Food + Drink
FOOD: End-of-Summer Ice Cream Countdown: Days 14-12
With September 1st just around the corner and no time to waste not eating ice cream, this week I headed to the best of the Brooklyn parlors, where all my expectations were blown away by what I found there (of course).
Sunday, 8/18/13 - Brooklyn Larder
George Bluth, Senior, I know how you feel. Lucille would have good reason to be jealous if he got his nefarious hands on one of Brooklyn Larder’s ice cream sandwiches. I happened upon this place while walking to Ample Hills Creamery, my intended destination, and it looked promising even if there was no ice cream inside, with shelves and shelves of specialty food items. In a small freezer near the back is where I saw them: stacks of bars wrapped in paper with stickers that spoke of fior di latte, caramel, pistachio… The gelato is their own, sandwiched lovingly by the classic rectangles of dark, soft chocolate cookies: unencumbered by extravagant flavors and textures, it is a simple, perfect ode to a childhood favorite.
Monday, 8/19/13 - Ample Hills Creamery
Since opening, Ample Hills has garnered so much recognition for the quality of its ice cream – using local ingredients and fresh flavorings - it’s hard not to get excited when stepping into the shop. Their most famous flavor – Salted Crack Caramel, a salted butter caramel ice cream with cookies made of saltines, butter, sugar and chocolate – looked like molten gold, and was The Richest, The Most Buttery, The Most Flavorful Ice Cream I’ve ever tasted. The superlatives are deserved. If you somehow don’t want that life-changing experience, I also highly recommend Nonna D’s Oatmeal Lace, a brown sugar and cinnamon ice cream flecked with oatmeal lace cookies, tasting like some kind of wonderful. Two ample hills of goodness.
Tuesday, 8/20/13 - SkyIce Sweet & Savory
This cute shop on 5th serves up what I’ve seen to be the most exotic flavors of ice cream and sorbet so far. Their menu lists Cucumber Lime, Peach Sour Cream, White Miso Almond, Mangosteen, Black Sesame Seaweed, and more, each sounding a little more strange, and a little more intriguing than the last. Summer Mix, with aloe, mint and dragon fruit, was first appealing to me, but when I asked for a recommendation, I was steered towards Thai Tea. I had tried this flavor at previously visited spots, but was glad when I tasted this one – brilliant orange in color, SkyIce’s has an intense, roasted tea flavor and meets the sweet cream head-on for a nice, happy medium. White Miso Almond was much better than it sounds, and each flavor I tried justified going back to taste those I had missed the first time around.
More Brooklyn icy eats to come...
