ice cream – Dessert Landscape

Empire City at Yonkers Raceway’s Lillian Russell CafÃ©’s Dessert Buffet

admin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:51:45 +0000

Who doesn’t get excited about all-you-can-eat dinner buffet? Because what usually accompanies it? All-you-can-eat dessert buffet, that’s what! And where can you find this treasure? Well, lots of places, I’m sure, but the one I’m going to talk about is found at this post’s title, which I really don’t feel like writing out again.

Why was I at such a location in the first place? Another walking tour, of course– this one beginning in beautiful Riverdale, the Bronx and ending up in Yonkers (one of my favorite New York place names). I also like horsies and was excited to see harness racing for the first time. After dazedly making our way through the celestial lights and sounds of the electronic slot machines on the ground floor, we found the restaurant and dropped $24 per person for the prized buffet. We grabbed our plates and raided the numerous shiny steam trays containing such old-school delights as prime rib and chicken francaise. Â Some of us moved quickly from dinner to dessert, some saved time and combined dinner (beef slice)Â and veggie-containing dessert (carrot cake slice) on one plate, and the shocking verdict is this: nothing was very good, some things were very bad.Â

Observe:

The highlight of the dessert buffet wasÂ easily the Edy’s soft serve ice cream sundae station.Â Being a cockyÂ Dairy Queen alumna, I was sure I’d make a sundae of exquisite beauty– “You own this,” I chuckled to myself.Â When I first pulled the soft serve handle, however, theÂ ice creamÂ took forever to emerge, and then when it did, it spewed forth with such speed, that it immediately filled myÂ tiny bowlÂ and went right over the edge.Â Soâ€¦ ugly andâ€¦ no room left for toppings!Â I tried to fit in what little chocolate syrup that I could, butÂ mine was a sad ice cream-laden creation.Â Â My friends heeded my advice about the dastardly handle and made the necessary corrections for their sundaes.Â One friend madeÂ a concoctionÂ that was all toppings; another hid a “cookie surprise” on the bottom of his bowl; another made two sundaes and proudly plowed through each one of them (to get his money’s worth, of course).Â One more word: have you ever heard of pancakeÂ syrupÂ as aÂ sundae topping?Â Neither have I.Â And judging by the high level of pancake syrup left in its bin at the station, neither had most of the other patrons, either.

TheÂ rest of theÂ desserts featured in the buffet– rugelach, cheesecake, and Ã©clairs– were just horrendous.Â If you look at the picture I have here, you might agree that everything â€œlooked as if it had been dragged across the carpet, then thrown onto a platter,” as my friend mentioned.Â To uphold my journalistic integrity, I actually tasted the rugelach (unspeakably awful) and the Ã©clairs (which were oddly moist, as if they’d just been thawed out from the freezer).Â There were also some unidentifiable sugarless cake (?) slices that made me thank my stars I’m not diabetic.Â

I’m sure you can’t wait to go now!

Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Lillian Russell CafÃ©

810 Yonkers Avenue

Yonkers, NYÂ 10704

914-968-4200

http://www.yonkersraceway.com/default.asp

French DÃ©lices Part 3: Ice Cream and Gelato

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:16:36 +0000

Also a major player onÂ the French dessert sceneÂ is the glace, or ice cream.Â Nice has a famous gelateria called Fenocchio, which, funnily enough, hasÂ a rival gelateria called Pinocchio.Â The rivalry converges at Place Rosetti in the Old Town, whereÂ Fenocchio has its flagship location while Pinocchio has two across the way from each other.Â We all benefit from ice cream wars, don’t we?Â I only went toÂ Fenocchio, and what an abundance ofÂ flavors– 96 to be exact!Â Of the many delightful parfums, imagine verbena (a flower), beer, vanilla-rose-pepper, thyme, Coca-Cola, Grand Marnier, jasmin, and chocolate-ginger.Â French ice cream is delicious and often comes in the form of complicated and expensive sundaes.Â IÂ saw aÂ few in Nice that cost 25 Euros!Â Yes, they came with seven scoops of ice cream, several toppings, and whipped cream, and probably should be shared, but wow, what a price.Â I accidentally purchased one of these while asking for an iced coffee in Lyon.Â I said cafÃ© glacÃ©, which literally means “iced coffee,” and was brought a monster of a sundae featuring several scoops of coffee ice cream, cookies, nuts, and whipped cream for 8 Euros.Â It was expensive, but very satisfying.Â After consuming this, I became sleepy, so IÂ then purchased a regular coffee.Â This is the kind of mindless eating and drinking that you get in France, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I also tried an iced nougat at Brasserie Georges in Lyon, just for scientific study.Â It really wasn’t tough or chewy like you’d imagine a real frozen chunk of nougat would be, but rather had that nutty flavor and candied fruit, but with a decidedly ice creamy texture.Â It was tasty and a nice antidote for a rich meal.Â Our evening was punctuated with the waiters firing up an old-timey barrel organ to play Happy Birthday, which would be followed by a baked Alaska-type dessert garnished with a live sparkler being placed in front of a lucky birthday boy or girl.

Scottish Sweeties Part 2: S. Luca’s Ice Cream Parlour

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:18:08 +0000

As a child, a trip to S. Luca’s ice cream parlor in Musselburgh, a port town very close to Edinburgh, wasÂ the greatest of treats.Â Â Sluca’s (my grandfather’s nickname for it), has been making the most unctuous ice cream since 1908, when Mr. Luca Scappaticcio came over from Italy and learned the craft from a Swiss sous chef (weird, right?Â aren’t Italians the ones who areÂ kinda known for ice cream?).Â Sluca’s sundaes, especiallyÂ the almighty Knickerbockerglory,Â are legendary, and I had to make a pilgrimage:

The Knickerbockerglory is a parfait made from vanilla and strawberry ice cream, with strawberry topping and whipped cream.Â The Praline Parfait is Neapolitan ice cream with chocolate sauce and hazelnuts.Â Both are quite tall and force you toÂ improve your posture greatlyÂ in order to consume them.Â The Meringue Mess is vanilla ice cream floating in a butterscotch and freshly-cut banana soup, with a little crunchy meringue for texture.Â These 3 were, of course, parfaits parfaits.Â

At first, I scoffed at my mom’s Sticky Toffee Pudding order, as there were plenty more delightful sundaes to choose from, but sheÂ pointed out that an STP is good for my Scottish dessert research and also quite tasty, so I relented.Â It wasn’t sticky, so much as sweet and decadent.Â The cake was so moist, itÂ sparkled like a mound of jewels.Â Â An STP’sÂ toffee isÂ typicallyÂ made from black treacle (molasses), DemeraraÂ sugar (unrefined and brownish), and cream.Â Ours wasÂ quite warm, and the accompanying scoops of vanilla ice cream melted right into the toffee pool.Â

We broughtÂ someÂ vanilla and strawberry ice creamÂ home for my grandfather, whoÂ will almost certainly eatÂ it smothered inÂ extra-thick double cream, whichÂ I think is illegal in the U.S.Â My Grandpa is such a rebel.Â

S. Luca

32-38 High Street

MusselburghÂ EH21 7AG

Scotland

0131-665-2237

http://www.s-luca.co.uk/

D.C. Dessert Roundup – Capital Confections Part 2: Good Stuff Eatery

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:39:27 +0000

“Herein, where good people make good stuff…”Â This sentiment is expressed on a historical landmark-like plaque outside D.C.’s popular Good Stuff burger joint, where my dessert guide informed me that one can also find amazing “handspun shakes.”Â Doesn’t the word “handspun” make you think of cotton candy or knitting wool or something equally charming & old-timey?Â I kinda thought you usually blend shakes, but “spinning” them takes it to that next level of homey-ness.Â We ordered three Mini-Moos ($3.75 each), which are made with their special “milk-ice-gelato-custard-cream” and your usual sundae fixins– behold:

If you like your shakes thick, fatty, and unslurpable, this is the place for you.Â Not looking for a cheek-ache, we decided not to even mess with straws.Â Instead, we popped off their lids immediately and dug in with our spoons.Â The Sourhop Hop Strawberry is a cute name, but there wasn’t anything sour about this wonderful shake– it just basically tasted like the best strawberry ice cream of my life.Â I also enjoyed the D-Lechable Leche, but it wasn’t really dulce de leche-flavored– more like coffee and caramel-flavored, much to my bean-hating friend’s consternation.Â The best of all was the Milky Way Malt, which had fudge, caramel, and candy chunks for texture– the concentrated bottom scrapings were so good, I went into one of my dessert trances.

Good work, good people of Good Stuff!

Good Stuff Eatery

303 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E.

Washington, D.C.Â 20003

202-543-8222

http://goodstuffeatery.com/

Next stop: CafÃ© Saint-Ex (posting soon)

D.C. Dessert Roundup – Capital Confections Part 1: Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections (aka A.C.K.C.)

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:30:59 +0000

We didn’t see Michelle or Barack,Â but we did have delicious desserts.Â Read on…

A.C.K.C.Â is a total dessert cuterie (if you don’t know what a “cuterie” is, think of the chocolate shop in Chocolat).Â They’ve got everything: display cases filled with fancy chocolates & baked goods, tables overflowing with chocolate bars & gifts, friendly dessert-istas, cheerful autumnal decorations, and… naughty mosaics depicting frolicking males.Â A.C.K.C. is apparently the brainchild of a chocolatier, Rob Kingsbury, and an artist, Eric Nelson.Â The chocolate and the art are for sale– great concept!

The “Divas” are a menu highlight; theyÂ can come in the form of blended ice cream and toppings, crowned with whipped cream, and served in gorgeous margarita glasses ($4.25 each).Â We tried The Bette Davis: “milk chocolate infused with almond syrup, topped with toasted coconut flakes.”Â It was light and tasty, but nothing much to write home about.Â Next was the Marliyn Monroe: “a bold, white-chocolate base with a flip of crÃ¨me de menthe finished with crumbled Oreo cookies.”Â What a frothy, refreshing, minty delight.Â And great texture from the cookie and white chocolate chunks.Â Last of the Divas was the Rita Hayworth: “semi-sweet chocolate infused with clove, orange and caramel, drizzled with caramel sauce.”Â This was the best of all.Â The flavors all zinged together, with the orange hitting you first, then the chocolate, then the clove, of which there were whole buds, which sent spicy shivers down my spine.

Even though we were bursting with our stomachs’ discoveries of their inner Divas, we thought we must try some of their hand-made chocolate.Â We picked the weirdest sounding one: “creamy brie with apricot dropped in toasted black sesame seeds.”Â Well, I never thought I’d live to see the day that I’d have brie and chocolate in one bite, but there it was– that cheesy funk with that bitter chocolate.Â I’m not sure how well the flavors married, and no one tasted the apricot, but it was worth it for the experience.

The last thing we tried was their smoked bacon chocolate bar: “rich milk chocolate couverture mixed with smoked Turkish paprika, dried apple, and caramelized bacon.”Â I couldn’t detect a hint of bacon or paprika at all (maybe they forgot to add them?), but the chocolate itself was smooth, wonderful, and rich, and the apple chunks were a nice little surprise.

This was a perfect start to our dessert adventures!

A.C.K.C. (DC location)

1529C 14TH Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-387-COCO

http://thecocoagallery.com/

Next stop: Good Stuff Eatery (post coming soon)

Dairy Queen – My Dessert Alma Mater

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:32:44 +0000

Oh, Dairy Queen, how do I love thee?Â Let me count the waysâ€¦

My first job at the grand-old age of 14 was at the DQ down the street from me.Â Ah, the camaraderie and the 90s R&B music played all day long… ah, the numerous â€œmistakesâ€ we were allowed to eat.Â Now, I realize that DQ is no Payard Patisserie.Â I get it.Â What DQ represents for me is summer, a simpler time of life, and smooth, creamy soft serve.Â Since thereâ€™s no DQ to be found in NYC (a Carvel conspiracy, perhaps?), I pounce on any DQ I find during a road trip or trip back home.Â My favorite treat is the Pecan Cluster Blizzard, a wondrous mix of vanilla soft serve, pecans, butterscotch syrup, and chocolate dip hardened and blended into chunks.Â The sweetness of the butterscotch, mixed with the texture and crunch of the nuts, finished with the chocolateyness of the dip are heaven itself for me.Â Also on offer are old-school soda fountain drinks like the Chocolate Malted (favored by my dad) and the Boston Cooler (a mixture of Vernorâ€™s Ginger Ale & vanilla soft serve).Â When I moved to the East Coast, it took me a long time get used to the “pop = soda” thing because the word â€œsodaâ€ conjures for me visions of ice cream treats like a chocolate sodaâ€¦ mmmmâ€¦

I also must report a most interesting finding during a trip I took to Blairstown, NJ, recently.Â Per my usual, since I was out of NYC, I was therefore looking for a DQ.Â Well, I found something that turned out to be a former DQ converted into an establishment called the Blairstown Dairy.Â They kept as much of the DQ stuff as possible, without being in danger of getting sued.Â Since DQ has trademarked its signature swirl, all the signs had photoshopped the offending swirls out, and all the product names were slightly altered.Â I got a Butterfinger “Blenderz” (aka Blizzard), and, although the flavor of the off-brand soft serve was a bit tasteless (did they forget the artificial vanilla flavor #8?), the guy put in a crapload of Butterfinger chunks– maybe even a whole bar’s worth– so I was appeased.Â Let’s hear it for roadside mom and pop soft serve purveyors in small towns throughout our great land!

Lastly, as DQ’s greatest fan, I’d like you to steer clear of DQ’s cold and sterile corporate website with the completely horrific Oreo Cookie Jar Blizzard “Goodies” creatures currently featured on the home page.Â They mean you no harm… really.Â Just eat the frozen treats, shut up, and be happy.

Dairy Queen

multiple locations (even China!), but not NYC

Grom – Gelateria Delizioso

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:24:20 +0000

When visiting Grom, you may be tempted, Baskin-Robbins-style, to head straight over to the ice cream counter toÂ pick which flavor has the biggest chunks of chocolate, fresh-fruitiest color, and what have you– NOT SO FAST! If you do, you’ll lose your place in line like we did. There’s really not much to see anyway as all the gelati are contained in canisters with metal lids. Plus, if you wait patiently in front of the registers for your turn, you’ll be waited upon by Grom professionals who will supply you with samples upon request. Another plus is that, even for a small, you can get two flavors. This way, my friend and I tasted three delicious gelati and a sorbet:Â Bacio, which is a popular Italian flavor of chocolate and hazelnut; Crema di Grom, containing “Battifollo” biscuits and chocolate chips; Crema come una volta, containing egg yolks and a hint of lemon; and Albicocca (Apricot) sorbet.
TheÂ gelato here isÂ so smooth and silky, it’s hard to believeÂ it’s made with whole milk, rather than straight cream.Â Apparently, the texture and thicknessÂ is due to carob flour.Â IÂ have a personal hatred for carob as someone long ago decided that it could somehow pass for chocolate, andÂ I was tricked in myÂ youth into acceptingÂ horrid carob chips instead of chocolate chips.Â Â Perhaps now I will finally make peace with carob.Â Â I expected the Battifollo biscuits to taste like biscotti, because those seem to be the fancy Italian cookies we’re all used to.Â They weren’t, though– they were very light and crunchy, but not brain-rattlingly-so– and they held up nicely to the gelato.Â The sorbet was the best I’ve ever had, tasting like a cold, purÃ©ed version of the freshest apricots.Â MyÂ companion wasÂ absolutely delighted with it.Â “I now feel vindicated,” he said with a tear in his eye, “When I was aÂ kid,Â my friends used to make fun of me for liking sorbet and often choosing it over ice cream.Â Â This is my childhood ideal of sorbet.”Â Â Trust me, he wasn’t exaggerating.

YouÂ must check out Grom’s website to seeÂ the pic ofÂ a vaguely threatening cow welcoming you.Â It’s also a total foodie wonderland of a site, as there are detailed descriptions of each flavor and ingredient, andÂ gelato pairings for “him,” “her,” and “the other.” New YorkÂ is so lucky that Italy has gracedÂ it with Grom– fantastico!

Grom (Greenwich Village location)

233 Bleeker St. @ Carmine St.

New York, NYÂ 10065

212-206-1738

Grom (Upper West Side location)

2165 Broadway @ 76th St.

212-362-1837

http://www.grom.it/eng/index.php