Tag: vacation

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream – My new favorite

I have a daughter who moved to New York City last year and we love nothing more than to visit and wander the city exploring any food establishments that catch our eye. It is a great way to find new and exciting places you may have missed. The little mom and pop shop or a fancy new bistro, it’s the excitement of the unknown that is so great. We have had some amazing meals and thank god we are walking so much to burn it all off! We have not been disappointed yet.

It does help that my daughter is a foodie and knows some great spots!

Ice Cream is cheaper than therapy

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Recently on a very hot, summer weekend, we ventured out to see what we could find. It was late and we were wrapping it up for the evening and walked past Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Vegan Ice Cream at 172 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side. Vegan Ice Cream? Who knew? Let’s give it a shot! We had eaten so much that day but as my husband says, “The dessert tank is a different tank, the meal tank may be full but the dessert tank is still empty.” There is always room for dessert!

A LIFE WITHOUT ANYTHING GOOD IS BAD

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Shoppe

What a cute little spot! The problem now is what to order. They all look amazing. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Ice Cream? I wish I had tried that. Earl Gray Tea? Vegan Churros and Fudge? Vegan Bourbon Vanilla Apple Crisp? Oat Milk Brown Sugar Crunch? Marion Berry Cheesecake? With the decision finally made, we ordered. The choices were a hot fudge sundae made with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for the youngest, a cup of Sicilian Pistachio for hubby and for me? I got the Vegan Peanut Butter Brownie Honeycomb.

The ice cream was so rich we could barely finish it all. I do believe, the decision was unanimous and it was the best Ice Cream we have ever had. I took a risk with the Vegan Peanut Butter Brownie Honeycomb, but it was amazing. Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Vegan Ice Cream makes their vegan ice cream with Coconut Milk or Oat Milk apparently and I would have never known. If you are concerned that vegan ice cream may be a little weird, it is not. If I had not ordered it myself, I would have thought it was regular milk based ice cream.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Vegan Ice Cream has locations all over the city. Nineteen in fact, with locations also in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. New locations coming soon in Connecticut and Colorado. I do believe Massachusetts should be next on the list. If you are an ice cream fan, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Vegan Ice Cream is a must see!

ROSCIOLI SALUMERIA CON CUCINA, ROME ITALY

Roscioli Salumeria Con Cucina – Rome Restaurant and Food Allergy Review

When I let my sister know that I was going to Rome all she kept saying was you need to go to Roscioli Salumeria Con Cucina located in the heart of Rome!  She and her husband said it was the best meal they have ever had and they tell everyone to go there. When we discovered it was only a three minute walk from our hotel we were thrilled. It did not disappoint!  I would highly recommend a reservation and to dine in the wine cellar. The reservation is very easily made on their website. When you travel to Rome with food allergies there is a lot of research to be done and I had a hard time finding information on specific restaurants. But if you do your research it can be done. We have a daughter with a lot of food allergies and there was a comment section on the reservation form where we inquired about what she could eat.

Our first night in Rome we ventured out for a beautiful walk through Rome to the restaurant. We were greeted by our waiter Ricardo and brought to the wine cellar. He was aware of the food allergies and let her know that she would have a fabulous meal. She is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, carrots, cucumbers, legumes, zucchini and eggplant but they had it under control. Honestly, I do believe he was very relieved that we were not uptight about it and she didn’t care what she had, she was just happy to be there. We were told to order the cacio e pepe and we would be amazed. We were! The wine was wonderful and the caprese salad, bread, gnocchi, ravioli, the limoncello, tortellini in brodo (homemade tortellini in broth) was so simple and to die for. The menu had a food allergy labeling system that made it all so easy. If you are gluten free, I found the restaurants bent over backwards to accommodate you. Roscioli is comfortable, relaxed and not very expensive, the perfect restaurant for our first night in Rome. They even brought us a little dessert with cookies you could dip in chocolate to welcome us to Rome. Roscioli is a must see.. I do believe it was the best meal I have ever had in my life.

I’d much rather drink wine and eat pasta than be a size zero – Sophia Loren