i scream, you scream...

we all scream for dairy-free ice cream!!!


i am not sure why but i am completely addicted to ice cream/frozen yogurt. i usually have no less than 4 different kinds in my freezer at any given moment. there is always at least one soy flavor (purely decadent is my preferred brand--check out the GLUTEN-FREE flavors!) and one frozen yogurt or light (lower in lactose) ice cream flavor. occasional guests include sorbet, trader joe's soy bars, fruit popsicles, or green tea mochi ice cream.

i had read about stogo, an organic dairy-free ice cream place in the east village, and mentally added it to my long list of dessert places to try. imagine my luck when i happened to have dinner right around the corner the other night! i made it clear that everyone was to get a different flavor, so that we could try as many as possible. the roundup:

• chocolate coconut (coconut milk based): sweet, rich, very chocolaty. smooth and deliciously creamy.
• salted caramel pecan (soy based): also rich, sweet and creamy but not a whole lot of salt going on...could have been better.
• there is also a picture of chocolate brownie above but since that isn't exactly wheat-free, i shall ignore it.

so if you're in need of a soy or coconut based frozen treat and don't trust yourself to go home with an entire pint, stogo is the perfect place to go! they even have some bakery items from babycakes...

jamaica me awesome!

i could have done another buffet post about the lackluster options at the all-inclusive resort i stayed at for a librarian's conference in jamaica. yes, conference, no, not jamaica, queens. you can be jealous of my non-existent tan i acquired from being inside of a conference hall.

however, these "lackluster" choices i speak of were so depressing that i rather never think of them again. except for the soft serve machine. that was awesome (the one day it was operational). in any case, at first glance, jamaica isn't exactly an on-the-go, wheat-free person's best place to eat because of the abundance of patties and fried chicken.


i was determined to have one good, jamaican meal. because what fun is traveling if you can't experience some local cuisine? i finally got some awesome jerk chicken at pelican grill in montego bay. i don't have a whole lot of jerk chicken experience and thus my basis for comparison is next to nothing however, this was delicious.


my last day in jamaica was even better. further adventures into jamaican cuisine began with a colleague bringing me some jamaican apples to try (otaheite apples). these apples are bright red and conically shaped. the texture is almost identical to a pear but the taste is not. they're sweet but slightly tart, very fresh tasting, rather than soft and sweet.

we ate dinner in kingston, at prendy's on the beach (beware, there is no beach). the restaurant is very casual with picnic style tables and no physical menu (fish, shrimp, or lobster). i had fish soup (yummy and delicate in a thin broth) and coconut curry shrimp. the curry was fantastic! it was sweet and spicy but not too hot. there were onions and potatoes in it along with the shrimp. after dinner, we went to devon house to get ice cream to satisfy my sweet tooth.

i chose rum and raisin--when in rome...the ice cream was sweet, creamy and almost sticky as if there was some sweetened condensed milk in it.

so fear not all-inclusive resort goers! leave your gated compounds behind and venture into the world of real food, with real live ingredients!