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Delicious Orchards pies have always been very good, but not exactly convienient to NYC. One of the best pies in NYC is without a doubt the ones from The Little Pie Company of NYC. They've gone up in price quite a bit in the last two years, and their satelite store in Grand Central is no more, but that shouldn't dissuade you from braving mid-town. (Their sour cherry is to die for!)

There are some other excellent pies as well, such as the one's from Two Little Red Hens on the UES in the 80's, and the Lexington Candy Shop nearby also has a very good ones, but their's has to be ordered ahead of time as they come from a bakery in Southampton. Of course one can always go to Payard for a Tarte Tatain...$$$

Silver Moon's Bourbon Vanilla Bean is far superior to any of the vanillas mentioned in the comparison. It is a premium ice cream, and the tiny vanilla bean specks along with the creamy consistency make it my top vote. Silver Moon is a new ice cream from California with all natural ingredients.

The sad thing is Breyers used to be a quality product, using minimal, natural ingredients. Have you looked at the label recently? I think Unilever bought them and the product went DOWN HILL. It used to be good. I have to agree, the Dazs is the top dog. when it comes to ingredients, KISS: keep it simple stupid

I grew up on Blue Bell, and in DC you can get it every Father's Day at the Texas State Society Father's Day picnic. However, I actually prefer (I know, it's a sin) all natural products like Breyers. I don't like things so sweet anymore, and prefer airy or smooth textures.

However, the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had was the house-made stuff at Jaxson's in Dania Beach, FL. Holy crap that was excellent. Made me want to order vanilla every time, when I rarely do.

i do

I'm also a loyal Blue Bell fan, and it's one of the things I miss the most about Texas. I usually dislike vanilla because I think it's too "plain" when there's so many interesting ice cream pairings out there. However, with Blue Bell I don't need anything else. There's a reason why they're the third-best-selling ice cream in the U.S. even though they only cater to less than half of the states!

Once I tasted LaSalle, I never went back to Haagan Daz again. Also great is Sedutto (but I think it's just available in cones in the New York area).

I must say that after having tasted at least 20 different varieties of Vanilla ice cream, there is NOTHING that comes close to Silver Moon's Bourbon Vanilla Bean. The entire line of flavors by Siver Moon are unique and exceptional but the vanilla is a perfect example of how a standard flavor can be taken to the next level. The Bourbon Vanilla Bean has layers of flavor that compliment each other and knock your socks off. I never thought I would write such a compelling statement about vanilla but you have to try it.

Wow, so many Blue Bell fans. I'm living in Texas and never realized they had such a cult following.

There is no doubt about it - Blue Bell Ice Cream from the little creamery in Texas - made by "happy cows" is THE VERY BEST ICE CREAM in the country!

Without a doubt................Marie Callendar's chicken pot pie..........& you get TWO crusts, YESSSSSSSSSSSS!
After it's baked, you have to flip it over on your plate & chop it all up so that you get the correct ratio of filling/crust per each bite!

Bertolli's Dinner for Two: Cook 3/4 - 1 lb pasta, toss in a bag of high quality frozen veg (Safeway Select Tuscan Blend is good) before draining; toss into pan with a mostly cooked Bertolli's. Finish cooking, add a crusty bread, and "Dinner for Two" now generously feeds 4 or 5. The frozen sauce is pretty abundant (enough to flavor all the additions; but if you like your pasta swimming in sauce, I'm sure you could find a matching or similar bottled Bertolli sauce to add). All the sauces I've tasted have been very well flavored.
btw, in my experience, the chicken is dry & tough, so I only go for the shrimp, sausage or vegetable versions, which have been excellent.