Food + Drink
FOOD: End-of-Summer Ice Cream Countdown: Days 20-15
Were you expecting me to be done after seven days straight of ice cream? Not even a chance. Read on to discover another week's worth of icy treats:
Monday, 8/12/13 - The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
A testament to Chinatown's popularity: all the flavors I went there to try were out by then time I arrived that evening! I found no luck with the black sesame or cherry pistachio, but I did get to taste their corn cream, lychee, and orange-pineapple, which was especially fun with multi-colored mochi bites on top.
Tuesday, 8/13/13 - Je & Jo
Think of it as an inside-out ice cream sandwich: at Je & Jo, the ice cream, packed in little dixie cups (of nostalgia), is layered with specialty cookie dough in the middle. A rotating mix of enticing flavors fills their fridges; I went seasonal with mint ice cream and lemon-lavender shortbread cookie dough. It smelled heavenly – the bright mint was clearly visible – and the cookie dough was lightly flavored but just fragrant enough. I’m going to have to make a special trip back for this month's cocktail flavor, though - the Pimm's Cup.
Wednesday, 8/14/13 - Itizy Ice Cream Truck
Itizy’s turquoise gourmet ice cream truck is so fun and stylish, you know your tastebuds are in for a treat before you even taste their handcrafted, small-batch flavors. The strawberry sour cream flavor is outstanding, top class stuff: a little tang goes a long way with the sweet berries, making it the perfect adult update to a childhood favorite of mine. Lots of flecks of fresh strawberry are evenly dispersed throughout, and it's ultra smooth.
Thursday, 8/15/13 - Grom
You can never go wrong with Grom. This Italian gelato spot has gotten worldwide acclaim and there's no doubt why when you taste what they've got. I chose their blueberry - so fresh, if someone blindfolded me I would have thought I was handed a scoop of just-picked blueberries crushed with ice and sugar - and a special, the Sicilian Cassata, made in the likeness of the famous Sicilian dessert, with the works - sheep's milk, candied fruits, and pizzuta almonds.
Friday, 8/16/13 - Emack & Bolio's
Their new flavor Bananas Foster - bananas, rum, brown sugar and cinnamon - tastes just like boozy banana bread. I pictured it melting over French toast. The stuff of a fat kid’s daydreams.
Saturday, 8/17/13 - Victory Garden
Time to try some soft-serve! As if that wasn’t enough to get me going on my 12th day of ice cream, this soft serve is made with goat’s milk. Sure, Victory Garden, be that much more delicious, why don’t you? It was time for some chocolate, so choosing something called "Chocolate Victory" was very reassuring. Victory Garden makes their chocolate soft serve with Mexican stone ground chocolate, which added a deep, bold chocolate flavor to the ultra-rich and smooth ice cream. I couldn't resist adding rainbow sprinkles - it was about time for those, too.
14 days of August ice cream left! Have a favorite ice cream parlor? Think your favorite Italian Ice place deserves a shout out? Leave it in the comments! Heading to Brooklyn and Queens next...
