There’s nothing like a cone of soft, sweet ice cream to refresh even the most sweltering of summer days. Here are some scrumptious suggestions to make the dog days delicious days.
In an old fireboat house directly on the water, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory feels like the perfect place to enjoy a sundae or banana split. In terms of ice cream selection, the factory sticks to the basics. Butter pecan and coffee are about the most exotic flavors they offer. But one bowl of their ice cream – produced in small batches from locally sourced ingredients – is a reminder that simple doesn’t have to mean boring. Each of the flavors I had – vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry were uniquely intense. The vanilla and chocolate were uniformly smooth and creamy, while the strawberry was filled with toothsome chunks of fresh fruit.
Old Fulton and Water St., Brooklyn Heights, Bklyn., 97 Commercial St. at Manhattan Ave., Greenpoint, Bklyn.
This petite, colorful shop in Dumbo is home to the sweet, rich, silky smooth concoction I consider to be the perfect ice cream. While Torres may only have eight or so flavors at a time, with “salted caramel” and “wicked chocolate” (chocolate spiced with cayenne and cinnamon) in addition to chocolate vanilla and coffee, it feels neither limited nor dull. The three flavors I tried – salted caramel, “wicked chocolate” and chocolate cookie, were positively delightful. The salted caramel was soft and almost elastic; the “wicked chocolate” velvety, its rich dark chocolate flavor heightened by the kick from the cayenne and cinnamon. The chocolate cookie – a mixture of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with Torres’ chocolate chip cookies crumbled in, was equally intense in flavor (the ice cream had an almost caramel note), and was given texture by the generous chunks of cookie.
350 Hudson St. (at King St.), DUMBO, Bklyn.
Blue Marble
Based on sustainability, virtually everything in Blue Marble’s store – from the ice cream to the tables to the counters, is created from local, renewable sources. The result: a sleek and bright shop dishing out ice cream that is the ideal mixture of sweet, soft, and creamy. In an effort to ensure the highest quality of their ice creams, Blue Marble keeps their ingredients simple; as such there is no bright yellow cake batter or blue cotton candy here. The vanilla, pistachio and butter pecan ice creams I tried were all spectacularly true-to-flavor, rich, soft and smooth without feeling heavy.
196 Court St., Cobble Hill, Bklyn. 186 Underhill Ave., Prospect Heights, Bklyn.
Those friendly yellow trucks roaming the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn boast professional ice cream made from cream produced by a local upstate farm, pure cane sugar and organic egg yolks. Scooping out the traditional vanilla, chocolate and pistachio, in addition to the more offbeat ginger, cinnamon and earl grey, their ice cream is rich without feeling heavy. The flavors (I tried cinnamon, pistachio, ginger and earl grey) were so spot-on that even the more bizarre ones (I’m looking at you, earl grey!), felt perfectly natural.
Stores: 48 ½ East 7th St (at 2nd Ave); 632 Manhattan Ave. (at Bedford and Nassau), Greenpoint, Bklyn.; 81 Bergen St. (at Smith St.), Boerum Hill, Bklyn. Check their Twitter @VLAIC for daily truck locations.
Parked on the northwestern most corner of Union Square, it is easy to mistake The Big Gay Ice Cream truck for any old Mr. Softee. But don’t be confused. While their vanilla and chocolate soft-serve ice cream is certainly top-notch, the real draw is their wacky toppings. With creations featuring nutella-lined cones, sea salt and dulche de leche, and wasabi powder, the Truck redefines the “sundae.”
Mon, Wed, Fri: Union Sq. West and 17th St. from 2pm-8:00 pm
Tues: Union Sq. West and 17th St. from 2pm-5:00pm
Thurs: Union Sq. West and 17th St. from 6:00-8:30 pm.
Check @biggayicecream for weekly schedules.
Although Chikalicious, a self-proclaimed “dessert club,” may look like it’s more about cupcakes and cookies, its vanilla soft-serve is its true draw. The texture can only be described as silky, the flavor quintessentially vanilla (probably due in no small part to the visible specks of vanilla bean).
203 East 10th St. (btwn. 1st and 2nd Ave.)
Cones
The flavor selection at this “South American style” ice creamery is immense – ranging from chocolate and vanilla, to corn and almond cream – all made daily in-house. What makes the ice cream “South American,” you ask? Much like gelato, the difference is in the fat content – in this case somewhere between ice cream and gelato. I tried the corn, which, sprinkled with cinnamon, tasted like a sweet, smooth corn pudding. And, though the fat content may have been lower, was plenty rich and creamy.
272 Bleeker St. (btwn. 6th and 7th Ave.)
Boasting Asian-inspired flavors such as green tea, and black sesame, Sundaes and Cones is not the place for an ice-cream purist. But for those adventurous souls, the biting wasabi, or creamy taro ice creams may just be the perfect antidote to a hot and stressful day. While those preferring a denser ice cream may be disappointed, I found the smooth, light, and almost fluffy texture just right.
95 East 10th St. (btw. 3rd and Lex.)
- Alice Preminger
2 Comments | Posted on June 21, 2011 | Categories: Attractions, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights & Dumbo, Dining, Event-Related, From the Blog, Williamsburg
These are the best!
INY you’re going to make me so fat lol i love the food suggestions!