It is so dangerous to live one block from a chocolatier-cum-ice cream parlor. Every time I walk by The Milk Shake Factory I just want to stick my head in the door, inhale, and get drunk on the overpowering scent of chocolate!
Not only does this place smell amazing, it looks fantastic too. The candy apple red pressed tin ceiling and huge, gilt-framed mirrors evoke an old-fashioned soda fountain. Cinema classics like Breakfast At Tiffany's and My Fair Lady play on the flat screen TV, and the vast sea of handmade chocolates on the counter will make your eyes positively goggle out of your head.
I've never had a bad thing to eat at The Milk Shake Factory, but I particularly recommend the sea salt caramels, and any milkshake you can get your hands on; they're all divine. My only qualm with this place is that they do NOT serve homemade ice cream, it is delivered from off-site. I learned this only recently when I popped by with an out of town guest on one of the first warm Saturdays of spring. Nearly every flavor of ice cream was sold out, and the girl behind the counter informed me that stock would not be replenished until the following Tuesday. Naturally I was shocked because I had always assumed that an employee could just pop in the back and whip up some more.
Despite this disappointing discovery, the ice cream tastes delicious, and The Milk Shake Factory is the best place for sweets in Pittsburgh!