June 16, 2025 Issue

The piece in this week’s issue that really grabbed me (“seduced” might be a better word) is Helen Rosner’s “Pick Three” on ice-cream sundaes. Rosner recommends three: the Chow Nai Sundae at Bonnie’s ((“referential, rigorous, wacky, and wondrous”); Gramercy Tavern’s Passion-Fruit Sundae (“It brings to mind a pavlova, an ultra-messy Eton mess, the fruit-and-condensed-milk swooniness of Korean bingsu—even, fleetingly, a mall-kiosk Orange Julius”); and Harry’s Hot-Fudge Sundae, served at the Odeon, in Tribeca, and the Upper West Side’s Café Luxembourg (“The dark, slithery-hot chocolate sauce has a bittersweet edge that makes the whole thing feel a little bit electric”). Mm, I’ll have a Harry's Hot-Fudge Sundae, please, with banana. In the newyorker.com version of her piece, Rosner recommends adding banana. She says, “It’s worth noting that at both spots, for three dollars more, you have the option to add banana. This banana is the difference between mere greatness and glory. Add the banana. Always, when presented with the option, add the banana.”