Ikyotochan

This is the best gelato I’ve had in the city. I make special trips to the Lower East Side just to get my fix. So far flavors that have knocked my sock off include Black Mission Fig, Fresh Mint, Honey Lavendar, Pumpkin, Black Sesame and Chocolate. The also make astonishing sorbets including Black Currant, Black Plum, Grapefruit and Green Grape. Everything tastes of the fresh ingredients in their names, not like flavorings.

Not neccessarily for traditionalists, but a foodie paradise.

The only disadvantage is that there is not really anyplace to sit down, so it’s best to window shop while savoring your treats.

The burgers and shakes are so good here, I say, forgo the fries and have an extra burger! Also, they’re open late, so I hit it in late evenings to beat the long lines.

I went here for a Friday night party, and was certainly glad I went. This place is Old World comfort, which although a little rough and grungy around the edges was quite relaxing. I didn’t make it up the the Hookah room, and the sun deck was closed because of the snow, but I took full advantage of the bathing facilities.

There was the volcanic heat of the Russian Room, where you can get a little bonus show by watching someone get the platza (a treatment with a soapy oak leaf beating by a surly looking Russian guy with dousings of icy cold water). Then a quick cool off in the cold pool before hitting either the dry or Turkish sauna or the steam room.

The locker system there was rather interesting, you don’t get a key to your locker, but a tag (which doubles as the billing number for food, drinks and special treatments) that will allow you to ask a front desk staff member to come into the lockeroom with you to get your stuff.

All and all a really fun experience, and I would recommend it for someone looking for budget relaxation.

I went with a couple of crafty friends for the weekly Wednesday Tea Party. As promised, there were tea and cookies, and also some bonus fudge. The staff there was amazingly friendly and took an hour and a half to give us a tour, and generally chat and hang out. We made envelopes together for them to sell on Etsy.com to help finance the Labs, and played with the big old boxes of free yarn. I put on a bear-earred bonnet that someone had left in the box that even made me feel cute.

I am definitely going to get a membership, because the $5 an hour jewerly workbench area alone is worth the price, and there is so much more! (I’m so sure that this place is going to be a hit that I was a little tempted to keep the secret to myself.)

If you want to go check it out, it seems like either Monday knitting night or Wednesday tea party would be a lovely time.

It was a Sunday so the cafe was closed, and that was the real reason I wanted to go. Other than the cafe it just seemed like a swanky Japanese department store (which it is). Probably up a lot of other folks alley though.

My hot chocolate tasting group went here only a few months after they opened. The hot chocolate was rather disappointing for a group of chocolate fiends since it was actually a cocoa drink heavier on the cinnamon than actual chocolate. It was delicious, but did not provide a sufficient chocolate fix.

Luckily this could be easily resolved by getting one of their unique truffles (I had an amazing black sesame and sake truffle). The cupcakes in the case were also drool-worthy.

I went to eat their Deep Fried Mars Bar, which I had been thinking about off and on since I watched the DVD extras on Supersize Me. It was pretty tasty, but incredibly heavy, and watching me it grossed out my friends. It also looked extremely unattractive (brown and tan mush oozing out of the battered crust). I’m glad I tried it, but might opt out next time.

I want to go back, but this time for lamb and cranberry stew or shepard’s pie.

I came on the recommendation of a friend and was not disappointed. The entire museum was engaging, and managed to be thought-provoking while feeling like a playground.

James Turrell’s Pleiades permenant exhibition is not to be missed. It takes patience, and I personally think it is best observed in silence.

The day I went, it was snowy, and a tramp through the garden was cut a little short. It was much more cozy to stop in at the temporary art house, The Tom Museum, and catch a round of art/miniature golf.

My partner and I decided to escape from NYC and visit Pittsburgh for a romantic weekend…though this seemed like an impossiblity to most of the locals we spoke with.

We stayed in a nice old hotel, hit the Mattress Factory and Andy Warhol museum, and ate way too much hearty fare. The Allegheny river was frozen over, making it fun to throw snowballs off of the bridges.

We marvelled at the inexpensive real estate prices, and hope to come again.

So Uncle Mina’s closed its doors to the disappointment of its many fans, only to reopen as Falafel Chula. Apparently it stayed in the family, and the recipes are the same! All’s well that ends well…