Yesterday, we found the coolest place:
That’s coconut soft-serve, above, and it was absolutely fabulous!
Nestled into the Hell’s Kitchen area, Kyotofu is a modern Japanese restaurant and dessert bar with exquisitely-presented food. Although the establishment isn’t vegetarian, some of its offerings are completely vegan, such as two seasonally-rotating flavors of soft-serve ice cream.
We were lucky enough to go on a day when the flavors were coconut and Thai chili chocolate.
Yes, Thai chili chocolate.
The first spoonful simply tasted like chocolate (really delicious chocolate). But watch out!
It has quite a kick, so you’d better be prepared with water. Above is one of Kyotofu’s gorgeous sundaes: fresh berries, chocolate cookie crumbles, green tea mochi, and the most delectable caramel sauce I have ever tasted. (I want to try and recreate the caramel—which has a special ingredient—as soon as I get back to Texas.)
After snack, we explored The Westerly Market. Jessica is my health-food-shopping partner in crime, and I have to take advantage… because when S comes he won’t want to do any of this!
If only I lived closer, I would’ve taken home one of their many raw pies or cakes: Tiramisu, Strawberry Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Cream Pie…
Instead, I went with something more portable: chocolate!
(We also explored a few other shops, including a fun little four-story place called “Lee’s Art Shop,” which sold gifts, lights, art supplies, and toys.)
Dinner was at Josies, a charming vegetarian-friendly restaurant on the Upper West Side:
I was happy to find that the vegan lentil loaf I’d so loved on my previous visit hadn’t changed at all. The loaf features organic lentils, mushroom, sweet potato, and tahini, and it was just as flavorful, soft, and comforting as I remembered from last summer.
What’s the weirdest ice cream flavor you’ve ever seen?
There’s a gelato place near me that sells Black Pepper, as well as Violet and Chocolate Jalapeño. And in California, they have a summer garlic festival with garlic ice cream! Awhile back, someone sent me a link to the top 100 weirdest ice cream flavors ever, which listed things like Squid Ink, Chicken Wing, and Soy Sauce Ice Cream! Oh, and Viagra ice cream. 😕
Link of the Day:
oh my gosh, that coconut froyo looks delicious! Now I just want some frozen yogurt!
i’ve never heard of that grocery store – i wish i had one near me!!! is the grocery store similar to a Whole Foods??
I love all of these spots you went to in the city (Kyotofu! Westerly Market! Lee’s!). Made me nostalgic! I left NYC for Arizona in April, and the food is what I miss most about the city 🙂
If you haven’t already, and are still in NYC – you absolutely MUST go to Stogo. It is a 100% vegan ice cream shop on the lower east side. Indescribably delicious and they slays have tone of flavors!!
Also check out Dirt Candy – a truly inventive vegan/vegetarian restaurant also on the lower east side.
oh my gosh, I’m going to have to try that restaurant! that coconut ice cream is calling my name!
I’ve heard of popcorn ice cream and avocado ice cream. They just sound so gross to me, that I’ve never got the courage to try them.
I’ve seen lavender ice cream before, which sounds so unappealing to me! Probably because I don’t care for even the smell, much less the taste in my food!
You HAVE to go to One Lucky Duck (raw, vegan) in Gramercy Park (on 17th between 3rd Ave and Irving) while you’re in NYC. The food is seriously amazing (in particular, their chocolate pudding and their Caesar salad). It is just so, so good!
Oh, I forgot you were in NYC and had come up with another banana soft serve recipe variation, haha. That all looks and sounds pretty amazing, and I hope your caramel attempt is a success later because that has me craving some right now! I thought squid ink ice cream sounded the worst until I read garlic and did a full body shudder, lol. I’m all for trying something new, but that’s a little too adventurous for me!
Viagra ice cream?! whoa. haha! I don’t know what the weirdest flavour I’ve tried is.. nothing as crazy as that!
It sounds like you’re finding some amazing foodie places in the big apple! That lentil loaf looks amazing.
Sorry… forget to fill out my deets 🙂
My prize for the weirdest ice cream flavour goes to Brandied Fig and Goat Cheese (they make it at the ice cream parlour I used to work at, Sweet Olenka’s in Toronto, Canada). Weird, but SO GOOD!
That actually sounds delicious!!! I often make my son fig compote with ricotta…I should try goat cheese next time 😉 (btw, I’m in Windsor…next time I go to T.O, I’m going to check that place out!!!)
Last weekend when we went to my favorite ice cream shop in Pittsburgh, they had basil flavored ice cream, and zucchini bread ice cream. I was boring and didn’t try either of them 😛
Your vegan lentil loaf looks delish! Last night I had avocado tart…..I had never seen that one. It was really good, though. My all time fav is pistachio!!
Funny, I was completely hypnotized by Westerly Market’s shelves full of kombucha! ***love***
That coconut soft serve looks amazing!!! So airy and creamy. Yum.
I’m pretty sure the weirdest flavor I’ve ever seen is bacon. I mean, really. Is that necessary?
Those ARE weird flavors you listed!! I’ve never had weird ones, at least I don’t think. There is a famous local ice cream shop that has the BEST inventions ever, in my opinion: honey lavendar, absteninth, bananas foster and champage are some of my favorites!!
Creole Creamery, in NOLA, by any chance? In my pre-vegan, I had one of their 5 mini-scoop samplers. Oh Man!
You have no idea how much that sundae makes me wish I could teleport!!
Here in Maine we have Lobstah’ ice cream (definitely NOT vegan), however my favorite sweet spot to stop at is The Gelato Fiasco. They make decadent Chocolate Noir Sorbetto or my fav, Strawberry Balsamic Sorbetto (both are vegan and not something you will want to share). Raise a spoon! 🙂