My 3 Favorites: Ice Cream Parlors

 

In honor of my two towns, I'm going to share my three favorite ice cream parlors.

1. Graeter's Ice Cream -- Greater Cincy

Ice cream is their thing, particularly thick, satiny ice cream and huge chocolate chunks. Their flavors are fairly traditional, no lavender avocado here, but Buckeye (peanut butter n' chocolate) is absolutely a thing. Black raspberry chocolate chip is their mainstay and cinnamon shows up with peppermint stick during the holidays. They ship nationwide, have distribution via some major grocery chains, and have dine-in and drive-thru parlors in the greater Cincinnati area. Many parlors have bakeries too for those of us who take our coffee frozen in a pint and our apple strudel to go. 

2. Aglamesis Bros. -- Greater Cincy

Okay, it's another ice cream shop. Their champagne sorbet is absolutely delightful and their milkshakes make me trill with glee. That said, they're my favorite for their chocolates. Yep, bonbons. Buy them by the pre-packaged half or whole pound or build-your-own. Dark or milk chocolates, their confections are silky and flavorful without being too sweet. They don't skimp on the stuffings either from mint truffle to opera creme to coated nuts, their chocolates are divine.

3. Casa Rosada -- Old Town Alexandria, VA

Yep, going three for three with ice cream, but not quite ice cream. It's gelato based on the family's Argentinian roots. The shop is a classic a small biz run by a husband and wife team. What started as a hobby became an avocation. During the pandemic, they offer pick-up at the street-side window. Among the traditional flavors, uncommon flavors abound from haroset to sweet corn to malambo. For the vegans out there, they've got you covered too. It's a special treat for my family to get a multi-layered tri-flavored "cake" from here (ordered a week in advance). 

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things...

This week at the SFF Seven, our topic is Favorite Things. I'm supposed to share three items that I love, and they can be anything. Funny, I started making a Favorite Things guide on Instagram to share with readers prior to the holidays, but I never finished it, so I'll post three things here--other than my family, my pups, and my laptop ;) Take a look! You might find something you like!

This West Elm blanket. This might seem like a weird Fave Thing, but I cannot live without it. It's so soft, cool in the summer, warm in the winter, organic cotton, and it washes so well. I would give loads of these blankets as gifts if I could. I'm obsessed and recommend it ALL THE TIME. I have one on every bed in my home, and I hope they never stop making them.

Storiarts Gloves. I love these so much! Storiarts carries a wide selection of fingerless gloves and other apparel and home goods with excerpts of classic novels (and some modern tales) printed on the fabric. They're a very soft cotton and wash well with no shrinking. No itchy wool. I'm always cold, so these fingerless gloves save me when I'm trying to write during Tennessee's icy winters.

Last but not least: All things Papier. If you're a writer and would like a nice note card that says FROM THE DESK OF {Insert Your Name}, this is where you need to shop. You can personalize the note cards any way you choose, and at a 5x7 size, they're large enough to write as much as you want. Papier also has planners, notebooks, stationary, invitations, and journals, all of which are excellent quality. There are so many lovely prints too, and most of their items can be personalized. I'm sharing this planner (which I don't have--yet), but I do have FROM THE DESK OF note cards that have a beautiful magical vibe with gold foil, and I love them.

That's it! Maybe you found something you like, or a good option for a gift. Christmas will be here in no time!

Happy Holidays,