At Food Network star Amanda Freitag’s revved-up greasy spoon, three petite mounds of Il Laboratorio del Gelato—vanilla, dark chocolate and seeded raspberry—are covered in upmarket toppings: wet walnuts (simmered in syrup), salted-walnut caramel sauce and sugared banana halves torched until glassy like crème brûlée. And unlike the drippy behemoths found at the ice cream parlor, Freitag’s split comes crowned with one tasteful quenelle of whipped cream. But some traditions are sacrosanct: The artful update is finished with a bright neon-red maraschino cherry. 210 Tenth Ave between 22nd and 23rd Sts (212-596-7523, empire-diner.com). $8.
We’re done with the cold—weather, that is. An ice-cream sundae, however, is the kind of cold we can get behind. A scoop of New York restaurants are churning out new takes on the classic frozen dessert, with eateries like Narcissa, Uncle Boons and the East Pole updating the treat with olive oil, palm sugar and—yes—booze.
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