Topping off.

After a crazy fun night with my brother and sister-in-law (which included drinks at the Boat Basin and pizza at Big Nick's), I decided a gelato from GROM would be in order.

I posted about GROM back when it first opened in 2007, and things haven't changed much there. The gelato is still pretty darn good, the spoons are still really cool-looking - though the lines are, thankfully, a lot shorter.

This time around, I ordered the crema di Grom flavor, an eggy, creamy masterpiece, and topped it with cream whipped almost to the point of turning to butter. The three of us shared the tiny cup, passing it up and down the line till every last, rich drop was gone. Then, I got on the 79th Street crosstown bus and fell asleep.

Black gold.

I've mentioned it before, but I suppose it bears repeating - I'm much more of a savory girl than a sweet one. This is true both in personality and in my taste in food. My preference for all things savory probably explains my tendency to make it an hour into my weekly Greenmarket excursion before I even think about buying fruit.

There are mounds of peaches, pints of cherries and loads of berries piled up everywhere, but I zoom in on the peppers, tomatoes and corn. Today's visit was no exception, but then I saw the blackberries and remembered how freakin' good blackberries are with hazelnut gelato. And I just happen to have a half-pint of Laboratorio del Gelato hazelnut in the freezer.

(Quick aside - Laboratorio del Gelato is a tiny little gelato shop on Orchard Street. Originally founded as a specialty supplier for high-end restaurants, it's become a New York institution. They now sell half-pints at Dean & Deluca, which means I can pick some up on the way home instead of just grabbing a dish of the stuff when I visit my fabulous (Shameless plug!) hairdresser Holly at Fringe just around the corner.)

The tart, sweet blackberries pop against the faintly nutty, slightly sugary gelato. It just might be the perfect afternoon snack.

At least for today.