Ronnybrook Milk Bar

It's a showcase for their fine dairy products, with room to sit and relax.

I first tried Ronnybrook's wonderful vanilla ice cream several years ago, at a nearby block party. Since then they've expanded their takeout location at Chelsea Market into the sit-down Ronnybrook Milk Bar; though it offers a menu of soups, salads, and sandwiches, plus a few hot entrees, I usually visit for dessert.

On the light side, you can visit the refrigerator case for one of Ronnybrook's sparingly sweet yogurts (6 fl. oz.; $1.35) — strawberry and maple vanilla are my favorites — and sit by the window. If you're hungry for something more, sidle up to the counter, where any of that day's housemade ice creams can find its way into a milkshake; a few other shakes, like blackberry (below; $4.75), are blended from compote and vanilla ice cream. As at all the better soda fountains, the overrun is presented to the customer; it's nice to see that this dairy still "delivers" in bottles.

Ronnybrook Milk Bar
75 Ninth Ave. (15th-16th Sts.)
Inside Chelsea Market
212-741-6455
www.RonnybrookMilkBar.com