Ralph's Ice Cream & Italian Ices on E. 24th St.

I'm not entirely sure why this place isn't the most mobbed spot in town, but for now I am happy that it's not.  Located out a window right across from Baruch, Ralph's offers tons of flavors of ices, as well as ice cream, smoothies, something called an "iceberg," and sundaes (how about a toasted marshmallow crunch?). 

I had a medium passion fruit water ice (as opposed to a 'cream ice,' e.g. cannoli or banana), and it was super awesomely delicious and didn't cost both arms and a leg (it was $3.50). 

I just dig how this place is set up, what they offer, and the fact that it seems to be still flying under the radar.  The only issue I have is that they sometimes use Styrofoam cups. 

Follow @ralphsicesnyc on Twitter.

Dessert Crawl w/Top NYC Pastry Chef

Four flavors



Chef

 Somehow, even though I am from New Jersey*, I have a disproportionate number of successful creative/artist-type friends from high school who have become well-known musicians, photographers, recording engineers, writers and chefs. One in particular is Jimmy Distefano, the esteemed pastry chef at Rouge Tomate on E. 60th St. across from Barneys. A graduate of the Culinary Institute and some amazing place in France, he makes the best desserts I've ever eaten.  He's worked at several well-known establishments including the Park Avenue Cafe, David Burke & Donatella, Blue Fin and others.  And lucky for me he had the brilliant idea that we go on a dessert crawl last night. How I never came up with this idea myself is a mystery.

We began crawling at Mille-feuille 552 Laguardia between W. 3rd St. and Bleecker in the Village.  The small, bakery-cafe, with white tiled walls and wood flooring is known for its mille-feuille ($3.90) and macaroons ($1.90 each).  The mille-feuille (literally "thousand-leaf) was divine.  The macaroons came in many flavors and we tried five of them: rose raspberry (the best), chocolate praline, coconut, pistachio, espresso (2nd best).  This was new to me, as I had only eaten the coconut macaroons that most New Yorkers are familiar with.  If you have not had "French" macaroons, might I suggest you go here and try some? 

Then we hopped over to the new Amorino on University and W. 10th Street.  A very fancy interior set the stage for some serious gelato ingesting.  Served in a cup or a cone in various sizes, they charge by weight, so you could arguably order 10 flavors in one.  I got a medium mango and pineapple, while the good chef ordered a larger version that included raspberry, yogurt, hazelnut and salted caramel.  His was certainly better, and so I felt I should help him with his once I plowed through mine.  The total bill was $14.50.

Our final stop was Momofuku Milk Bar at 251 E. 13th St. near 2nd Ave. My reco'?  Don't believe the hype.  We got a compost cookie ($1.85) and a piece of crack pie ($5.25) and all I could taste was the sweetest sugar of my life.  Very one-dimensional.  I could have made this stuff, folks, and that is NOT a compliment.  But the lines were long and the money flowing...

*nothin' but love for ya, NJ

Too Many Restaurants Week

Post-holidays, I promised myself that I would cool it with restaurants and take out food, but alas, this week made that nearly impossible. I visited the following restaurants, one being an old standby favorite known as: Les Halles (the one on Park Ave. South).

Les Halles - A great, crowded New York City brasserie that isn't exactly the height of cuisine, but it is solid, consistent, and fun. The kind of place you should bring out of town guests when you want to ensure that they get a real New York City experience without being overly touristy. While not cheap, it is not too pricey. My recent visit included 3 drinks, dinner and dessert and ended up costing me $70 all told.

Benjamin Steakhouse - An extremely nice looking room on E. 41st St. where you can go for your office Christmas lunch or if your aging parents come to town. Good food and service, a bit stodgy for the likes of the Guerilla Shopper, but meat is aplenty in this joint.

Le Miu - A decent sushi joint on Avenue A. I had an interesting meal consisting of sashimi over soba noodles - a new take on an old dish and something I had never had before. So big points for originality. Otherwise, the room was nice but not anything spectacular. Maybe I'd go back - but only if I couldn't think of a better option...

Sugar "Tiny Cafe of Big Sweet Nothings" - This is that long narrow place on the corner of Allen and Houston under whatever giant child porn ad American Apparel is pimping these days. I love my desserts so I love this place. It's not comfortable or convenient at all, but there are endless treats a la Willy Wonka and therefore I shall return.