Phileo Yogurt

Earlier this week, my friend Lindsey introduced my sister Kim and me to Phileo Yogurt, a small fro-yo place in the Village. In what I've deemed a Pinkberry-Tasti Delite hybrid, Phileo kicks it up a notch on the fun meter with self-service yogurt stations. Don't I look like I'm having a blast?

With a wall of 10+ yogurt machines, there's really a flavor for everyone. While Tasti D is one of my all-time favorites, somehow I just haven't jumped on the Pinkberry bandwagon. Something about frozen tart yogurt seems less like a delicious treat and more like a mediocre healthy snack. But with many flavors to choose from, Phileo really hits it out of the proverbial park. And if you do like fro-yo of the tart variety, fear not, as that remains an option at Phileo.

With flavors including tart, strawberry, banana, coconut and my own personal favorites, cookies 'n cream and peanut butter, the options are really much wider than Pinkberry or Tasti D.

Though I have to give Phileo a bit less props since their yogurt pay system is based on weight of the yogurt and toppings. So they give you a giant cup that you are left to fill and could end up spending a whopping $7 on a cup of yogurt. A word to the wise - the cups are giant and you could probably get away with only filling them about half way.

The topping bar was of course the best part, especially when options include candy, cereal, chocolate chips, sprinkles and cookies...

Here's what I ended up with:

Let's get a little closer. What can I say? The 8 year old in me just couldn't resist the Cap'n Crunch and Fruity Pebbles topping on top of a half cookies 'n cream, half peanut butter fro-yo. Oh and I should mention that the delightful combination of Cap'n Crunch and peanut butter fro-yo really brought it back old school with reminiscent flavor of the childhood favorite Peanut Butter Crunch cereal. Ah the good old days.

So there you have it. My new favorite fro-yo combo. Oh, and the bonus is that it just so happens to be right near Keste Pizza & Vino, and we all know how I feel about that. But what about you? How do you like your fro-yo?

A Ladies Night Hot Spot: The Dove Parlour

As much as I love date night with the hubs, sometimes I just need a little girl time. Whether it's touring pizza venues like Keste and Grimaldi's or brunching at Hoboken's Elysian Cafe, somehow there is always a reason for girls night. And what would it be without some serious happy hour, consisting of wine carafes and cheese platters? Now that's a ladies night that I can get down with. And I did. At West Vilage's The Dove Parlour with my friend Nicole. 

A blink-and-you-miss-it bar that's located below street level, The Dove Parlour is a fairly small locale with a bar and some low-seated tables that run along a cushioned couch. With a bit of an opulent New Orleans vibe, a darkened space lit by candles, The Dove Parlour is the simply perfect low key place to grab an affordable drink.

Their happy hour consists of a $6 drink menu, ranging from wine carafes, martinis, margaritas and cosmos. Pictured above is my glass and carafe of Syrah. And for $6? It's really a steal since you do get way more than one small glass out of the deal.

And since it's imperative to eat a little something on any ladies night, especially when there's vino involved, we opted for the cheese platter. For just $18, we got to choose 4 cheeses to accompany fresh bread and crostini, apple slices, olives, Marcona almonds, figs, and apricot jam. The ladies at the table next to us literally turned a shade of green with envy and I'm pretty sure ended up ordering one of their own.

And I should note that beyond the delectable eats and truly affordable wine, the decor is upscale yet attainable. The super chic wallpaper even featured my favorite damask-style pattern, and it was flocked, no less.

And how charming is this little fireplace? Even without a real fire inside, it still warmed up the joint and gave me ideas for any New York and beyond apartments with fake, yet pretty, fireplaces.

So that's how Nikki and I spent ladies night. Sipping vino from our own personal carafes and filling up on bread and cheese. The perfect post-work girls night, don't you think? But what I want to know from you ladies out there - how do you do girls night?