The Best Ice Cream Treats – Summer 2014
In general, we have a hard time playing favorites amongst desserts, like chewy cookies, rich wedges of cake and sticky slivers of pie. But once it gets broilingly hot outside, there’s one sweet we crave more than all the rest, and that’s cool, dripping Ice Cream.
We love it all — from cups and cones to sundaes and shakes, in flavors both simple (Vanilla and Butter Pecan) and funky (think Banana Curry and Chinese Red Bean). That’s why we’ve rounded up an array of awesome Scoop Shops to see you through the summer season, including Morgenstern’s, a new, out-of-the-box Lower East Side ice cream parlor, and Eggers, a 1930’s-era, Staten Island classic. This is Restaurant Girl’s 2014 Essential Guide to New York’s Best Scoops…
Morgenstern’s
Goat Town’s Nick Morgenstern just opened this modern ice cream shop on the Lower East Side, offering small batch, preservative-free scoops in highly unique flavors and variations. Instead of plain old Vanilla or Chocolate, choose from Szechuan Peppercorn, Fernet Black Walnut or Cardamom Lemon Jam, and a host of over-the-top sundaes include the “New God Flow” with Melting Raw Milk ice cream, Japanese white bread, and caramelized honey, and the “Dream NY” with Labne sorbet, pickled pineapple, olive oil, and papalo, a cilantro-esque Mexican herb.
Read MoreBubby’s High Line
When one door closes, another opens. Comfort food favorite, Bubby’s, may have shuttered their Brooklyn location a short while back, but they’ve since become an especially welcome addition to the High Line, launching an old-timey soda shop selling Black & White Malteds, Brown Cows, Sour Cherry Phosphates, and gleefully gloppy Banana Splits. And this being Bubby’s, be sure to try one of their sinful Pie Shakes; ice cream incorporated with a smushed slice of Local Apple, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Key Lime or Banoffee (banana, brown sugar and toffee), pie.
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Hay Rosie Ice Cream Co.
Newly opened in Carroll Gardens, Hay Rosie is actually a manufacturing plant, which opens on weekends as a tasting room. (How cool is that?) Owner Stef Ferrari makes her bases, mix-ins and toppings from scratch, and you’ll find her signature square, single-serve containers at both the Brooklyn shop and in select stores, filled with Mexican Muscavado Caramel, Sriracha Popcorn and Salted Lemon Cream. And you won’t want to miss the hot ice cream sandwiches known as Barnburners, using ‘shells,’ such as hollowed-out pretzel rolls, stuffed with ice cream and toppings and pressed on a griddle.
Read MoreRonnybrook Milk Bar
Since Ronnybrook starts with the freshest dairy products possible (they have a third-generation family farm in the Hudson Valley), it’s a given that their Chelsea Market-based eatery churns out some seriously stellar ice cream. Try one of their custom shakes (which combine both their milk and ice cream), such as Blueberry Pomegranate, Chocolate Orange Peel or Pumpkin Pie, a decadent Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, featuring housebaked cookies, or a simply Enormous Ice Cream — three scoops of Oreo, Rum Raisin, PB+J, Nutella or Pineapple served in a cup or a cone.
Read MoreAlchemy Creamery
Thanks to this Long Island City-based startup, lactose intolerant diners can have their ice cream and eat it, too. Made with hazelnut, almond and coconut milk blends, their sweets are dairy and gluten-free, as well as certified kosher and vegan. And yes, they’re actually legitimately delicious! So stop by Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg for a taste of Salted Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chai and Green Tea ice cream, or even a Magic Wand — their grown-up version of the push-up pop in flavors, like Almond Marzipan, layered with cookie crumbs and crunchy almond slivers.
Read MoreSteve’s Key Lime Pies
What could be better than one of this beloved Red Hook shop’s exceedingly fresh, handheld key lime pies? How about their seasonal Swingle, one of those self-same pies, planted on a stick and robed in dark chocolate (and in the case of an occasional special, raspberry puree?) If there’s anything better than eating a Steve’s Swingle in the summertime, strolling the Red Hook waterfront in full view of the cityscape and the Statue of Liberty, we’ve yet to find it.
Read MoreThe Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
A fixture on Chinatown’s Bayard Street since 1978, this brightly colored ice cream shop is considered an unofficial Landmark in the area. The menu of frozen sweets is divided into two sections, listing a variety of “regular flavors” (Almond Cookie, Black Sesame, Egg Custard, Lychee, Taro and yes, Durian), as well as more “exotic options,” such as Chocolate Chip, Rocky Road, Vanilla, Pistachio and Strawberry. Ha!
Read MoreEggers Ice Cream Parlor
Now boasting multiple locations throughout Staten Island, this nostalgic parlor has been in the ice cream business since the 1930’s. So you can bet they know a thing or two about constructing the Ultimate Egg Cream. Lest we forget classics, the likes of Milk Shake, Ice Cream Soda or Banana Royale — three scoops of Chocolate Chip Mint, Maple Walnut or Cherry Vanilla, plus two toppings like Hot Fudge, Peanut Brittle Crunch or Reese’s Pieces, finished with a crown of whipped cream.
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