the truly salty chips (which tasted like Ruffles... mmmm, Ruffles) encased in the cool chocolate and enrobed with the creamy vanilla was a particular kind of tasty.

But I'm not sure I could make this a regular, ahem, Snack. Why? Because it is so, SO rich. I'm not sure if that's just because I haven't had real Ben & Jerry's in a long time and so am not used to the super-high butterfat ice cream style, but lordy, one bite of this stuff and you're pretty full-- it's just fat upon fat upon salt upon chocolate upon fat. And I like me some fat (to say nothing of salt and chocolate), but... still.

Anyway, I would encourage you to give it a try because it's tasty, and if you're up for a rich treat, it'll be right up your alley. But be warned: it's not for the faint of heart.

Ruby et violette ushers in a new phase of existence

Readers, you know that I am nothing if not honest. On Life With Food and Drink, I give you the truth, the honest truth, nothing but the truth, so help me (restaurant) God(s). And so here's another bit of unvarnished truth: I've made a mistake. A huge mistake.

I've lived in Hell's Kitchen for almost four years now, if you include a summer before I moved here officially. And all that time I've been erring. Badly. Because here's the situation: Before last week, I'd never been to Ruby & Violette, a little cookie and ice cream shop a mere TWO BLOCKS from my apartment.

What a fool I've been. Sure, it's unassuming, a tiny sunken storefront that looks like a cross between a '50s soda shop and Alice in Wonderland's living room. There are a couple tables and a counter, and that's it. Except that's not it: Behind the counter lies some of the (if not THE, point-blank) city's best ice cream.

The concept behind Ruby & Violette's ice cream is cookie dough-- each flavor is packed with chunks of their creative cookie dough concoction. And by chunks, I do mean chunks, each a bit bigger than a Starburst and just as chewy and dense. Oh, and there are large chocolate chips in most of the flavors too.

I tried the Friday Night Foosball flavor, with peanut butter ice cream and Chex-mix packed cookie dough and some Chex mix pieces sprinkled in throughout. It was a rich, peanut buttery blast.

Oh, and each taste is like three bites in itself

But my first taste, and my ultimate selection, was First Kiss, a caramel ice cream with dark chocolate chips and hunks of sea-salt-flecked dark chocolate cookie dough. The caramel flavor of the ice cream was cool and pure and perfect in combination with the incredibly rich cookie dough and the snappy dark chocolate pieces. One scoop of this is enough to fill the hungriest belly.

A tall cup and a classy-looking silver plastic spoon

Oh, and if they happen to offer you a "taste" of their brownie while you're waiting, don't turn it down. It just may be damn near the best brownie you've ever tasted, fudgy and melting, simultaneously rich and light, a texture alchemy that doesn't seem possible.

Brownie bite

I just spent the last four years without this ice cream, and now I have a whole heck of a lot of catching up to do. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Ruby et Violette
457 W. 50th Street, near 10th Avenue
212-582-6720

Finally: The Modern (Bar Room)

It's kind of hard to believe that I haven't eaten at the Modern yet. As a die-hard fan of Danny Meyer, it's one of the only Union Square Hospitality Group establishments I hadn't yet patronized (and yes, I realize that's a ridiculous statement in itself). Until last week, that is. My mom was in town for work, and as is her custom, she invited me out to dinner. Lo and behold, the Modern Bar Room had an early opening on Opentable. And so we went.

The Bar Room is buzzy and upbeat, a bit on the louder side due to all the hard surfaces, but full of good cheer nonetheless. I arrived first, and the hostess seated me immediately without giving me any runaround about waiting for my complete party (thank you, thank you, thank you). We were seated at a large, four-person table, which afforded us a luxurious amount of space for two people.

I had had a miserable day earlier, so for the first fifteen minutes I was ranting obnoxiously to my mom while our poor server attempted to take our drink orders many times. After we finally were ready to order, she brought the wine I had requested-- a Gewurtztraminer-- for me to taste. Unfortunately, while she had described it as "having a bit of residual sugar," I found it sickly sweet-- delicious, but really more of a dessert wine than something to drink with dinner. She suggested some alternates and I ultimately ended up with a glass of Pinot Gris. It was quite tasty, but it was also $28, even more expensive than the original glass of Gewurtz (which was already going to be the most expensive glass of wine I'd ever had). I don't think this was a conscious effort to upsell, but it was a bit of a shock when the bill arrived.

Anyway, on to the good stuff. There was bread, of course, while we sipped our beverages (mom went with a stiff club soda with lemon). It was presented in a really cool little bread holder and came with a dish of softened, salted butter. The sliced bread was mealy, dry, and forgettable, but the baguettes were superlative-- shatteringly crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and perfect with an ample slather of butter.

Definitely stick to the baguettes here

Mom had chosen the fresh grilled shrimp with green cabbage and gruyere salad as her appetizer. Once again, the presentation was notable-- look at those little interlocking shrimp! Mom found the cheese-and-cabbage mixture to be enjoyable and added that the shrimp were perfectly cooked and tender, not rubbery at all.

So organized

Then to the entrees. Mom had chosen the day's special, a sea bass with a cauliflower and olive salad and a cauliflower foam. When Mom hesitated upon ordering due to her dislike of olives, the server (whom we'd definitely put through her paces at this point) offered to ask the kitchen to hold the olives, which they did. Extra points to the house. Sans olives, Mom really enjoyed this dish, particularly delighting in the blanket of foam covering the plate and the occasional floret of purple cauliflower.

Purple cauliflower! It's like an inside joke

My entree choice was the red endive, arugula, and Westfield goat cheese salad, which (according to the menu) came with pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, and chestnut vinaigrette. I think there were also a few slivers of mushrooms in there, and I actually think the nuts were pine nuts rather than pumpkin seeds, but regardless the mixture was delicious. I usually think of endive as huge, unwieldy, bitter spears, but when served in julienne fashion, it added appealing crunch and just a bit of bitterness to the salad. Truly creative and well done.

So much going on with this salad

Since the portions are rather small, by mutual consensus we forged ahead to dessert. For Mom, dessert was a dark chocolate tart with chocolate ice cream. This was a long and lean sliver of the richest chocolate resting on a thin chocolate crust. The perfect golf-ball-sized orb of ice cream was another pure expression of chocolate. Chocoholics (of which my mom counts herself a member) delight, but non-chocoholics beware-- a few bites of this dessert are enough to send you into chocolate coma.

Chocolate heaven!

I chose the hazelnut dacquoise with milk chocolate Chantilly. This dessert was just so appealing in many ways, from the precarious but fun presentation to the mixture of textures in the dessert. The bottom layer of the dacquoise was a crunchy, hazelnutty mixture with a texture almost reminiscent of the wafers in a Kit Kat (but crunchier). Then there was a huge dollop of chocolate whipped cream sandwiched by two thin layers of pure milk chocolate. The five candied pecans anchored to the plate with more Chantilly cream added more delightful crunch. This dessert was a truly nutty pleasure, and since it was rather small it didn't cross the line into gutbomb territory.

Nuttastic

To nobody's surprise, the Modern earned four Offset Spatulas easily. The service was truly accommodating, even as we were a pain in the ass in several ways. And the food, while expensive (again, to nobody's surprise), was thoughtful, well-crafted, and even whimsical at times. It's a special occasion place (and the dining room even more so), but if you have the means, give the Modern a try.

The Modern Bar Room
9 W. 53rd Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues
212-333-1220