American Seasons' desserts and interior
SUFFERING FROM THE SWELTERING HEAT and longing for something sweet and cool? Forego the grocer’s freezer or pushcart peddler and go gourmet with ice-cream concoctions so provocative they excite the palate, then satisfy it with a bang. At these innovative restaurants, one-of-akind ice creams and gelati leave your local ice-cream truck in the dust.
Head downtown to test-drive Bina Osteria’s funky gelato flavors of a Maserati bent: carrot-ginger, sweet corn and blueberry, fig, goat cheese and walnut, chipotle cinnamon and dark chocolate, or roasted banana and salted caramel. 581 Washington St., 617-956-0888; binaboston.com
American Seasons knows how to end an evening; this ACK island dinner destination’s edgy offerings sound so savory, you may even want to start with dessert. Sink your teeth into ice-cream flavors like porcini, fresh Nantucket honeycomb and pecan, maple bourbon swirl, blue cheese and Meyer lemon, or black pepper and buttermilk. 80 Centre St., Nantucket, 508-228-7111; americanseasons.com
At The Bristol Lounge, enjoy the view of the Public Garden while sinking your spoon into tequila, Key lime and strawberry ice cream or a limoncello crème fraîche concoction served on a lemon-ginger shortcake biscuit with wild blueberry compote. Four Seasons Hotel Boston, 200 Boylston St., 617-338- 4400; fourseasons.com/boston
Fresh from “Peppino’s Gelateria,” Da Vinci Ristorante’s decadent sweet and savory gelati—in flavors like lobster, foie gras, Champagne, arugula, basil or creamy Gorgonzola, which comes served over a poached pear—are cool accompaniments to a hot espresso. 162 Columbus Ave., 617-350-0007; davinciboston.com
Using Westport’s Shy Brothers Farm’s fluffy ricotta-like cheese, new Harvard Square haunt Russell House Tavern is making its own Shy Brothers curd ice cream, either sandwiching it between toasted fennel shortbread or adding a dollop to the brioche, basil and roasted-berry trifle. 14 JFK St., Cambridge, 617-500- 3055; russellhousecambridge.com
Upscale locavore lair T.W. Food has invented a new after-dinner smoke with their Scotch & Cigars dessert: tobacco ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and accompanied by beignets soaked in Scotch whiskey syrup—just in case the huckleberry-oregano sounds too ho-hum. 377 Walden St., Cambridge, 617-864-4745; twfoodrestaurant.com
BOTTOM: Tequila, Key lime and strawberry ice cream with graham-cracker crust
