More hits...quick and otherwise...

While my CC spots have wrapped up, here are a few of the last ones.  However, there are plenty more long and short spots coming, in preparation of my appearance on The Jordan Rich Show of WBZ1030am on August 1.

Ice Cream

With summer upon us, what do New Englanders think about…lobster rolls, clams, and ice cream.  Here is a selection of some of the best, after I sampled over twenty places recently.

Leavitt’s (Atkinson NH)-This is a tiny little shop in he middle of nowhere in Atkinson, NH.  We discovered it years ago at camp visiting day.  Other friends really enjoy it as well.  They serve Richardson’s ice cream, and have premium soft-serve.

Truly Yogurt (Wellesley, MA)-one of my favorite places.  High quality frozen yogurt up the street from the Dana Hall school and Wellesley College.  Great price to value ratio in a town not known for low prices.

JP Licks (Newton)-over-priced and unimpressive.  Built on a reputation that is not all that well deserved.  I like the Brookline location well enough, but Newton and Wellesley…feh!

Trombetta’s Creamery (Marlboro , MA):  nice selection of home-made flavors, Richie’s slushes and soft-serve, though the soft-serve uses a flavor syrup that swirls around the edges of the ice cream, as opposed to being mixed in like at Conehead’s.   While I prefer the thoroughly mixed-in, I just enjoy my soft-serve fix at Trombetta’s.  My mother hires them to bring their ice cream truck to her offices throughout the summer, and they know she loves her “purple cow” frozen yogurt.  They’ve been around a long time, and have a solid reputation and well-deserved following.

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Lizzy’s (Waltham, MA)-I like Lizzy’s.  It’s not a place that you’ll drive 20 miles for, but if you’re in Waltham, it’s a good place to stop.  They make their own “tofutti” style ice cream, good for the lactose intolerant, and they do a great off-site sundae party.  Full disclosure-we’ve used them twice for parties, and they have been fantastically easy to work with, and always perform as promised.  Each party was a big hit, and their ice cream is pretty, pretty good too.

Kimball’s (Westford, and other locations)-This is the Disney World of ice cream.  They have a million flavors, the scoopers pile on the ice cream, a phenomenal price to value ratio (my kiddie size was bigger than most places “large” and it was $2.49!!!).  They have a pitch and putt golf course, mini-golf, bumper boats, a country store, a sandwich stand…ice cream as a destination.  And by the way, the chocolate-peanut butter ice cream was the best I ever had, and all the family palates agree!

8.  Rice Theory

If there’s one thing the suburbs need, it’s a quick serve or quality take-out Asian destination.  Well, in a non-descript building that formerly housed a D’Angelo’s sandwich shop on Route 9, just the place has opened…Rice Theory.

Rice Theory is the fast-casual brainchild of a former Wellesley College student who was always looking for healthy, yet authentic Thai restaurants.  When she couldn’t find what she wanted, she opened her own.

Sure they have pad thai, but they have an authentic Thai version as well as the Americanized version we eat.  They offer 12 different base dishes,  all that can be customized with 6 different kinds of rice or noodles and 6 different proteins.

While the interior is Spartan, the execution of these dishes was excellent.  I very much enjoyed my visits and look forward to more.  My theory is Rice Theory will gain some serious traction with this delicious food.

9.  Tango in Arlington

Sometimes you want to go off the beaten path and try something unique…welcome to Tango in Arlington.

Tango is located on Mass Ave in Arlington, right across the street from the Regent Theatre, making it a perfect stop before or after a show.  You can start your meal with some delicious and unusual appetizers, like Polenta al Malbec,  homemade pan seared polenta, Malbec-mushroom sauce, truffle oil, parmesan cheese  or Provoleta a la Parrilla, which is grilled provolone cheese, in a cast iron skillet.  But, it’s an Argentinian steakhouse, with a variety of traditional, succulent beef cuts, as well as the exotic, including blood sausage and veal sweet breads.  All my dining companions, and there were ten of us, thought the meal at Tango was worth dancing about.