Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, the NYC born and nationally beloved brand known for its made-from-scratch dairy and vegan ice creams, will open a scoop shop in Westport on February 6. The launch marks a return to its roots for co-founders Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen who are Fairfield County natives and whose ice cream journey began here twenty years ago.
In celebration, Van Leeuwen Westport will offer $1 scoops on opening day (Feb. 6) from 3pm-5pm and free totes to the first 100 customers beginning at 3pm.
The scoop shop will also showcase a special limited-time offering created by Westport-based cookbook author and creator Julia Dzafic (@lemonstripes). The vegan sundae features scoops of strawberry shortcake ice cream and banana pudding ice cream, and is topped with sprinkles, hot fudge and a “party hat” AKA a sugar cone.
The popular ice cream brand, Van Leeuwen, whose humble beginnings were as an ice cream truck in New York City, has just opened a scoop shop on Greenwich Avenue.
Owned by brothers and Greenwich natives Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen, who, if we’re really getting technical about their ice cream origin story, actually started in their hometown as the two rented a Good Humor truck to drive around and sell ice cream in for two summers beginning in 2002. And they’re both pretty stoked to not only be back in Greenwich, but to have opened their first suburban storefront.
Imagine NOT having to drive over 100 miles for a cheesesteak.
No, I don’t mean just any cheesesteak. I’m talking about thin-sliced, practically shaved steak, drippy golden yellow Cheez Whiz, translucent onions, and a hoagie roll that strikes that balance of soft and chewy.
Your neighborhood pizza joint that claims to have a “Philly” doesn’t count. It’s fine if you made the mistake and ordered that dry, sorry excuse for a cheesesteak once, just don’t let it happen again.
You no longer have to settle for less. Crotty’s Cheesesteaks—located directly across from Hugenot Park and a hop, skip, and a jump from Iona College—is here to save you from all the bad cheesesteaks that exist in the general area and beyond.
For decades, the locally owned Radisson in New Rochelle has been a beloved pillar of the lower Westchester community. But sadly, the matriarch was getting a bit long in the tooth. So the family transformed her vibe from venerable to vogue, a Manhattan style Boutique Hotel.
As one of the designers of that refurb, Colby Brock, the Food and Beverage manager, named the new restaurant and lounge NoMa Social (NoMa stands for “North of Manhattan” and bears no alliance with the renowned Noma in Copenhagen). Colby brought in highly regarded Executive Chef Bill Rosenberg, (f.i.sh., Barcelona) to upgrade the kitchen, and she recently hired 32 year old Mike DeFalco as the Bar and Nightlife Manager. A major mission: inject some hip to a ho-hum bar menu.
NoMa’s splashy lounge – replete with zebra stripes and a funky, deep house/electro trance playlist -- has become a hot spot for a young, party and pick-up crowd. To add to the jump, DeFalco has set about creating a cavalcade of sexy craft cocktails.
