It was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk and steamy enough to eat ice cream for breakfast – and that’s what some of the customers seemed to be doing when we visited the new All Good Things ice cream and candy shop in the Golden Horseshoe Shopping Center on Tuesday. Who knew there was so much early morning traffic at an ice cream store – and that most of the customers were full-grown adults, not kids yelling for ice cream!

Owner Brian Levy explained that he has been in the area and working with ice cream for as long as he can remember. He grew up in nearby New Rochelle and during high school and college he worked at The Scoop Shop on Palmer Avenue. When Last Licks opened nine years ago he worked for the chain, managing the Scarsdale store and helping to launch six additional locations around Westchester. Most recently, the Last Licks shop in Scarsdale became available, and Levy realized that he would finally have the chance to own his own store. So, in May 2011, Last Licks became All Good Things with Levy at the helm. As a first step, he redesigned the shop, replacing sports memorabilia with music memorabilia and bringing in Emack and Bolio’s Premium Ice Cream from Boston. All Good Things is the only outlet in Westchester selling Emack and Bolios, a brand that may be recognized by those who have lived in Boston.

Despite the early hour, I also decided to have ice cream for breakfast and tasted “Deep Purple Cow,” which is black raspberry ice cream with white and dark chocolate chips. I also sampled a rich, dark chocolate ice cream and was tempted to ask for mud pie which is coffee ice cream with oreos and chocolate shavings and cookie monster; vanilla ice cream with oreos and cookie dough. Levy’s ice cream could quickly become a habit.

For parties, All Good Things can make custom ice cream cakes priced from $20 to $45 and for a novel twist try their ice cream pizza, which is a brownie crust topped with ice cream and icing.

And if ice cream and frozen yogurt are not enough, the store walls are lined with 100 kinds of candy, 50 flavors of jelly belly jellybeans and large dispensers of M&M’s. Candy is available by the pound and can be packaged in attractive gift boxes to bring to friends or to kids at camp. For camp visiting days, All Good Things also offers cookie cakes.

However, you are welcome to do more than eat at All Good Things. Levy is hoping to create a comfortable environment where customers can meet friends, hang out, and stay as long as they like. After all, he met his wife at the ice cream shop and hopes that all the friends he has made over the years will treat the shop like home.

A new sign is expected to arrive for the store in August – but for now look for the colorful chairs outside All Good Things in the Golden Horseshoe and brighten your day with a cool, sweet treat.

All Good Things
Golden Horseshoe Shopping Center
Wilmot Road
Scarsdale
914-472-1793
Open Sunday – Thursday from 11 am to 10 pm and Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm
http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-Good-Things/216614421705226

Serafina has opened in downtown White Plains and is already bustling with diners both inside and out. Those who are familiar with this Italian chain from the city have been eagerly awaiting their arrival in Westchester and are happy to have good, fresh food at reasonable prices in this central locale. Even better, with parking available at the Ritz next door, it’s easy to get in and out.

The interior of the restaurant has been redone in a light palette with sunny, colorful hand-painted murals on the walls to go with the bright yellow Serafina signage. The interior feels spacious and seats 85 diners at large tables and comfy banquettes. Unlike many places in the area, the restaurant has good acoustics, allowing you to hear what your companions are saying across the table. In warm weather, 40 can be accommodated on the sidewalk, under the awning at outdoor tables.

On the night we visited, service was attentive. We were seated promptly and offered wine by the glass or by the bottle. The menu proved to include far more than pizza … providing a full selection of appetizers, salads, pizzas, meat and fish entrees and desserts.

Dishes at Serafina include first-rate Italian ingredients such as sushi grade tuna, salmon tartare, imported Parma prosciutto, burrata, homemade pastas, and foccacia, making it difficult to choose what to order from the extensive menu.

A few of the items from the antipasti selection were crostini with mozzarella and prosciutto, burrata with yellow and red cherry tomatoes and filet mignon carpaccio with warm truffle sauce.

Salads can be ordered as an appetizer or as a meal at lunchtime. The “Chopra” salad is mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, corn, asparagus and walnuts in mint/lemon vinaigrette and there’s “Carciofi E Parmigiano, which is sliced baby artichokes with aged parmesan in lemon and extra virgin olive oil. Salads range in price from $8.95 to $16.75.

There’s a long list of pastas – all said to be homemade. I ordered the La Paglia and Fieno Del Sud, which was very thin pasta with tomato, basil, parmesan and a touch of cream. The serving was big enough for two and was so tasty that I polished it off myself. Also on the pasta menu are pasta “crepes” with spinach and ricotta cheese in a light tomato basil sauce, a pasta trio with raviolo, gnocchi and spaghetti, pappardelle with pesto sauce, pine nuts, string beans and potatoes …. and the list goes on.

For entrees, we tried the salmon, filet of bass and the Veal Milanese, and all were delicious. For vegetarians, there’s a spaghetti squash entrée that comes with mixed vegetable, pine nuts and tomato sauce – pictured here. Entrees are $15 - $28.

And we haven’t even gotten to their famous thin crust pizzas, which according to the menu are prepared in a“specially constructed oven in order to ensure a moisture-free and crispy Pizza dough.” You can have the pizza almost anyway you can imagine from the classic Margherita with tomato, mozzarella and basil, or Formaggi d’Italia with mozzarella, fontina, aged parmesan and gorgonzola, to more imaginative gourmet pizzas including Tonno, with sushi grade tuna over robiola sauce or Al Salmone with mozzarella, Norwegian smoked salmon and dill. Priced from $9.75 - $24.00 these pizzas are a meal in themselves.

Serafina clearly knows the formula for success and is a welcome addition to the restaurant scene in downtown White Plains. With first-rate fare, good service and reasonable prices, they are sure to draw crowds to Main Street.

Serafina
199 Main Street (Corner of Main and Court Streets)
White Plains
914-288-9300
Click here to visit their website

Weekdays: 11:30 am to 10:30 pm
Weekends: 11:30 am to 11:30 pm
Brunch Menu: Saturday and Sunday 11:30 am to 4:00 pm