One of my favorite Mt. Lebanon food experiences has to be the snack that is part of the weekly Play Date on Ice at the Mt. Lebanon Ice Center.

It’s held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday mornings, September through May. Children up through kindergarten age can come skate with a parent or other adult for $4.25 per person, skate use included, and there’s always music and sometimes cartoons on the big screen.

But the best part is the snack.

At about 10 a.m. each Thursday, the ladies at the rink put out juice boxes — usually apple and fruit punch — and some kind of snack, from goldfish crackers to chocolate chip cookies, even Rice Krispies Treats.

There’s also coffee for the adults.

My 5-year-old and the friends he’s made at Play Date always love the snack, and I always love Play Date: I always say this is where Jesse really learned to skate. Especially as a beginner, he was greatly helped by being able to use a plastic bucket or a “sled” to hold onto while learning — something you cannot do at a typical public skate session.

And you often can get advice and instruction from staffers such as Gwyn Rosen.

If you want to try it, there are only a few Thursdays left. The March 28 one is a Family Play Date Skate and Egg Hunt.

I’m guessing the snack that day will be a little special, too.

For more information, call the Ice Center at 412-561-4363 or visit www.mtlebanon.org/index.aspx?NID=369.