Il laboratorio del gelato Plum and grape sorbet: Whenever I'm in LES, I can't help but stop by this outstanding gelato shop, with its endless array of cycling seasonal flavors. The plum and grape were super concentrated, tasting exactly like those ingredients in their freshest form. The texture could have been better (this time, the grape was a bit icy); nonetheless, I've never had anything but solid fresh sorbet from this NYC mainstay. 4.0/5.0
recommended nyc illaboratoriodelgelato plum grape sorbet 4.0
Seed + Mill Tahini Goats Milk Softserve: Mildly flavored nutty soft serve from Seed + Mill, a small stand in the middle of Chelsea Market. Goats milk gives it a slight tang. A unique offering. Just a tad icy. 4.0/5.0
recommended softserve icecream seedmill tahini goats milk 4.0 nyc chelseamarket
Garden Creamery Black sesame and oolong ice cream: By now, I've become wary of long lines in San Francisco, and there is nowhere else where this sense of trepidation is stronger than in the Mission, the tech-saturated, ultra-entitled west coast version of Williamsburg. Regrettably, I do find myself here once in a while, often to see a show at the neighboring Chapel, which is exactly what brought me to Garden Creamery, an ice cream shop squarely at the halfway point between the 16th and 24th street Mission BART stops. I had some extra time ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended dessert icecream frozen gardencreamery black sesame oolong ice cream 4.0 sf sanfrancisco
4505 Smokehouse BBQ Fried Pork Rinds: From San Francisco-based 4505 BBQ is a line of flavored pork rinds that I've seen both at Whole Foods and Berkeley Bowl. If their Smokehouse BBQ is indicative of the quality of their restaurant, I'm definitely interested. The chicharrones are some of the lightest I've had in any packaged form, and the flavor is smoky in just the right quantity. It has a subtle sweet aftertaste yet is deeply savory at its core. 4.0/5.0
recommended meat pork chicharrones chicharrons 4505 smokehouse bbq fried rinds 4.0 berkeleybowl
Uji Pineapple softserve in small taiyaki cone: Two exciting updates on the Uji-front (my favorite soft serve spot in Berkeley): they now have "small" sized taiyaki cones, which are ideal (you still get a ton of soft serve, and it's about $5), and the new seasonal flavor is pineapple. The taiyaki cone is as good as ever - a fish-shaped waffle that's crispy on the outside and soft and chewy inside, with a surprise of red bean plugging the bottom. It's the ideal serving vehicle that holds up especially well compared to regular cones (it d... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended icecream berkeley japanese uji pineapple softserve in small taiyaki cone 4.0 ujitime
Balthazar Ginger Citrus Tea: A fantastically warming ginger beverage that's equal parts ginger and lemon, with a touch of honey. Well-balanced, with a pronounced and cleansing spicy flavor. A noteworthy classic worth going out of the way for. 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks nyc balthazar ginger citrus tea 4.0