Image via Complex Original
Patrick Judabong - photographer, DJ, and founder of the Fat Bastard Crew, known to the world as Buddhabong. He has traveled the world in search of stunning images, great beats, and the best eats. Currently, you can catch him getting fat in and around New York City.
Dust off the air conditioner and break out the fan, it's summer time. Want a better way to feel refreshed than something you have to plug in? Try devouring some ice cream. This month I bring you a list of my favorite places to get ice cream in NYC. Whether you're looking for great takes on straight flavors, or you're more into plentiful and rare toppings, the locations here are all must-visit. Perfectly timed since the heat wave just arrived, these locations will keep you cool and sugared up during those sweltering hot summer days.
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
Address: 65 Bayard St.
Website: chinatownicecreamfactory.com
After grabbing cheap eats in Chinatown experience, make your last stop the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. With 28 years in the biz, this family-run shop creates notable Asian and non-Asian inspired flavors.
I ordered the lychee and red bean flavors. One would expect the lychee to be extremely sweet but it surprised with subtlety (and bits of the fruit in the cream itself). The red bean also came chunky. Its sweetness conjured taste memories of red bean soup, never a bad thing. Both flavors were light, airy, and well balanced. This ice cream has been carefully churned for excellence.
Other Notable Flavors: Green Tea, Taro, and Egg Tart.
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
Address: 125 East 7th St.
Website: biggayicecream.com
Spawned from the popular dessert truck that originally hit the streets back in '09, the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop has truly come into its own, offering classic soft serve with creative toppings served by fun, good people.
I ordered the very popular Bea Arthur. The inner cone is lined with dulce de leche then filled with the vanilla soft serve, which is then injected with dulce de leche and covered all over with ‘nilla wafers.
Every single bite of the top portion of the ice cream insures you taste the creamy but dense soft serve and carefully implanted dulce de leche. The wafer provides great texture and crunch. There's a pleasant surprise at the bottom of the cone, but that's for you to find out. The pinch of salt in the dulce de leche is phenomenal.
The humongous serving size is great for the price point, too.
Other Notable Flavors: Salty Pimp and Gobbler
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
Address: Fulton Ferry Landing Pier, 1 Water St., Brooklyn
Website: brooklynicecreamfactory.com
With an awe-inspiring Manhattan view, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is located on the water's edge in DUMBO. The ice cream shop has been turning out mouth-watering cold stuff since it opened in 2001.
No beating around the bush: The butter pecan is the flavor of choice. Rich, creamy and sweet, each serving is bountiful, full of toasted almond bites. Order with a sugar or waffle cone depending on your crunch preference.
If you go to one ice cream shop in New York, make it this one. Classic cones, and a classic view.
Other Notable Flavors: Strawberry and Coffee.
Il Laboratorio Del Gelato
Address: 188 Ludlow St.
Website: laboratoriodelgelato.com
Since 2002, Il Laboratorio Del Gelato has created delicious, hand-made gelato. Located in the historic area of the Lower East Side, this shop humbly serves hundreds of thousands of people every year.
I first ordered the toasted almond and cinnamon flavors. The toasted almond had a smoked nut flavor; each was bite full of almond butter. The cinnamon flavor had a slight kick that reminded me of hot tamales candy. Both were quite rich.
For my second round, I went with black sesame and strawberry. The black sesame revealed small chunks of seeds, providing great texture (though they might stick in your teeth). The strawberry was surprisingly tart and very smooth, a great choice for those who like a sweet and sour-tasting ice cream.
Mix and match your favorite flavors for an ultimate taste bud adventure.
Other Notable Flavors: Banana, Lavender, Malt, and Earl Grey.
Ample Hills Creamery
Address: 623 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn
Website: amplehills.com
Inspired by the poetry of Walt Witman, Ample Hills Creamery is a hidden gem in Prospect Heights. The friendly staff and classic interior decorating enhance what's already an incredible ice cream experience.
I inhaled the Bananamon and Sweet Cream n' Cookies this last visit. The Bananamon is made of organic bananas, Saigon cinnamon and vanilla wafers. It’s like eating a banana pudding, but in ice cream form. The cinnamon at times overpowers the banana, but mostly the sweet treat maintains its balance. The wafers offer a consistent crunch. The Sweet Cream n' Cookies tells no lies: It is sweet. If drugs were made from all-natural Back to Nature sandwich cream cookies, drugs would be like this flavor. Actually, if drugs were ice cream, Ample Hills would be moving the most weight. It's that good.
Other Notable Flavors: Stout n' Pretzels and Salted Crack Caramel.