A La Mode in NYC
I recently visited A La Mode during a trip to New York City, and I was delighted to see that despite the sign out front about a birthday party, they were willing to serve me ice cream! Here’s what I had.
Read more Enjoying Ice and Vice
Here’s a review of our recent visit for ultra premium ice cream at Ice & Vice in New York City. In Search of a Scoop had a wonderful experience traveling here.
Read moreReturn to Van Leeuwens
Three years ago, I had a marvelous visit to New York City, and when I returned there this year I was eager to explore more ice cream hot spots. But I also wanted to return to my favorite from my last visit: Van Leeuwens.
Read moreIce Cream & Music at Emack & Bolio’s
Ross Malcolm Boyd onstage at Emack & Bolio’s, Albany, NY
Last September, on our way through upstate New York, my husband Ross was eager to play an open mic. He found one in Albany, and though it took some doing to find a safe and free place to leave the RV for a while, we did just that before heading into the city to perform.
Well, as it turns out, Ross had chosen an open mic at an ice cream place. And it wasn’t just any ice cream place – it was one I’d read about before!
Emack & Bolio’s is full of personality, with super-premium
Books and gifts at Emack & Bolio’s, Albany, New York
ice cream at locations in five states and in many Asian countries too! It has an artsy, indie vibe, at least in Albany, New York, and they also sell coffee and pastries there. This location hosts live music every week, including an open mic, and they also have a fireplace, a garden patio and a neat selection of books and gifts.
I was so excited that after we played our three songs (and were asked to be the featured artists whenever we return to the area!) we got to get ice cream.
Extra ice cream at Emack & Bolio’s, Albany, NY
Plus, when they misunderstood my initial order, I ended up with some extra ice cream…so yes, I had two bowls of ice cream here! The flavor report:
Pumpkin – It’s delicious, smooth and tastes like real pumpkin, as it should. You’ll need to love pumpkin to enjoy this. It’s subtle and lovely.
Chocolate Moose – This is a smooth chocolate – they have a few different chocolate flavors. It’s an outstanding, rich flavor! Maybe top 3 or 4 chocolates I’ve had so far?
Vanilla Bean Speck – This is a very “real” tasting vanilla. I love when you can study the vanilla bean. Yum.
Bananas Foster – This is cinnamon, with chunks of roasted banana. Really delicious!
I found the texture to be fabulous, with high marks across the board here. It absolutely lived up to the hype. There’s tons of indoor seating as well as a great outdoor stage with tables, and the live music is definitely a draw.
Pricing was on the higher side, but appropriate for a city like Albany and the clearly higher-quality ingredients they’re using. This is a must-stop if you’re in the area!
p.s. Thanks for supporting my blog by doing your usual online shopping via my Amazon affiliate link!
Something Sweet in Saratoga Springs
When you’re traveling in an RV, impromptu trips for ice cream can be challenging, to say the least. Finding a parking spot for all 25′ of us isn’t always easy.
Prices listed for the Dairy Haus, Saratoga Springs
But by arriving right when they opened, we had all the space we could ask for when we pulled into the Dairy Haus parking lot in Saratoga Springs.
Without realizing it, I ordered a kiddie with two flavors – the portion was very generous for a kiddie, at only $2.45! Perfect since it was a little too early for lunch when they opened at 11 a.m.!
Here’s what we thought – we didn’t try too much because we literally watched them open up for the day and felt bad!
Coffee & Sweet Cream ice cream at Dairy Haus, Saratoga Springs
Coffee Oreo – According to Ross, this one was excellent, just what you’d like a coffee Oreo to be.
Coffee – The coffee ice cream is classic. My standard for coffee ice cream is always Brigham’s, and this one really didn’t disappoint!
Sweet Cream – This flavor was absolutely delightful!
All of the ice creams here were delicious. They were very smooth, though not winning any records for smoothness. Truly delightful. I also found the location pretty charming, even on a cloudy day!
Charming seating at the Dairy Haus, Saratoga Springs
Next time you’re passing through Saratoga Springs, be sure to have a scoop or two for me!
p.s. Thanks for supporting my blog by doing your usual online shopping via my Amazon affiliate link!
Kickin’ Back at Pop’s Sugar Shack
Pop’s Sugar Shack is in Conklin, NY, which is basically Binghamton, according to several websites in a quick google search. My husband had suggested we spend the night in Binghamton as we were passing through – perfect choice, by the way – and after visiting an amazing comics & games shop, we found a delightful spot for some homemade ice cream.
This is a family-owned shop with both homemade gelato and homemade ice cream, and it’s adorably pink and out of the 50s or 60s. We loved the huge portions and the great prices here. A medium gives you three large scoops and was only $4.05 with tax. We tried so many flavors! Here’s our report.
Chocolate: This is a creamier version than the classic. Less chocolate flavor than usual..which makes it perfect to go with hot fudge on it.
Mint Chocolate Chip: This had real, full-size chocolate chips! It wasn’t too sweet, and the chips weren’t either. I might have enjoyed a slightly higher chip to ice cream ratio though.
Strawberry Cheesecake: No crust, so it’s good for the gluten-free among us! It’s a creamy cheesecake base, on the lighter side, with a prominent strawberry swirl. Delicious! This is a lighter take than many strawberry cheesecakes (no chunks etc.) but it’s one of my favorite versions. So creamy and cheesy!
Fireball: Yes, like the candy or the alcohol! It’s alternates between creamy and just like a fireball candy, with chunks of candy pieces. Original and very fun!
Chocolate Marshmallow: This wasn’t too sweet. The marshmallow is a delightful swirl, like fluff. The chocolate is about a medium in terms of darkness…and this is especially creamy!
Overall we loved how fluffy and creamy and delicious these ice creams were. They go down so smoothly! It’s awesome. And we did try some gelato – the pricing is very different from the ice cream (no mixing and matching between the two types) but we liked what we sampled.
Thank you for staying open into the fall, despite the cold! This was a wonderful visit. Go check out Pop’s Sugar Shack for yourselves!
p.s. Thanks for supporting the blog by doing your usual online shopping via my Amazon affiliate link!
In Search of a Scoop 