How long is too long for a cat to look at you?
Sometimes I do these newsletters all by myself and sometimes Ducky the black cat just watches me and it's unnerving. You can understand, I'm sure. I have a request. This is an internet poll of the best ice cream shop in Somerville / Cambridge. The request is you please go to the poll and vote for Gracie's. And look, nothing happens if we win or don't win, but this is the poll I want to win. Almost every neighborhood in the area has an excellent homemade ice cream shop. This makes things less competitive somehow, and it's an excellent and collaborative community to be a part of. It's common for shops to reach out to each other for help or to offer help if they hear of an issue. That said, this is the internet and I want to crush them. Click here to help me crush them. As always, you can pre-order and pay for Gracie's in Union or Earnest Drinks in Kendall Square. You can order delivery from both locations just by clicking the links. The state vegetable of Oklahoma is... the watermelon. And it has been since 2007. Also, if it's raining, you can eat inside Earnest Drinks. Bear with us as we figure out how to do that, but if you're vaccinated you can come in if the weather's bad.
Do you wear clothes?
For the first time in a while, we've got new merch, which you can see up above and purchase at both shops and online for an order with shipping. Tank top: Union Square or Kendall Square or Online. Flamingo Out of Step T-Shirt: Union Square or Kendall Squareo r Online. I really want you to buy one of these shirts. If not for you, for someone else. Good job, everyone, we loosed hell upon the ocean to make a watery conflagration. This cat really doesn't need people.
Do you know anyone?
We're really hoping to hire some people for our team. Want to work at Gracie's or Earnest Drinks? Apply here, tell your friends who are looking for flexible hours and a decent environment. This pot goes way higher in the air than I would expect! Simone Biles is amazing and I am nothing like her except in this regard at least.
Do you want to try some wine?
Rosé three-way! Come by Friday from 5-7 for a guided tasting ofthree very different rosésfrom Italy, California, and Long Island. Three pours for $10 from co-owner Chris. There will also be special bottles available by the glass. If it's raining, we'll do it inside as long as you're vaxxed. You can make this three-way a six-way by pairing it with our a bbq pork three way or vegan three way. If you order ahead of time, we'll know you're coming! Melting mannequins are exactly as creepy as you expect them to be.Radioactive hybrid terror pigs are exactly as terrifying as you expect them to be.
Do you eat dinner?
We're slowly but surely coming out of our pandemic cocoon (covidcoon?) like a GD Covid butterfly restaurant blossoming into the place we had thought we'd be prior to March 2020. Wow that was atortured simile. Anyway, we sell dinner now. Duck confit and and a tagliatelle bolognese. Boston.com said really nice stuff about our dinner menu, which you can read here. This video of Seinfeld remixed with a hit song from every year the show was on is really kind of great If you care about music from the 90s. Really worth more than a throw away link in a newsletter, I hope you watch this.
Do you eat ice cream?
Here's a list of the pints we have in Union Square right this second. I can't think of any exciting or interesting ice cream stories to make you more interested in checking out what we've got. Did I already tell you where Salty Two Cookie came from? I had the idea to make an ice cream with four cookies in it, and I went to Market Basket and got four kinds of cookies and then I was walking to the shop and thought, "Well, maybe I should try it with two cookies first because if I make it with four cookies and I can't ever go back, but I can make it with two cookies and always go up if I need to. Sometimes on the menu the staff calls this flavor Salty 2 Cookie and it drives me crazy. Here's a cat where a cat shouldn't be and a dog where a dog shouldn't be. Delivery is an option when you order off our website.
Do you have a watch?
Our hours:
Gracie's in Union 2-9pm every day.
Earnest Drinks in Kendall 11-9 Monday-Friday, 12-8 on Saturday, 12-7 on Sunday.
Do you like miscellany?
Hey look, the charcuterie board is back. Hey look, the movements of sheep herds are relaxing. Hey look, this golden retriever is very calm. Hey look,someone had a bad opinion on Twitter. Your favorite ice cream shop will write you a poem or haiku if you want. If you don't want to tell me what the poem should be about, here's a link to a picture book I wrote a couple years ago.
Do you need a gift for yourself or someone else?
We have plastic gift cards at both shops that have to be purchased in person ($15 minimum) and digital gift cards you can purchase online for Earnest Drinks in Kendall Square and Gracie's in Union Square. Consider a made to order ice cream pie? We're testing out flamingo ice cream cakes. I don't know if you'll see this. Still need a gift? Get someone one of our new T-Shirts and new Tank Tops.
Do you know a cook?
This is the same paragraph every week about needing a cook. Like every other restaurant in the area, we're still hoping to hire a cook. That link may be dead, but we still need a cook. Send a note if you're interested. We're going to try to pay you right, give you a good lifestyle outside of work, and give you schedule flexibility in case you have other stuff going on. Our next cook will be guaranteed at least $18 an hour, room to grow, and we demand you maintain a life outside of the shop because there are more important things than work. We're not open late, so you won't be working late. Additionally, our shop has a brand new HVAC so you won't be sweating your ass off on a poorly ventilated hot line with someone screaming at you.
Do you like hearing about freezer troubles?
Freezer Mike was by today, but not because of the freezer he was working on the ice cream machine. On Tuesday and Wednesday when it was super hot, I shut off the freezer that's had so much trouble this year, and that was good. Not really any updates here. You can see what ice cream we have in Union by clicking here.
Do you know how to say goodbye?
Thank you for reading, forward this to your friends so they can read it, too, and thank you for all your previous support. I don't think there's any exclamations in the newsletter this week. Would you like a book recommendation? How about Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. You'll like it if you liked Circe and A Thousand Ships. It's the same kind of book. You should read it. Buy it at Porter Square Books or Amazon.
Gracie's + Earnest Drinks team