16 Handles

In addition to lovely brunches, I enjoy a lot of frozen treats over the summer.

Whether it be ice cream, frozen yogurt, soft serve, or sorbet, I’m a happy camper.  I don’t discriminate.

One of my favorite fro yo places is 16 Handles.

The location closest to our apartment is relatively new, as in this will be the first summer I don’t have to hop on the subway to enjoy 16 Handles.  Luckily, it’s still about a mile away so it won’t become a daily treat.  And, each time I go, I’m sure to walk at least two miles so that justifies an extra topping, don’t you think?

In case you haven’t been to 16 Handles or a similar type of place, I’m going to tell you all about it.  Each day 16 Handles offers 16 different flavors of frozen yogurt.

The flavors range from peanut butter (my personal favorite) to cake batter to watermelon sorbet, and everything in between.  Everything is self serve so you can get as much, or as little, as you want!

They also have a deluxe topping bar that’s sure to please everyone.

Some toppings include fresh fruit, mini peanut butter cups, cookie dough, and gummy bears, among many others.

On my last trip, I enjoyed peanut butter, banana, and cake batter frozen yogurts topped with brownie bites, peanut butter cups, and graham cracker crumbs. 

Yum!  I can see many more trips to 16 Handles in my near future.

What’s your favorite summer time treat?

Cilantro

Summer has certainly hit NYC.  We had two days last week that were well into the 90s!  Not mention the ice cream trucks are out in full force and most women are wearing skirts or shorts that would make their mothers blush.  Not me of course (Hi Mom!).

One of my favorite summer time traditions is brunch.  Now you may be wondering, why is brunch reserved for the summer?  Well, in theory, it isn’t just a summer time activity but it’s just so much more enjoyable in the warmer weather.  There’s nothing quite like strolling to brunch in the sunshine after spending a lazy weekend morning in bed knowing that I don’t have to cook or clean.  Bliss.

This past weekend, Alex and I went to one of our favorite brunch locales; Cilantro.

Cilantro is a favorite for a number of reasons.  The environment is casual and family friendly, the food is top-notch, and the prices cannot be beat!

As usual, we started our meal with a basket of chips and salsa.  They also offer fried plantains which are great!  Crunchy, salty, and… gone.

For our entrees, I got the shrimp fajitas with an array of sides and whole wheat tortillas.  The thing I love about fajitas is that you have the ability to make it what you want.  You can be sure that I ate all the shrimp, peppers, and guacamole 🙂

Alex got his usual dish; steak and eggs.  He got this entire dish for $8!  I’m telling you the prices are ridiculous.  Let’s just hope no one from Cilantro reads this and increases the prices, haha (highly unlikely, indeed).

As always, we left as two very happy customers.  If you’re ever looking for a great brunch place on the upper east side, Cilantro never disappoints.

What’s one summer time tradition that you love?

Pizza Plant

I’m home in Buffalo this weekend to do some planning and shopping for the wedding.  Today was a busy but very successful day!  We started the morning off with three different craft stores and managed to find my sister’s dress.  I’m thrilled with our progress. 🙂

When we found time for a lunch break, it was only natural for us to head to Pizza Plant which is one of my favorite local restaurants.

Pizza Plant has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember.  Their expansive menu means that there is something for everyone and, in my opinion, everything is delicious.

You have your choice of flat pizzas, stuffed pizzas, pods, sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes, desserts, etc.  The list really goes on and on.

One thing that they are famous for is their pods.  What’s a pod you ask?  Well, I’ll tell ya.  A pod is essentially a long, cylindrical calzone.  They have several signature pods or you can create your own.

Since I rarely get to eat at Pizza Plant, I always go with my favorite; the garden stuffed pizza.

Does that look amazing?!  My mom and I split this pie and we were still left with half of it as leftovers.  The portion sizes are huge!

My sister, Amanda, enjoyed her veggie burrito.

If you’re ever in the Buffalo area in the need of a good restaurant, check out Pizza Plant.  I promise it won’t disappoint!

Do you have a favorite restaurant in your home town?  Tell me about it!

Go Burger

What a gorgeous day!  After yesterday’s massive storm, we have been lucky enough to be graced with sunshine and 60 degrees.  I’ll take it!

After spending a lovely Palm Sunday service with Alex’s mom, we headed to Go Burger for some lunch.

This location just opened recently and I’ve been eager to check it out.  Well, okay, actually I’d totally forgotten about until we walked by.  But as soon as we did, Alex suggested we stop in for lunch and I happily agreed.

After perusing the menu, I decided to go with the Naked Veggie Falafel.  Naked?!  Yep, it’s served without a bun folks.  Nothing more exciting than that.  Alex went with the classic Angus beef burger with provolone and bacon.

Also on the menu was their UltiMELT; our burger topped with caramelized onions, bacon, and BLT sauce is sandwiched between two slender rye and Gruyère grilled cheese sandwiches.  Can you imagine?!  A burger served between two grilled cheese sandwiches?!  Sounds like three meals to me but we both agreed we want to see what it looks like someday.  Not on this visit though.

After a brief wait, our food arrived.  Here’s my veggie falafel sans bun.  I like that they offered the option to replace the bun with veggies and hummus.  I think they pulled the meal together.  The falafel patty would have been too dry on its own.

And here we have Alex’s burger with a side of fries to share.

Overall the food was just okay.  It wasn’t bad by any means but we both agreed we probably won’t go out of way to make another visit.  But if you happen to be on the upper east side in need of a quick bite in a fun location, Go Burger is a great option but there are definitely better burger joints in the city.

Do you like burgers?  Would you go without the bun if you had the choice?