Most Kick Ass Thing I Ate Last Week - Roasted Pumpkin Mascarpone and Caramel Apple Ice Cream (The Bent Spoon)

Week Of: 10/21/12 - 10/27/12

Restaurant: The Bent Spoon

Address: 35 Palmer Square West, Princeton, NJ

The Kick Ass Thing: Roasted Pumpkin Mascarpone and Caramel Apple Ice Cream

Thoughts: I've read endlessly about the wonders being scooped at The Bent Spoon, yet I sort of always discounted the praise to "for Princeton." Like, sure, it's probably good... for Princeton. So even though I've visited my grandmother in nearby Monroe Township often, I never went out of my way to sample TBS' fare. Luckily this time back east I finally wised up and made the trek to the university's famed Palmer Square ice creamery. The truth: it is good... for Princeton. It's also the best ice cream I've ever had... anywhere. I know that's a crazy superlative to just throw out there, but I can't stop thinking about The Bent Spoon. I'm pretty much obsessed with it now - and am deeply saddened that I am currently 2,745 miles away. Never in my life have I experienced ice cream both so creamy and rich in flavor with also the perfect consistency. Additional major bonus: like most quaint small town ice cream shops, they let you get two flavors for the price of one. The Roasted Pumpkin Mascarpone, made with local New Jersey pumpkins, featured a rich fresh pumpkin taste with the subtle underlinings of the mascarpone. Definitely the best pumpkin dessert I've had all year - and this came a mere week after visiting Half Moon Bay's Pumpkin Fest! Then there was the Caramel Apple, which tasted like a fresh apple pie on Thanksgiving afternoon, laced with not too sweet caramel. Between the two flavors, I felt like I was eexperiencing autumn in perfect ice cream form.

Awesome: The Bent Spoon also has a highly-lauded bakery. My 88-year old grandmother's review of their Chocolate Chunk Cookie can be found here.

Annoying: It's not in Los Angeles.