A Girls' Night In with 16 Handles

A couple weekends ago, I took a bus from DC to New York City to spend a night with Kris, one of my college roommates and dearest friends. Kris has a glamorous (but demanding) career in the PR/fashion world. And while she may attend high-profile dinners and galas, Kris still loves a low-key girls' night as much as I do. Given our busy schedules this summer summer, we were both looking forward to a night of girl talk, cocktails, and ice cream.

We dined al fresco at an adorable Mexican restaurant in Kris' neighborhood, enjoying guacamole and fancy versions of margaritas and sangria. Unlike most Manhattan restaurants, the staff here didn't make us feel rushed, and we lingered over our drinks and food for a couple hours. We eventually decided to head back to Kris' apartment to watch a movie. Kris knew that I was looking to sample NYC ice cream, so she mentioned that we'd pass her favorite frozen yogurt spot - 16 Handles - on our walk back.

The first 16 Handles store opened in NYC back in 2008. And in just five years, it's become the most popular self-serve frozen yogurt chain in the city - with stores beginning to pop up in other East Coast cities. Obviously, I wanted to know what all the excitement was about!

It wasn't difficult to spot 16 Handles; bright neon sign, colorful storefront, and lots of people. The line to the soft-serve machines was vey long, but it moved surprisingly quickly. Plus, the wait time was very enjoyable... thanks to the employee walking down the line offering to grab samples for everyone. I asked to sample the Peanut Butter, which was top-notch. Rich and creamy, it tasted like real peanut butter - no hint of that strange artificial flavor sometimes found in pb ice creams.

Before long, Kris and I were grabbing our empty cups and contemplating the sixteen different flavors available that night. Yes, there are sixteen handles to pull at 16 Handles. You can choose to fill your cup with one flavor (boring!) or all sixteen. Consistent with the modern vibe of the store, the flavor names are posted on bright LED screens. As a gluten-free girl, I really appreciated how 16 Handles identifies its gluten-free flavors with little icons on these screens.

16 Handles seems to offer a flavor for everyone - including people looking for low-fat or no-sugar-added frozen yogurt. For the vegans and lactose intolerant, 16 Handles offers non-dairy sorbet flavors (including Watermelon and Berry Melody). I usually refrain from mixing fruity sorbets with regular dairy flavors after a particularly unpleasant combination (watermelon mocha, anyone?). In the end, I pulled three handles: the Chocolate Love Affair, Salted Caramel, and New York Cheesecake (in honor of NYC). The toppings bar was the best I've seen - with plenty of healthy fruit, colorful sprinkles, kid-approved cereal, and one-of-a-kind specialties (including the seasonal "bananas foster", which was essentially banana slices covered in brown-sugar syrup). I kept it simple and topped my frozen yogurt with rainbow sprinkles, mini chocolate and yogurt chips, and a few toffee chunks.

Because we were still full from dinner, Kris and I asked to take our creations "to go." The efficient staff quickly weighed our cups before packaging them up. Knowing how expensive everything is in New York City, I was surprised that each of our servings cost less than five dollars! We paid and continued on to Kris' apartment, where we popped our 16 Handles bag into the freezer. We then relaxed on Kris' couch, watching the first Sex and the City movie (i.e. the best one) until we had an appetite for dessert!

The verdict? Go ahead, you can add my name to the list of 16 Handles fans. Not only was the self-serve experience fun, but this frozen yogurt was top-notch. Despite an hour in the freezer, my frozen yogurt was smooth and creamy  - more like great soft-serve ice cream than low-fat frozen yogurt. The New York Cheesecake had that distinct cheesecake flavor, but it was mild enough to pair well with almost any other flavor. I really liked the Chocolate Love Affair, as it tasted more like dark chocolate than milk. But my absolute favorite flavor was Salted Caramel. Unlike some versions I've tried, 16 Handles' flavor has that deep, buttery caramel taste without being, well, salty. After all, the theory behind salted caramel is that a pinch of salt enhances the taste of caramel - not that salt should be a separate flavor! I was impressed that such a complex flavor could be achieved in frozen yogurt. Sure, 16 Handles may be trendy - but I think this is one trend that's here to stay.

The Stats:
16 Handles
Various locations in NYC and beyond
http://16handles.com

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

It's July 21st...

How will you celebrate National Ice Cream Day?

I'll post soon to show you how I celebrated today!

 

A Taste of Italy in WA's Bavarian Village

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with the town of Leavenworth, in Washington State.

K's parents, who live in a small condo in downtown Seattle, treat this town as their "mountain oasis." Nestled among the Cascade Mountains, Leavenworth is a prime location for many outdoor activities. In the winter, you'll find K's parents skiing or snowshoeing. In the summer, they'll be hiking, mountain biking, or tubing down the Wenatchee River. Because they love it so much, K and I decided to spend his birthday weekend with his parents in Leavenworth. And I, too, fell head-over-heels for this mountain town.

But because I'm not the outdoor-sporty-type, I fell in love with Leavenworth for different reasons. First and foremost, this mountain town is modeled after a Bavarian village. Imagine Disney World-caliber without all the cheesiness. Leavenworth's local businesses take the Bavarian theme very seriously. Even the Starbucks and Safeway stores were designed in the quintessentially-Bavarian style. The downtown area is small, but it boasts multiple beer gardens and knick-knack shops. Plus, majestic snow-capped mountains are visible from every angle. Every time I walk down the main street, I'm overcome with an urge to belt out songs from "The Sound of Music."

As you'd expect in any good tourist town, Leavenworth boasts a high ice-cream shops-per-capita ratio. Most ice-cream spots are housed within larger candy or gift stores, but I walked by a gelateria the day we arrived in Leavenworth. The Viadolce Gelateria sits in the heart of downtown, its large windows and open door inviting folks inside. Through the windows, I spotted a large case containing more than a dozen colorful gelato bins. Just then, a customer exited the shop, "mmm"ing while he licked a giant delicious-looking cone. I had to practice some serious self-control to walk past the store. But K's mom loves ice cream almost as much as I do, so I wanted to wait until I could return with her.

The next night, we all enjoyed a nice bratwurst dinner together in the München Haus beer garden. The restaurant is just a block away from Viadolce, so I offered to treat K's parents to gelato on our walk back to their place. It was a sweltering-hot night (over 100 degrees), and ice cream sounded really good. We ducked into Viadolce Gelateria and surveyed the options.
They carried about 18 different flavors, many of which were fruity "sorbettos". The Pear looked delicious, but I've been disappointed by all pear-flavored gelatos outside of Italy itself. Plus, I had already spotted a bin of Cherry gelato.  Everyone who's spent time in the Pacific Northwest during the summer knows what a BIG deal cherries are here. K's and my favorite variety is the Rainier, which is only in-season during the early months of summer. Our local Whole Foods store in Washington, DC does carry Rainier cherries for a couple months, but they cost us ~$15 per pound. At Viadolce, I could get my fix of fresh Washington cherries for a fraction of the cost. I ordered a small size, and the nice man behind the counter asked if I wanted one or two flavors. You know what my answer was. I asked him what flavor would pair well with cherry, and he suggested Panna (Italian cream).

Cherry and Panna

The verdict? There is nothing as refreshing as ice cream on a hot and humid evening. Viadolce's gelato felt cool and soft on my tongue, and I savored the flavors melting over my taste buds. Unlike most ice cream I find in touristy towns, the gelato at Viadolce wasn't sugary-sweet. Both the Cherry and the Panna had a subtle sweetness, allowing the flavors of cherries and cream to stand out. A little sign in the Cherry gelato bin had warned that "gelato may contain pieces of cherry pits", and they weren't exaggerating! I literally found a couple small pit pieces in my cup. But it was a small price to pay for the authentic flavor of real cherries. While the creamy and mild Panna wasn't exactly memorable, I would imagine it would pair well with any fruity flavor.

The others enjoyed their gelato, too - especially K's dad, who proclaimed that the Toasted Almond was one of the best ice creams he'd ever tasted! I'll have to give that flavor a try next time... when I return to Leavenworth for its annual Oktoberfest Festival! Stay tuned...

The Stats:
Viadolce Gelato
636 Front Street
Leavenworth, WA 98826
(509) 548-6712
http://www.viadolcegelato.com