We All Scream for Ice Cream...

...But not as much as I used to. 

When I was growing up ice cream was a big treat. My mother would buy a package of Neapolitan -- chocolate, vanilla and strawberry -- to keep in the freezer or serve at parties. I bought treats from the Good Humor truck in the summer or lemon ice in little cups at the beach. An excursion on summer nights was a car ride to Guida's Dairy in New Britain for ice cream cones. My father and I got pistachio, my grandmother got cherry vanilla and my mother, vanilla. Howard Johnson's twenty-eight flavors was a dream. 

When I first thought about "I" I was sure I was going to write about one of my favorite foods, ice cream. But the more I thought about it I realized I didn't have an ice cream place in mind. I knew of an old-fashioned soda fountain in Queens and a delicious place in Brooklyn, but I didn't go out for ice cream. There are national chains, but I rarely stopped at them. The world of ice cream had gone from the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry of my youth to every flavor and kind of icy treat at the grocery. I could find organic, sorbet, gelato and premium exotic flavors just around the corner. 

It once took a trip to Italy to eat gelato. Now it just takes a trip to the grocery store. 

I still love ice cream and I still enjoy a hot fudge sundae. When I am visiting in New England the menu frequently includes a trip to Friendly's or Peterson's in West Hartford. I do have an indulgence in New York City that is close to ice cream, but it's not ice cream and it's another letter later in the alphabet. 

What's your favorite ice cream treat?

I wrote yesterday that "I" was going to be a world cuisine and I was going to write about Indian food, a favorite of mine. I'm still going to give a tip of my blogging hat to the Indian restaurants of the Upper West Side, especially one of my favorites, Sapphire. The food is delicious and well priced. It's very close to Lincoln Center, which is not a well-priced restaurant neighborhood, which makes Sapphire more of a find. 

The interior of Sapphire and the street scene on Broadway

I hope you've enjoyed our trip to the grocery and to Sapphire. Tomorrow for "J" we're going to visit a classic New York bakery. It's going to be a very sweet trip. 

Today was an errand day. The bank, the drugstore and the library. But it's entirely different than the short and cold days of the winter. I am so happy to be outside and walking in the neighborhood. I'm also taking a lot of pictures. I've been pondering "K" and in the midst of my errands I found an answer just a block away. 

Thanks for visiting and taking the Buttercup Culinary Tour with me. Take good care and wishes for a glorious spring Friday!