Chocolate Heaven at Big Gay Ice Cream | NYC

Let’s take a moment to appreciate this close-up...

You're staring at the just-hardened magic chocolate shell encasing the "Salty Pimp" - a genius combination of creamy vanilla soft serve injected with globs of dulce de leche and sprinkled with sea salt. Each bite was a symphony of crunchy and creamy, sweet and salty flavors...delicious.

We also got the "American Globs" - vanilla soft serve studded with salty pretzel chunks and smothered in chocolate. Personally, I liked the Salty Pimp better (love the caramel) but both are great choices. A must-try if you're in the area and have 30 min to 1 hr to spare for the long line. 

French Tapas at Pair | Seattle

The Breakdown:

- Occasion: Casual and/or romantic dinner.

- Attire/ambiance: Casual or dressy; quaint, rustic European decor.

- What to order: the gougeres (cheese puffs), banana bread pudding, pan-seared trout, and the risotto special - if it's still on the menu.

- Reservations? Yes.

I had my first taste of French tapas (think dim sum or assorted appetizer-sized dishes) from Pair, a cozy little wine bar & restaurant in Seattle. Perfect spot for a date night. 

Everything we tried was delicious in a very refined way. Nothing was overly seasoned, and the flavors/textures were all nicely balanced. 

We started off with the gougeres or cheese puffs - light, flaky biscuits with warm, melted cheese inside. So good. Then we had the special, a creamy duck risotto with a poached egg on top, as well as the pan-seared trout. Both dishes came with beautiful plating.

Not pictured, but we also got the steak frites, a very rich but satisfying dish of tender, juicy beef slices and thin fries covered with flavorful blue cheese crumbles. 

For dessert, we went with the banana bread pudding (which got rave reviews) with candied walnuts, dulce de luche ice cream, and caramel drizzle on top. Needless to say, it was incredible. Just look at that masterpiece...

$17 Sushi Buffet at Yamato | Brighton, MA

The Breakdown:

- Occasion: Lunch with a big group (because if you don't finish, they'll charge extra).
- Attire/ambiance: Casual, a bit loud.

-  What to order: Everything, and don't skip miso soup at the beginning. Also a big fan of the white tuna and eel & avocado rolls. If you have room for hand rolls, get the salmon skin.

- Reservations? Yes - go for lunch. $16.99/person is just TOO good vs. $22.99 for dinner. Each plate takes a long time to arrive, so prepare to carve out 2 hrs for a meal.

Serious sushi-eaters be warned - this may not be the place for you. But if you’re fine with a massive amount of sushi rolls and a good time with friends (and don’t mind spending the rest of the day in a food coma), then you’ve come to the right spot!

Nine of us came here at around 1:25 pm and left at 3:40...4 plates of sushi + 9 bowls of miso soup + 5 seaweed salad orders + 5 appetizers + 2 bowls of ramen later. Pretty sure the servers were all amazed / horrified.

Favorites below: eel, white tuna, salmon, and tamago (the sweet egg roll). Not a huge fan of the surf clams or salmon roe.

More favorites: eel & avocado rolls, spider rolls, spicy tuna, salmon skin hand roll (the giant ones in the back).

Needless to say, we all walked out groaning and thinking, why did we do this to ourselves... But the weekend bus pilgrimage to Yamato has become a pre-finals week tradition for us - lots of good memories (and poor eating decisions) made here, so we'll definitely be back.