The Latest Scoop

With winter finally coming to a close and spring upon us it is once again becoming acceptable to eat ice cream at all hours of the day. Of course, I never stopped eating ice cream over the winter as I am a firm believer that ice cream is the best dessert no matter how cold it is outside, but now it makes a lot more sense to be eating tubs of ice cream at a time. I am the biggest ice-cream addict that I know; over the past spring vacation I ate at least one pint of ice cream every single night. As a huge ice cream fan I can say that the best ice cream and related desserts in the world are all in New York City.

New York is well known for its odd and unique foods, and it is no different with ice cream. My new favorite place to pick up a scoop is called OddFellows, with locations in Williamsburg and East Village. OddFellows of course nails all of the classics, but as their name might suggest, is much more well known for their flavors that are a bit more out of the ordinary.

OddFellows Ice Cream

On my first visit I was enticed by a flavor called Spicy Fig, which was a vanilla ice cream base with fig toppings and a variety of spices. The Spicy Fig ice cream was one of the most strange flavor experiences I have ever had in my life. When first taking a lick, the rich, sweet qualities of the vanilla ice cream come forward warming your soul like vanilla ice cream should. But after the ice cream rests on your tongue for a few seconds an intensely spicy flavor comes to the forefront. And it’s not just a hint of spice, it was extremely spicy, so much so that I actually felt like I needed a glass of water after finishing the the whole scoop. What made the ice cream so good was that while being so spicy, it still maintained the creamy qualities ice cream should have, so every lick is a cycle of intense heat followed by refreshing milk.

It must sound quite weird, but I loved it so much I came back for it several days in a row until it moved off the list of flavors. The OddFellows constantly change their flavors as to continuously keep their customers on their toes, always introducing crazy new flavors like Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Carrot Cake Cream Cheese. Of course they are willing to give as many free samples as you need to find your perfect flavor, so there is no need to worry about taking risks for the more adventurous flavors. Their flavors for any given day can be accessed on their website.

The High Line- Wikimedia

There are many other delicious frozen treats scattered across the city. Another great treat is the Italian ice. Located all over Manhattan are Ralph’s Famous Italian Ice’s. With over 40 different flavors of Italian ices that melt as soon as they leave your spoon, one could never get bored. Even another frozen delicacy is the ice pop. Along the High Line in Chelsea are several ice pop stands that make wonderfully refreshing ice pops fresh every day. Some vendors will even make shaved ice by shaving off of a huge chunk of ice as you order.

So as you walk around New York City this hot summer, be sure to stop to get one of these great frozen treats to keep you cool!