Serendipity 3

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Okay, so the lamps aren't really Tiffany, and the chili on the foot-long hot dog is for wusses. There aren't many places left that make you want to blow bubbles through an ice-cream-soda straw. Serendipity 3 is proof that life isn't always a cabaret -- sometimes it's a sweet-sixteen party. Half Provincetown antique-queen attic, half Mad Hatter tea party, it's one of the few spaces kids like that doesn't have a ride. And stupid drinks like apricot smushes, big burgers, and towering sundaes mean that they might even shut up and eat. But 3 has one chilly bowl of magnificence that would render the place a must-visit if it was served atop a Dumpster. Frozen Hot Chocolate -- please don't try to make sense of it, just sip it, slowly -- is what Cristal might taste like if it came in a flavor called fudge brownie. It's like riding the Cyclone and giving a hickey: You have to do it at least once in your life. — Hal Rubenstein

Cheddar burger with fries, $16.95; frozen hot chocolate, $10.95