Smile More Sparkling Lychee Spritzer : I’ve seen an upwards trend for vinegar-based sodas in the past year, and this Asian lychee-flavored one is sour and lightly sweetened with a faint lychee aftertaste. It’s not a drink I would want to consume in one serving though the bottle is smaller than most. If you appreciate carbonated beverages that aren’t sweet, you may enjoy it. 3.0/5.0
drinks vinegar asian smilemore sparkling lychee spritzer 3.0
Pineapple Express Passionfruit Mango softserve: Another winner from Chelsea Market-based vendor Pineapple Express. This seasonal summer treat (sorry I’m several months behind on reviews) had a great tart flavor. Cleansing sharpness. Also the perfect amount that I want to eat, though pricy at its size ($2). 4.0/5.0
recommended icecream nyc pineappleexpress passionfruit mango softserve 4.0
Cones Ginger and Cantaloupe Sorbet : Cones is a dependably excellent ice cream shop on Bleecker St in Manhattan. I almost always get sorbet when I'm there, and they're always super refreshing and flavorful. Both the ginger and cantaloupe this time were fresh and very light. I recommend getting a scoop and then going across the street to Book Book. 4.0/5.0
recommended icecream sorbet nyc cones ginger cantaloupe 4.0
H2C Coconut Water: At this point, I bucket coconut water into three categories: ones that have a strong, slightly off flavor (somewhat metallic, too sweet, etc), those that are just fine, and those that have the lightest and cleanest flavor. This one is just fine - nothing makes it stand out as being particularly good or bad. But given the price of coconut water, I would only recommend those that fall in the last category. 3.0/5.0
coconutwater drinks h2c coconut water 3.0
Zenchai Apple and ginger matcha drink: Zenchai is a matcha cafe in the LES (NYC) with seasonal green tea drinks. I was really excited to try their fall apple cider and ginger green tea drink, but after I ordered and they began to pour out cider from a gallon container of Zieglers (which I haven’t had since I was a kid), I had a sense I was in trouble. Visually, the drink was appealing with a colorful ombré effect. But it had little ginger flavor and mostly tasted of very sweet and concentrated store-bought apple cider. I did feel... (read more) 2.5/5.0
drinks cider zenchai apple ginger matcha drink 2.5 nyc
Du’s Donuts Ice cream sandwich : I really enjoyed the Pyggy sandwich I had at Byggyz, the newly opened sandwich shop in LES (NYC) from Wylie Dufresne’s dad Dewey. We decided to also try their one dessert option, an absurdly priced $7 ice cream sandwich made with Du’s donuts (the donut shop Wylie launched earlier in the year). Inside the ice cream sandwich is a marmalade ice cream, which, flavor-wise, had a satisfying tart flavor. Texturally, though, I found the sandwich as a whole to be a miss. The entire frozen treat is ov... (read more) 2.5/5.0
dessert icecream icecreamsandwich nyc dusdonuts ice cream sandwich 2.5