PrintFirst Taste of the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck
Editor's note: Every afternoon we like to post a short Sugar Rush to end your day. Think of it as the dessert to your daily blog reading. Today our resident Sugar Rush expert Kathy YL Chan hits up the new Van Leeuwan Ice Cream Truck. —Zach
Manhattan has recently been bombarded (and that's a good thing!) with new ice cream trucks, shops, and stops. Our own Ed Levine just checked out Duane Park and Odeon, and the other night I was lucky enough to happen upon the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck parked on the corner of University Place between 11th and 12th streets. The prices at the truck range from $3.50 for a small to $6.75 for a large. I recommend the small; they'll let you combine two flavors and it's just the right size.
With tempting sirens of currants and cream, pistachio, gianduja and a few more calling on the brief menu, I indulged in scoops of espresso and ginger. Both flavors were promising upon the first spoonful, especially the dark, almost chocolately espresso, but a few more dabbles proved otherwise. The ginger was marked by icy shards that outweighed the speckles of candied ginger, while the espresso left memories of gritty bits. With that said, Van Leeuwen has potential, especially with the quality of ingredients employed. Let's hope they're simply working out initial kinks and will be part of the community long enough for improvement.
Set times and locations for the truck are still being worked out, but you are pretty sure to find them seven days a week from Noon to 7 p.m. on the corner of Greene and Prince in Soho. After 7 p.m. they have been parking on University between 11th and 12th streets, but that spot is not entirely solidified. A second truck will likely be unveiled in the next week or two, and at that point locations will be finalized, and availalbe on their website.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
2 Comments:
I tried the chocolate-hazelnut and was disappointed. Very heavy cream and egg taste, but hardly any chocolate-hazelnut. It was really stiff too, even when it was hot outside.
thesu at 10:19PM on 06/26/08
We tried the espresso flavor last Friday. Not wildly impressive - also noticed the ice shards. Then again, we had just had some gelato from Grom, so our palattes weren't exactly neutral. I'd try Van Leeuwen again - the guys manning the truck were very friendly about answering customers questions about the ice cream and ingredients.
SMDNY at 11:19AM on 07/03/08