I had been hearing really great buzz about the Comfy Cow for a few months, so a couple weeks ago I finally ventured out to Westport Village with my friend Eric to sample their handmade ice cream. I had a scoop of white chocolate coconut almond in a cone, and it was amazing. I came home and told Neil about it and asked him if he would accompany back to the Comfy Cow in near future for A Monkey's Delight, the Comfy Cow rendition of a banana split.

I am a banana split fiend. I have been ever since I was a kid and my grandpa would take me to the Ice Cream Factory (RIP) after movies at the Village 8. I'm pretty sure the Ice Cream Factory's banana split was called the Roller Coaster, and it was exactly as a traditional banana split should be; served in an oblong glass dish, scoops of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry nestled between two banana halves, each scoop covered in the appropriate topping. And for purists, there are definitely appropriate toppings: chocolate sauce on the chocolate scoop, strawberries on the strawberry scoop, and pineapple on the vanilla scoop. Three liberal dollops of whipped cream follow each topping, along with a sprinkling of nuts, and each mound of deliciousness is crowned with a cherry. That is the consummate banana split.

A Monkey's Delight bends the rules a little bit.

Our Signature “Strawberry” Fields Forever, Chocolate and Vanilla ice creams loaded with homemade strawberry, marshmallow and chocolate toppings, then covered with thick, rich whipped cream, chopped peanuts and maraschino cherries... All this nestled within a large, ripe banana.

And it doesn't come in the traditional banana split dish, simply because it won't fit:



I will admit that while the marshmallow topping was good, I still prefer pineapple. But that is a small quibble. This was a damned good banana split. I really appreciate the fact that they make all their toppings there; there was none of that weird fakey chemical taste you get with cut-rate banana splits from the likes of Dairy Queen. (And seriously, how can a place called Dairy Queen not even have ice cream? Or at least more than one flavor of soft serve? Ridiculous.) Now it is true that all this homemade deliciousness is going to cost you; with tax A Monkey's Delight came to $11 and change. But you get what you pay for, and A Monkey's Delight is definitely worth the splurge. I imagine most other things at the Comfy Cow are, too.

The only thing that marred our visit - and this is really not a criticism of the Comfy Cow, more just a feminist rant that marginally even belongs in this blog - was one obnoxious young male employee, who was loudly lecturing his young female coworkers about rape. "Seventy-five percent of women in the US have been raped," he said. Uh, no. "I encourage all women to take self-defense classes."

"I encourage all men to stop raping women," I replied to Neil. Seriously, kid! Go take a women's studies class and shut up so I can enjoy my ice cream!