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This month’s Off the Beaten Plate is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach — although in my world, a “feast” probably entails more than two scoops of creamy, dreamy lavender-hued ice cream, but Zen Zero knows what’s best for me and gave me the standard size, thankfully.

If you’re intimidated by the fact that this ice cream counts a purple tuber (it’s called ube, and it’s a species of yam commonly found in Filipino desserts) as a main ingredient, don’t be.

Many recipes use frozen, grated yam, and at Zen Zero, you can definitely find tiny chunks of it folded into each scoop. It’s subtly sweet (less sweet than Thanksgiving-style candied yams) and has an almost buttery taste with slight floral notes, which makes for a refreshing dessert on a hot summer day.

(Look at me using “note” like I know what that even means. Does anyone, really?)

Purple yam ice cream at Zen Zero, 811 Massachusetts St. by Joanna Hlavacek

Where to get it: Zen Zero, 811 Massachusetts St.

What you'll pay: $3.99 for two scoops

Try it with: Heat up — and clear out those sinuses, bro — with one of Zen Zero's many curry dishes, then cool down with ~funky~ purple ice cream. (I opted for the panang curry this time around.)

Also on the menu: Mostly Thai noodle dishes, soups, salads and curries, with a few Nepalese, Tibetan, Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese plates — many of them vegetarian — thrown in for good measure.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/HlavacekJoanna.

On most trips to the drive-thru, no more than a few seconds pass between being handed my food and inhaling said food. (Because, really, what’s sadder than lukewarm french fries?)

Not so much with Tuesday’s jaunt to Burrito King, where I was the picture of ladylike restraint as I wearily received my tongue torta, still warm in its tin-foil blanket, and contemplated my fate as I very purposefully took the long, long way back to the newsroom.

If you’re squeamish (read: weirdly afraid of one part of the cow’s body that is regarded as a delicacy in some cultures but weirdly OK with, for whatever reason, other parts of the cow’s body) like me, you’ll probably need a moment to get yourself into the correct mental state before taking your first bite of tongue, otherwise known as lengua in Latin cooking. After centering yourself or tossing out a quick Hail Mary, you’ll find that the tongue isn’t so bad.

In actuality, lengua (mine was diced up into tiny pieces, thankfully) is fairly tender and, with its extremely high fat content, tastes kind of like roast beef. Burrito King also slathers on the refried beans (also sour cream, jalapeno slices, lettuce, cheese and guacamole) pretty thickly, which helps ameliorate things further.

So, give the tongue torta a try. Just don’t look too closely under the sandwich bun, unless you’re cool with a few papillae.

The tongue torta at Burrito King, 900 Illinois St. by Joanna Hlavacek

Where to get it: Burrito King, 900 Illinois St.

What you’ll pay: $6.70

Try it with: An open mind and lots of napkins

Also on the menu: Other Mexican staples like tacos (which you can also order with tongue), quesadillas, nachos and burritos, naturally.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check monthly for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.

If Terrebonne’s Cajun twist on this classic summertime treat were a person, she’d be the corndog’s sassy, tell-it-like-it-is cousin from down South. (I’ve very sincerely thought of my cat as my own hairy, clawed “problem child” for a while now, so personifying food just seems like a natural progression at this point, OK?)

The Cajun Corn Dog is greasy and gluttonous as all hell and totally unapologetic about it. One bite into its crispy, golden hushpuppy shell reveals where this corn dog differs most prominently from its relatives — instead of a hot dog is a spicy smoked andouille sausage, glistening like New Orleans city lights upon the mighty Mississippi. Or, like, meat grease.

Gird yourself with napkins and enjoy.

The Cajun Corn Dog at Terrebonne Cafe, 805 Vermont St. by Joanna Hlavacek

Where to get it: Terrebonne Cafe, 805 Vermont St.

What you'll pay: $3.50

Try it with: The corn dog already comes with a side of honey-mustard sauce, but if you're still hungry for more (no judgement here), Terrebonne makes a nice, vinegary cole slaw that would help ameliorate some of the sausage's spiciness.

Also on the menu: Other Cajun favorites like the po' boy (Terrebonne offers the Louisiana sub with shrimp, gator, crawdad and andouille sausage, among other protein options), muffaletta, gumbo, fried okra and hushpuppies.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check monthly for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.

This one’s for all the parents out there, because trying to persuade a stubborn child — or adult, for that matter — to eat their vegetables is no easy task.

Take it from a reformed picky eater whose mother tried fruitlessly for years to trick her children into eating healthier, even going so far as substituting apple sauce and yogurt for sugar in desserts or folding whole-wheat flour into an angel food cake with disastrous results.

I wasn’t fooled then, nor was I fooled by Merchants Pub and Plate’s Mexican chocolate beet torte, this month’s Off the Beaten Plate selection. The texture, color and taste of these rich little cakes are all dead giveaways of the presence of vegetables, but — and perhaps this says something for the passing of years to mature one’s palate — in a good way.

The Mexican chocolate beet torte at Merchants Pub and Plate, 746 Massachusetts St. by Joanna Hlavacek

The torte (which is divvied up into two brownie-sized portions) is sweet, of course, but not too sweet. Mexican chocolate, richer and more bitter than its peers, seems a natural flavor pairing with beets, which lend Merchants’ dessert an earthy taste and dense, fibrous texture.

(Plus vitamin C, iron, magnesium and dietary fiber galore, among lots of good-for-you stuff. Mom, I hope you’re reading and appreciating this.)

Freeze-dried raspberries and a generous scoop of rich caramel ice cream round out the dish.

Where to get it: Merchants Pub and Plate, 746 Massachusetts St.

What you’ll pay: $8

Try it with: A nice glass of red wine

Also on the menu: Gourmet takes on pub food, from the ever-popular Mac and Cheesemonger (Cavatelli pasta baked in a rich sauce of cheddar, Parmesan and Gruyere) and duck carnitas, to bison Bolognese and quail stuffed with chorizo and cornbread.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check monthly for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.

Off the Beaten Plate is no stranger to the creatively named and often wildly indulgent pizzas at Fat Freddy’s. Remember the Wake n Bake from September 2013? Or the similarly themed Stoner Pie, which we’ve never featured but will probably make its way into my gullet at some point in this column’s lifetime?

Well, the lineage of pizzas-named-for-intoxicants continues this week with Fat Freddy’s Drunken Chicken: “Will that chicken ever lay off the booze? He’s already sauced!” reads the Fat Freddy’s menu.

The Drunken Chicken pizza at Fat Freddy's, 1445 W. 23rd St. by Joanna Hlavacek

This hefty pie is sauced, which in this case carries double meaning because of the very generous amount of “Sticky Whiskey Sauce” dripping from every slice and the fact that said sauce is made with actual Jameson Irish Whiskey.

The alcohol is cooked off in the oven, of course, but the pizza still has a sort of, shall we say, zest, that’s reminiscent of whiskey. Or it could be that “hint of blue cheese.”

The Drunken Chicken, of course, also contains lots of chicken, plus smoked ham, red onions, green peppers, mozzarella and various spices, all served on a garlic-butter crust.

It’s a lot of food for most occasions, though perhaps one has to be in a certain “mindset” to truly appreciate its gluttonous majesty.

Where to get it: Fat Freddy's Pizza and Wings, 1445 W. 23rd St.

What you'll pay: $14.99 for a medium

Try it with: Like a hangover, this pizza goes well with a nice nap.

Also on the menu: To quote my colleague and Off the Beaten Plate predecessor Sara Shepherd, "complete and utter food debauchery, basically." That includes more wacky pizzas like Whole Herd ("Everything that walks, nothing that flies, and absolutely NOTHING that grows in the sun," the menu says) and the Bacon Cheddar CheeseBurger, which essentially is a burger piled onto a pizza. Aside from pies, Fat Freddy's also makes chicken wings, calzones, stromboli, salads, appetizers such as "Jody's Cheesy Balls" and a half dozen versions of "Hokey Pokey Stix," which are all some variation on garlic-buttered cheesy bread.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check back weekly and monthly, respectively, for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.

With a name like “tiger cry,” you might assume Baan Thai’s beef appetizer is spicy. And you would be right.

So christened — our waiter guessed — because the heat from the sauce (a mixture of unnamed peppers, we’re told) could make even a tiger shed tears, the flavorful appetizer consists of grilled, marinated beef and the aforementioned “spicy tiger cry sauce.”

Be careful with this one. Refrain from dumping an overflowing spoonful of sauce onto a single piece of beef (because you’re hungry, OK?) and devouring the mixture with reckless abandon, or your tender, burning gums will pay for it.

Most of us (let me repeat, most) are probably smart enough to figure that out on our own, but a little “tiger cry” goes a long way here.

Tiger Cry Beef at Baan Thai, 741 Massachusetts St. by Joanna Hlavacek

Where to get it: Baan Thai, 741 Massachusetts St.

What you’ll pay: $7.95

Try it with: A nice, cool glass of Thai iced tea for $2.50

Also on the menu: An extensive offering of appetizers, soups, salads, noodle dishes, curries and other Thai entrees

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check back weekly and monthly, respectively, for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.

Maryland crab cake sliders at R Bar & Patio, 610 Florida St. by Joanna Hlavacek

It’s not every bar that prides itself on not owning a fryer. But R Bar, which launched its new — and first-ever — menu of classic tavern eats with a fresh, modern twist about a month ago, isn’t every bar.

The unassuming location adjacent to a non-operating gas station serves more conventional stuff like chicken wings and a “classic American” hamburger slider, but the dish that’s drawn the most attention might be the Maryland crab cake sliders.

Inspired by chef and R Bar co-owner Brian Reeves’ stint in The Old Line State (yes, that’s apparently the official nickname of Maryland), the patties are made with crab meat and “just enough other stuff to hold them together,” R Bar’s menu teases, then grilled — not fried — in lemon butter.

What makes these little guys even more unusual: they’re not just crab cakes, but sliders nestled into miniature buns with lettuce, tomato and Old Bay tartar sauce — they just wouldn’t be Maryland crab cakes without Old Bay, Reeves says.

Where to get it: R Bar, 610 Florida St.

What you'll pay: $9 for three sliders, $16 for six and $28 for 12

Try it with: R Bar doesn't serve typical sides (no fryer means no french fries, pub chips or the like) but bartender Haley Martin likes her crab cakes with veggie skewers — they pretty much act as a side at R Bar, she says.

Also on the menu: Wings (available in buffalo, "facemelters!" and naked), a few more sliders (Southwest Shredded Chicken and Asian Pulled Pork), and the aforementioned skewers, which also include the intriguing bacon and cinnamon apple.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check back weekly and monthly, respectively, for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.

The Betta' Pizza Burger at The Sandwich Bowl, 3514 Clinton Parkway, Suite E

Burger enthusiasts, be warned: If you’re considering ordering the Betta’ Pizza Burger at the Sandwich Bowl, there’s something you should know.

This culinary mash-up isn’t really the patty-on-a-bun burger. Instead, it’s more along the lines of the meatball marinara sub from Subway, albeit fresher tasting and generally less sad.

At Sandwich Bowl, all the traditional components of a pizza — plus a half pound of ground beef, broken into bite-sized morsels — are loaded onto a hoagie bun that’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. (See, I’m already making up for that unfortunate Subway comparison.)

In this case, that entails marinara sauce, pepperoni, green bell pepper, onion, oregano, and both provolone and mozzarella cheeses, which cover the meat-and-veggie mixture in a ooey-gooey, still-bubbling blanket of goodness.

Where to get it: The Sandwich Bowl, 3514 Clinton Parkway, Suite E

What you'll pay: $8.99

Try it with: Since this thing is so heavy (did I mention there's half pound of ground beef in here, plus pepperoni?), you might want to go with an apple or carrots as your side. Or upgrade to a side salad for 50 cents.

Also on the menu: Plenty more hearty sandwich and burger creations, from the Flaming Pig, Fire in da Hole and Chatburn (notice a trend here?) to classics like the Reuben and French dip. Plus, a few salads and soups.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check back weekly and monthly, respectively, for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.

The Heart Attack at Yokohama, 811 New Hampshire St. and 1730 W. 23rd St. by Joanna Hlavacek

You wouldn’t expect to find jalapeño poppers (cousin of such bar-food delicacies as mozzarella sticks and chicken wings) at a restaurant that deals primarily in sushi and other Japanese dishes.

And yet, there they are at Yokohama, arranged artfully on an oblong plate and sprinkled with a mysterious, burnt-orange dressing (we’re talking color here, not the fruit) that gave the hefty poppers a little extra heat.

Yokohama’s Japanese-skewed version is spicy — in addition to cream cheese, the jalapeños are stuffed with spicy tuna and lightly fried — but needless to say, the name “Heart Attack” might be a tad hyperbolic in this case.

Where to get it: Yokohama, 811 New Hampshire St. (It’s also available at Yokohama’s south Lawrence location, 1730 W. 23rd St.)

What you’ll pay: $7.50

Try it with: Your meal and a cold drink

Also on the menu: Sushi galore, plus a variety of Japanese and other Asian entrees, including Korean specialties such as bibimbap and jajangmyeon. If you’re looking for more fried concoctions, Yokohama’s got plenty — tempuras of all sorts and fried ice cream and cheesecake, to name a few.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check back weekly and monthly, respectively, for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.

The Ranchalicious pizza at Pyramid Pizza, 1029 Massachusetts St. by Joanna Hlavacek

Hey, I don't create food trends — I just report on them.

That's what I often find myself telling my fish oil-supplementing, yoga-practicing mother when she advises me "not to make a habit" of eating the more indulgent creations I've sampled for this column.

(Oh, so perhaps I shouldn't integrate a hamburger topped with chocolate syrup and processed cheese into my everyday diet? Thanks for the sage advice, Mom.)

I'm guessing I'll probably hear more of the same in a few days when Kathy gets around to reading this week's Off the Beaten Plate, featuring a pie simply called "Ranchalicious."

Apparently, dipping and/or drizzling pizza in ranch dressing is a thing. Pyramid Pizza's hearty creation takes that to the next level, slathering on ranch dressing in place of marinara sauce and loading it up with chicken, mozzarella and bacon (what else?).

A generous helping of diced tomatoes fill in for the marinara sauce, and give the pizza some nice color and acidity.

Where to get it: Pyramid Pizza, 1029 Massachusetts St.

What you'll pay: $12.99 for a medium

Try it with: This thing is incredibly rich, needless to say, so... a salad? Green, leafy vegetables of any sort? A colon cleanse? I don't know.

Also on the menu: Appetizers galore, from the popular Bonez ("a better version of breadsticks," Pyramid's menu boasts) to bar favorites like jalapeno poppers, buffalo wings and onion rings. Plus, sandwiches, desserts, and, of course, pizzas — either by the slice or whole pies. Build your own or choose from one of Pyramid's many specialty options, including the Cream Cheese Delight, West Coast Style and Philly Cheesesteak.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat item we should check out? Email reporter Joanna Hlavacek at jhlavacek@ljworld.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/hlavacekjoanna. Check back weekly and monthly, respectively, for more Off the Beaten Plate and Lawrence Libations.