Giolitti (Rome, Italy)

I was going to wait a few days to post this visit, but Buzzfeed just published a list of some of the world's most visit-worthy ice cream/gelato spots, and Giolitti was on the list!

This ice cream parlor has been serving up sweet endings in Rome since 1900, so I guess in 2014 we're a little late to the party. We stopped here on a late night in Rome, after a good bit of walking around in drizzly, damp weather. Gelato is always in season!
I was a little confused at first-- at Giolitti, you pay up front at the cashier, and THEN you pick up your product. But how am I supposed to know what I want when there are so many choices! It took me a while to decide.

 Giolitti is known for its gelato, but it also had a dizzying, heady display of sweets, from cannoli to Nutella tarts. I resisted the tart, but snagged a cannoli for later (leave the tart, take the cannoli)-- and when I had it the next day for a snack on the train, it was STILL sensational.

The cannoli of my dreams...

But tonight was about the gelato. I got a bit shy and was less brave about snapping photos, but I enjoyed the fancy uniforms the (handsome) young Italian men behind the counter wore. They looked a lot like Disney's Prince Phillip's fancy dress whites-- I'll have to research that more.

I first tasted pear gelato in my 1999 trip (then in Sorrento), and I've never forgotten it. This is NOT the same thing as pear sorbet, which I sometimes find gritty and bland. Pear gelato is a light, fragrant, delectable cloud of flavor. Sublime. And at Giolitti, they ask if you want freshly whipped cream on TOP of the gelato. YES PLEASE THANK YOU. You will not regret it. I got another flavor on top of the pear (Amarena cherry, maybe?), but the pear completely stole the spotlight.

This is a hot spot for locals and tourists alike, at least from what we saw during our stay there, and the gelato was incredibly delicious. If you're wandering around Rome, you'll be happy to take a side trip over here.

Giolitti
Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40
Roma, Italy
+39 06 699 1243

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Murray's Cheese Bar

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you already know that That Sara's birthday is two days before mine. We usually have a birthday dinner a month or so later to exchange presents and catch up on life. This year might have been our quickest one ever-- it was less than 2 weeks after our birthdays!
We were both very eager to try out Murray's Cheese Bar, the fairly-new outpost run by the infamous (and incredibly amazing) cheese shop in NYC's West Village.

I started with a bracing cup of Stumptown Roasters' iced coffee. Wow, was this strong. Like, jitters kicking in about halfway through the glass strong-- just what I needed to wake me up on a breezy Sunday morning.

We each ordered the mini mimosa flight-- 3 small servings, a few ounces each, of (L-R) regular OJ, lychee, and blood orange flavors. These were all nice, but nothing amazing. It was more for the cuteness and the novelty of it. Fun, not too boozy, and just adorable.

Who goes to Murray and DOESN'T order a cheese plate? Silly people, that's who. So we picked the Weekender ($10), a selection of 3 cheeses: housemade ricotta drizzled with clover honey, a rich, oozy brie with a cherry glaze on the side, and a New York cheddar with fresh apple slices.

Of course, every cheese was a winner, every pairing just perfect, but holy moly that ricotta was sublime. It was nothing like the storebought version-- it was light, fluffy-yet-creamy, and so fabulously flavorful.
We shared the entrée-- Alpine Eggs ($14)-- to have room for dessert (or more cheese!) later. The Alpine Eggs were two poached eggs served on English muffins over ham and mushrooms, with a three-cheese fondue served on the side. YES. Who needs Hollandaise when you can have melty, creamy cheese over your eggs? The eggs were so so so perfectly cooked, the muffins were crunchy and not soggy, and I could have licked the bowl clean of that fondue. The home fries were also soft, expertly seasoned, and better than I expected.

*Sigh* I do so love a perfectly-poached egg....

Hello, beautiful....

Sharing was smart-- we saved room for dessert: peanut butter/cheddar cheese ice cream! Our server assured us that while it might sound awful, it was actually awesome... and she was right. Somehow, the bits of cheddar cheese went so well with the peanut butter base. The drizzle of honey on top made it like the best sandwich ever turned into a sweet treat. It was pretty incredible. I'm considering try to make a grilled cheese with peanut butter and honey now.. Hmmmm...

This was a wonderful, enjoyable, nommable brunch. The service was helpful, it wasn't too loud, and Murray's knows cheese, baby. They know CHEESE. Yum. I highly recommend this spot-- and then you can walk a few doors down and buy the cheeses you just ate! I need to stock up on that ricotta ASAP!


Also-- check out Sara's take on it here! 

Murray's Cheese Bar
254 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-3289

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Torico Ice Cream (NJ)

Why not have one more sweet treat before summer surrenders to (fabulous) Fall? I was visiting my friend Jen and her husband A in their Jersey City home. After dinner, our small group decided to go for a walk and find dessert.

They brought us to Torico (slang for 'todo rico' in Spanish, or 'everything is delicious'--good slogan for an ice cream shop!) and we lined up to weigh our wonderful options. The owners, originally from Puerto Rico, have a tropical, colorful theme, with a dizzying array of flavors, from your standard vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, to more unexpected flavors such as soursop sorbet or cherry pistachio.

I ordered last, as I found simply too many options to consider. I went for a cone of coffee ice cream and cookie pieces in it-- coffee & cookies-- two of my favorite things! This was creamy, zingy, and quite satisfying on that stultifingly stuffy night.

ABF settled on his favorite sundae combo: vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and nuts. They didn't have his beloved peanuts, so he opted for slivered almonds instead. I had a few bites of this, because it is a pretty delicious mix of tastes and textures.

Our ice cream was excellent, and we got to people-watch while we sat inside the air-conditioned restaurant, which is decked out with old-timey ice cream parlor chairs and tables, but all in blazing, eye-popping colors. This is a popular spot, but service was speedy, the price was affordable (3.50 for 2 scoops!), and the flavors are above and beyond the normal list. If you're in Jersey City, save room for dessert and pop by Torico!

Torico Ice Cream

20 Erie St

Jersey City, NJ 07302

(201) 432-9458

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Five Pennies Creamery

Summer might be taking its last few, humid gasps, but that doesn't mean ice cream season is anywhere close to ending! One random Sunday night, ABF and I dashed over to Rockville Centre's (Long Island) Five Pennies Creamery for a sweet treat.

Five Pennies gets its name from the song made famous by Louis Armstrong and Danny Kaye-- that song's a favorite of the store's owner, Danny Levine. The inside of the store looks like a step into the wayback machine-- it has an old-timey ice cream parlor feel.

So what did I order?? Yes, I spent far too long weighing my decision, but if you saw how many amazing, delectable options there are, you might not judge me so harshly. Danny has more than 100 different flavors on tap at Five Pennies. I had a few tiny tastes of different flavors before settling on an interesting combo: one scoop of banana pudding, one scoop of Boston Cream Pie.

I don't know how they did it, but the folks at FPC managed to take the flavors of both these classic desserts and turn them into cool, creamy, frozen form. There's no funny chemical taste or crazy ingredients. THIS is the essence of summer, childhood, and other happy memories.

ABF went with a classic sundae (can't remember his ice cream flavor) with chocolate syrup and peanuts-- his favorite way to eat ice cream. I have to admit, it's quite a good combo, but that night there was no order envy. I was quite happy with my choices.

The ice cream was top-notch, and the friendly staff made us feel welcome from the moment we walked in the door. I hear Five Pennies has recently done a remodel, which gives me the PERFECT excuse to go back and try more flavors- see the changes!

What's YOUR favorite ice cream flavor? Mine is usually black raspberry, but at Five Pennies, it's the Boston Cream Pie!

Five Pennies Creamery

11 N Park Ave

Rockville Centre, NY 11570

(516) 608-4344

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Red's Eats (Maine)

Red's in Wiscasset, Maine, has earned cult-like status with Lobstah roll lovahs. There is almost always a wait, so we saved it for our trip back to NYC.

Shrimp samples!

Kwame, ABF and I waited in line for about 40 minutes. Staff came by twice, first offering samples of their fried shrimp (so tasty!) and then bringing much-appreciated cups of icy-cold water.

We snagged a table in the corner and spread out our fabulous feast. It felt good to sit after just standing around all that time. (Did I mention there was a line?)
All that waiting in line had given us plenty of time to come up with our order plan. We ordered 3 lobster rolls, which come with butter or mayo. Kwame & I got butter, ABF got mayo. We also ordered a small batch of the fried shrimp (so easily swayed by samples are we!)

The rolls come with a well-publicized "more than one whole lobster"'s worth of meat, and I believe it! Every roll was overflowing with lobstah.

It was tasty, but not as tender as I'd like, sometimes a little too chewy. The drawn butter was unsalted, so not much flavor added there.

ABF also talked us (trust me: not difficult) into getting some fried zucchini. These were delicious,too--whatever they put in their breading is all right with me! Tender, soft-but-not-mushy zucchini, delicious dipped in anything, but especially their tartar sauce!

The shrimp? Also just as delicious as they were while we waited in line!

We also snagged dessert on our way out- ice cream for all! I had my favorite summer treat, black raspberry ice cream! So full and fruity and just one of my favorite things about summer.

Flat Stanleys pose with some black raspberry ice cream!

ABF got the eagle tracks, which was a chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cups in it. Wow, was this fabulous! (no pic--sorry!)

Kwame ordered two different flavors-- I can't remember which, but one was studded with chocolate chips, and they were both delicious!

While it wasn't the best lobster roll I ever had, our trip to Red's was still a fun and tasty experience. Waiting just once in that line, though, is enough for me! However, I can't say enough about how nice and welcoming the staff was. They were friendly, helpful, and just so nice. They are working under the gun for hours at a time, but it's clear that even all the fame and press Red's has earned hasn't made it snooty and stiff.

Red's Eats
41 Water St
Wiscasset, ME 04578
(207) 882-6128

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Bliss Bros. Dairy-- New Look! (MA)

My favorite restaurant as I was growing up in Attleboro was Bliss Brothers' Dairy: their burgers and sundaes are nostalgia in food form! Shortly after ABF's & my last visit, they went under a major remodel, which we got to see for ourselves last month while making our way up towards Maine.

I was relieved to see that it basically looks the same, just fresher and more modern. There's new flooring, the booths all got tuneups, and a former coat-rack area now has even more seating. Even though we arrived a bit before the lunch rush, the place was packed (though I took these pics on our way out when it was, well, less packed)!

Of course, the change comes with new menus, including a separate 'build your own burger' list for each person at the table. Fun, but perhaps for another visit! You see, it is extremely rare that I have a 'usual' anywhere-- but that is absolutely the case at Bliss.

I started with a raspberry lime rickey. NO ONE makes a more delicious one than Bliss. ABF had a Coke, and they both came in these classic soda shop-style glasses.

The companion to my 'usual' beverage? The Bliss Special: a burger with Vermont Cheddar, bacon, lettuce & tomato. I wouldn't change a single thing about this burger. It is sublime.

My burger was definitely cooked past medium (my preferred way to eat a burger), but it was still juicy and satisfying. I love, love, love the crinkle fries, too.

ABF ordered their Cuban sandwich, which is definitely a new item for their menu! This MUST have weighed a few pounds-- it is a huge, hefty serving, something you could easily split. ABF didn't even finish it, and he's one tall dude!

I had two, maybe three bites of ABF's sandwich... it was crispy, salty, delicious, and above and beyond what I expected. Well played, Bliss!

ABF said he was too full for his own dessert, so instead of getting my usual small-sized butterfudge (BUTTERSCOTCH + FUDGE IS AMAZING) sundae, I upsized it to share. ABF had more than a few bites of this, and he happily admitted I'd made the right call. Butterfudge is ALWAYS the right call!

Butterfuuuuuuuuuudge!

On our way back to the car, I had to stop for a drink at the 'bubblah,' or bubbler, an old Massachusetts-area nickname for water fountains (a term I dropped very quickly once some Oklahoma middle schoolers mercilessly ridiculed me for using it -- ah, first day at Sequoyah, you were a HOOT!). We used to stop at the bubbler on our way out-- I don't know about you, but ice cream always makes me crazy thirsty.

Anyway, that bubbler has been around for as long as I can remember-- and it's still.. bubbling! Some things, at least for now, DO stay the same!

The bubblah!

I was very happy to see that while Bliss has had a nice face lift, it still is just as delicious, welcoming, and affordable as always. I hope it's around for another century or so-- long live butterfudge!

Bliss Bros. Dairy

711 Park Street

Attleboro, MA 02703

(508) 222-2884