Milk

Remember those milk commercials with the slogan, “Milk, it does a body good?” While that motto doesn’t exactly apply to the calorically dense frozen treats and decadent desserts sold at Milk, the hottest new ice cream shop to hit West Hollywood, one bite of their famous coffee toffee ice cream sandwich or ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie, and it won’t really matter what Milk is good for. Who needs to fit into their skinny jeans when there is banana dulce de leche ice cream and a Milky Way shake on the menu?

The vibrant red sign hanging outside the almost offensively bright ice cream shop, can easily be spotted from down the street. Located on the always bumping Beverly Blvd., home to highly-acclaimed restaurants BLD, Grace, Angelina Osteria, and Jar, Milk is another great addition to what the New York Times recently deemed “the foodie center of Los Angeles.” Though Milk appeals to a slightly younger local clientele during the late night hours, its fun approach to satisfying the sweet tooth keeps the small restaurant space and patio seating stocked with an eclectic mix of characters.

While Milk is known for its more decadent offerings, it also boasts a substantial menu of pressed sandwiches, salads and daily soups for those not looking to subsist on ice cream and blue velvet cake alone. Popular choices include the media noche stuffed with roasted pulled pork, ham and manchego cheese, and the prosciutto & provolone sandwich. Portions are hefty, and frequent diners caution that polishing off an entire sandwich won’t leave much room for even an ice cream bon bon from the tantalizing selection of treats calling out from the freezer case.

Yolato

My greatness weakness is ice cream. I can eat a pint of Häagen-dazs in less in two days easily. Obviously it’s really bad for those such as myself who wish to have the best of both worlds, which is having a great body while being able to indulge in desserts. Fortunately I just recently heard about this wonderful place called Yolato, where you can get delicious yogurt gelato. The best part is that it’s a lot healthier than ice cream (Yes! a dessert I can actually not feel guilty eating!). According to its website (www.yolato.com), Yolato contains less fat, cholesterol, and fewer calories than other leading brands of ice cream, plus it’s made fresh daily. Now usually I get turned off by this “low-fat” label because I expect it to taste a lot worse than the average (like drinking diet coke), but the mango and pineapple gelato I ordered was full of flavor and very refreshing to eat especially during these hot summer days.

What impresses me most about this place is its huge variety of flavors and types of desserts. Yolato offers more than 100 different flavors of gelato and more than 30 fruit sorbet flavors, for those of you who like non-dairy treats. You can also order Yolato frozen yogurt, crepes, smoothies, cakes, coffee and shakes. Currently, Yolato is available in three locations in Manhattan – one in the West Village, Upper West Side, and Chelsea. However, there’s new locations opening this summer and fall at Park Ave and 42nd St, and another at the Empire State Building! I’m sure this place will be all over Manhattan soon. Just take a look at these pictures and I’m sure you won’t be able to resist.

Main Image:

Optional Image:

Optional Image:

Suzie Cakes

They specialize in an array of sentimental dessert favorites, which conjure up the sorely missed flavors and aromas of childhood.

Their classic, all-American treats are sure to transport you back to a more carefree time and place. Everyday their in-house bakers use the freshest and finest ingredients to create luscious desserts entirely from scratch.

Main Image:

Trani

Trani is the world's first n-jectible ice cream store, filling cupcakes, brownies, and other baked goods with ice cream. Trani's treats include ice cream filled Bust-Outs (cupcakes), Fudgits (brownies), Shoo-Ins (apple turnovers), Iclairs (puff pastries), Trannolis (cannolis), and the Shy Guy (donuts).

Main Image: