Sweets News

I hear we're supposed to have another heat wave. At least through August 1, Rosa Mexicano has us covered; the restaurant is serving a selection of exotic Mexican ice cream and sorbet. Sea salt caramel, blueberry creme fraiche, sweet corn with caramel popcorn, and burnt milk with cinnamon-chocolate cookies are some of the ice cream flavors, while the sorbets include hibiscus-pomegranate and tomatillo-lime. There's also a variety of ice cream desserts. (Note: if you attend a free cooking demo on Saturday, July 17, you'll have a chance to win an ice cream maker. To register, call (212) 397-0666 x27 or E-mail dcastillo@rosamexicano.com.)

Rosa Mexicano: Various locations.

People's Pops

A most refreshing treat came to Chelsea Market three weeks ago: People's Pops. These exotic shaved ices and popsicles are made with locally sourced produce and come in flavors like plum-tarragon, spiced rhubarb and organic lemon. They have already proved so popular that the stand goes through a 75-lb. block of ice every day!

People's Pops: Chelsea Market: 75 Ninth Ave., people@peoplespops.com.

Sweets News

This just in: on Friday, Grom Gelato will open its third NYC store at Columbus Circle. Baby Vates and I just might head over there for some free samples!

Colson Patisserie

It hasn't taken long for the subway platforms to heat up, even though the weather has warmed only recently. The other day, I stepped off of the Park Slope F train, craving refreshment. Fortunately, a cool drink and a cup of gelato were only a block away. Colson Patisserie, which is known for scones and muffins which are wholesaled to cafes around the city (Cafe Grumpy is one), also makes its own gelato, sorbet and iced tea. The iced tea comes in mint, blood orange, pear, ceylon, chai, and pineapple papaya varieties, and the other day there was a special lemon-myrtle mint. As for gelato and sorbet, there are flavors like balsamic strawberry and brownie; the delicious Italian espresso dessert known as affogato is offered with a scoop of vanilla.

Colson Patisserie: 374 9th St., Brooklyn, (718) 965-6400.

Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe

Just in time for this summery weather, there's a new gelato shop. Melt's official opening is tomorrow, but tonight they are giving out free crepes and gelato (that's why there is such a crowd on 2nd Avenue between 55th and 56th, in case you were wondering). The coconut gelato is much too sweet for my taste, but the chocolate is good, if more on the milk chocolate end of the spectrum than the dark. There's also a fat-free mango flavor as well as raspberry and hazelnut.

Melt: 1053 2nd Ave., (646) 329-6445,

Single-Origin Chocolate Ice Cream!

"Single-origin" is quite the buzzword these days; not only you can buy coffee beans from Colombian farms, but you can decide whether you want your chocolate bar to be Venezuelan or Ecuadorian. Now, you can eat chocolate ice cream from Costa Rica, Ghana, Dominican Republic or Borneo! Choctal, a company which claims to offer "an essential chocolate and vanilla experience," distributes single-origin chocolate ice cream through Trader Joe's. I picked up a package of four cups today at the Queens location. Apparently, the Costa Rica cup features caramel notes, the Ghana has undertones of tropical fruit, the Dominican is aromatic and dark, and the Borneo has a "long, sumptuous finish."

Unfortunately, I'm only going to be able to try three cups, because the fourth is mysteriously absent from the freezer. I'm going to have to ask my companion about this.

The Secret Capogiro Gelato Stand

Last year, I wrote about the intense chocolate gelato of Philly-based Capogiro Gelato. I was so impressed by it that I went on a flavor-seeking frenzy, eventually ordering a case of six different pints. Among them was an incredibly refreshing pineapple-mint sorbet, which I finished in no time.

A few days ago, when the temperature hit 89, I had an inexplicable craving for something frozen and pineapple. I trolled the aisles of Whole Foods and my local bodegas, but the most pineappley thing I could find was a pint of Haagen-Dazs pineapple-coconut ice cream. Rich with cream and eggs, it just wasn't the light treat I craved - and it didn't have that addictive hint of mint.

So I went through my mental archive of food cravings, and realized that my desire dated to that Capogiro shipment one year ago! I went over to their Website, saw my favorite flavor (ananas con menta), and promptly placed an order.

Now, I can understand why you might balk at ordering an overnight shipment of 6 pints of gelato or sorbet, even if you really want to try this flavor. The good news is, you don't have to! Capogiro apparently operates a "secret" gelato stand at Rockefeller Center, on the stairs above Rock Center Cafe. (I say "secret" because Capogiro is not allowed to put their logo on anything aside from cups, or have a sign advertising the origin of the frozen treats.) The stand is open from 11 am-8pm, and it serves three flavors: bacio gelato, limone sorbet and that wonderful pineapple-mint sorbet. The mint is farmed by Capogiro's own farmer.

Of course, you might get to the point where one cup of pineapple-mint sorbet isn't enough. You'll need to stockpile some at home. In that case, order a shipment and take this tip from Capogiro chef/owner Stephanie Reitano: a scoop is great in a rum cocktail!

The Secret Capogiro Gelato Stand: Rockefeller Center, 20 West 50th St., on the stairs above the skating rink and Rock Center Cafe. Look for the orange umbrella.

New Grom Gelato Opening... TOMORROW!

Just in time for the warm weather, a free cup of super-premium gelato awaits you. I'll see you on Saturday, April 12, at 233 Bleecker Street!

Grom Gelato: 233 Bleecker St. Open from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Ronnybrook Milk Bar

I half expected to see a cow lumber into Ronnybrook Milk Bar - that's how fresh the milk is. And it's not just milk; it's ice cream, baked macaroni and cheese, milkshakes, yogurt, and sandwiches made with fresh dill farmer's cheese. Not for the lactose intolerant, but an indescribable pleasure for everyone else!

Today was the milk bar's eighth day of operation, and the place was already swarmed with people hellbent on ice cream. Ronnybrook serves cones, sundaes, and ice cream stuffed into cookie sandwiches and doughnut bowls. Ice cream is just about the only thing I didn't try today.

I sprung for the macaroni and cheese, asparagus soup, chocolate-covered strawberry milkshake and warm cookies. I also got to try the lavender milk and the "apple pie a la mode" drink, which was a milkshake of homemade apple compote, milk, vanilla ice cream and apple cider, dusted with cinnamon.

The macaroni and cheese was a ramekin of little elbows smothered in cheddar and topped with ultra-buttery, crisp breadcrumbs. Cheese melted and pooled in the bottom of the dish and I scraped it off with my fork. I looked at my bowl of soup with guilt; how on earth would I finish this bright green puree, its dollop of creme fraiche sporting a sprinkling of chives?

I decided to have it packed up so I could concentrate on my chocolate strawberry drink, a thick shake of fresh strawberries, chocolate milk and strawberry yogurt. It truly tasted like a chocolate-covered strawberry. And then there were the warm chocolate-chip cookies! "Where do you get the chocolate?" I asked, a helpless mess by this point. "It's a secret," the owner replied, cryptically.

Oh well. I guess the important thing is that all the dairy products come from Ronnybrook Farm!

Ronnybrook Milk Bar: Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave., (212) 741-6455.

Grom Gelato

"This is the line for gelato?" was the recurring comment people threw in my direction. The line, which I'd been waiting in for an hour and a half, stretched past Big Nick's Burgers, Jubilee, Beard Papa and Lush, to end at Grom, which was celebrating its grand opening in New York by offering free gelato. "Yes, this is the line," I sighed wearily. "Nuts," was the inevitable response.

People coped with the wait in different ways. Some enjoyed the passing spectacle of strollers and dogs. (Some onlookers, taking pity on us, even offered their dogs for petting so that we'd have something to do while we waited.) I was entertained by the creative rantings of a lunatic ("Merry Passover! Merry Passover!" shouted a bearded man. But was he any more insane than people who'd wait 2 hours for a cup of gelato?). I saw some people give up and walk away, and others cut in line.

Finally, after 2 hours of achy feet and various conversations with strangers about Havanese dogs and Hillary's presidential prospects, I reached the end of the line... to find that the extra-dark chocolate was... all gone.

I scratched my head. How could this be? It's not like there weren't other enticing selections; I saw regular chocolate, stracciatella, strawberries and cream, hazelnut, cappuccino, gianduja. There were also a few flavors of sorbetto and Sicilian granita. But ever since I got addicted to Capogiro's cioccolato scuro, I simply must have the deepest, darkest chocolate gelato!

Well, I settled for the regular chocolate with a side of fior di latte. The chocolate was really quite chocolatey, almost like semi-frozen fudge. I dare say it was chocolatey enough even for me. And the milky, silky fior di latte was the most luscious sweet cold cream.

I'll be back to Grom soon; I just hope the line lessens a little!

Grom Gelato: 2165 Broadway, (646) 290-7233.

The Most Chocolatey Gelato Ever

I know it's still 39 degrees outside, but I'm looking forward to summer days spent indulging in gelato. And I think I just found the most chocolatey gelato ever! Billed as "rich, black and serious," Capogiro's Cioccolato Scuro is not for the garden-variety chocoholic. It's for the diehard who wouldn't bat an eye at devouring an entire Valrhona Le Noir Extra Amer 85% chocolate bar.

The first ingredient in Cioccolato Scuro is cocoa. But if all this chocolate in one gelato is too intimidating, Capogiro also offers some lighter chocolate flavors: chocolate hazelnut with pieces of caramelized hazelnuts; chocolate banana; mint chocolate chip; Mexican chocolate with ancho chile, chipotle, cinnamon and bitter almonds; chocolate malt; and plain chocolate.

Where did I find Capogiro? At Whole Foods, which is gradually taking over Manhattan. (I wish the chain would spend some of its energy on neglected Queens!)

Ice Cream Season!

As the temperature approaches 90 degrees, you might be craving ice cream. Yesterday, I certainly was, and found myself at Whole Foods buying a pint of this and a pint of that. When I got home, I realized that I'd stumbled upon one of the most delicious ice creams in existence: Laloo's Goat's Milk Ice Cream. Whole Foods carries the Black Mission Fig, Deep Chocolate, Molasses Tipsycake and Vanilla Snowflake flavors. (I'm now on the lookout for Strawberry Darling: strawberries swirled in a balsamic vinegar reduction!)

The creamy, custardy Vanilla Snowflake was quite possibly the best vanilla ice cream I've ever eaten. (I enjoyed it with some Nairn's ginger biscuits and some ripe, plump California cherries.) Amazingly, I preferred the vanilla to the Deep Chocolate, which, although excellent, was slightly less rich than I expected.

The Molasses Tipsycake was a cinnamony, oatmeal-cookie-crumbled, raisin-studded affair. (Ben and Jerry's, eat your heart out!)

For those of you who aren't fond of the distinctive taste of goat's milk (I love it), Laloo's ice cream is quite mild.

Benoit

Delicious creamy frozen treats are popping up all over the city. Just two months ago, a wonderful new ice creamery/patisserie opened up on Lexington Avenue to the great delight of Upper East Siders. Benoit Gerin, a Jean-Georges alumnus who has produced fine ice cream in NYC since 1999, has debuted a refreshing menu of iced cakes, sorbets and coupes glacees. On a hot sunny day, what could be more appealing than the Special Benoit: a cup of mango, coconut and passionfruit sorbets topped with raspberry sauce and whipped cream? Or how about the Pear Belle Helene, a poached pear with vanilla and chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream? (For the diet-conscious, there is also the "skinny juice": carrot, orange and ginger juice. Somehow I think I'll be more focused on the fattening part of the menu.)

Benoit: 1212 Lexington Ave., (212) 327-4369.

Chaa Chaa

I never tire of chocolate ice cream. However, on those rare occasions when I venture beyond chocolate territory, I search out the exotic. Yesterday I went to Chaa Chaa, a small Thai cafe/bakery/ice cream shop which offers a truly unique selection of homemade ice cream flavors, such as black sticky rice, coconut black bean, jasmine palm, lychee and durian. (Yes, you read that correctly. The unlikely fruit seems to be taking Manhattan by storm, making appearances in the cream pie at 5 Ninth and the ice cream at Spice Market!) For those of you who prefer more conventional ice cream, there's also strawberry, pistachio and double dutch chocolate.

Chaa Chaa serves a three-course lunch special for $7, which includes a summer roll (basically a salad tightly wrapped into a thin rice flour tortilla), a choice of chicken or beef curry with rice, and ice cream. Who can resist a lunch special that includes ice cream!

Chaa Chaa: 244 E. 13th St., (212) 529-8770.

Mary's Dairy (CLOSED as of 10/07)

As I walked down West 4th St. on this warm spring day, I found myself craving chocolate ice cream. I was about to ignore this desire and hop on the subway when I noticed Mary's Dairy, a brand-new super-premium ice cream shop.

The chocolate options were numerous. "Exotic" flavors included "Sandy": Belgian chocolate with pieces of pistachio halvah, "Hawaii Five-O Callebaut": chocolate with Callebaut chips and macadamias, "White On White": French vanilla with white Callebaut chips, and "Ying Yang", milk chocolate with Valrhona chips. I opted for the latter, topped with a generous portion of thick-as-molasses "Inoue" bittersweet hot fudge. The ice cream was not overly sugary, but it was unbelievably creamy. The hot fudge was out of this world!

On a day in which I'm feeling even more decadent, I might try the "Too Much Is Just About Enough!": three scoops of ice cream sitting on a brownie, a Krispy Kreme donut and a homemade chocolate chip cookie!

Mary's Dairy: 171 West 4th St., (212) 242-6874.

Cones

On Blackout Thursday, I was struck by a mortal craving for the dark chocolate gelato at Cones. Alas, I was in the thick of the crowd on the Brooklyn Bridge, inching towards home. I could only daydream about this cold, creamy treat made with three kinds of Dutch and German chocolate. I thought of Cones' fresh homemade whipped cream and visualized the glass case full of scrumptious flavors. Although my heart belongs to the dark chocolate gelato, I also enjoy the chocolate almond and dulce de leche varieties. Needless to say, when the lights came back on, I made a beeline for Cones.

Cones: 272 Bleecker St., (212) 414-1795. Open till 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays!

Shimon's and Max & Mina's

I love randomly stumbling upon local legends. On a recent Sunday afternoon, there wasn't an empty seat in Shimon's. This kosher pizzeria opened in 1968 and features many non-pizza items on its dairy menu, including salmon croquettes and vegetarian liver! My favorite selections were a flaky hot bureka (savory filo triangle) filled with farmer cheese, and fat, crisp potato pancakes with plenty of sour cream. Greek salad was tasty although lacking in cucumbers, pizza was quite sauce-laden, and a whitefish salad with "everything" arrived covered with tasty tahini and sauerkraut. But it was the bureka which stuck in my mind... next time, I will order one filled with eggplant.

Do you care for your ice cream flavored with lox? Spicy hummus? Or is garlic more your preference? Right next door to Shimon's is a newer legend, the truly unusual Max & Mina's Homemade Ice Cream and Ices. Before you shudder in horror, let me assure you that the magenta horseradish ice cream offers a pleasant kick, and more conventional flavors are also superb. Chocolate ice cream is like a frozen rich chocolate pudding, and freshly brewed coffee ice cream is full of real java flavor. Max & Mina's will please all palates!

Shimon's: 71-24 Main St., Flushing. (718) 793-1491. Max & Mina's: 71-26 Main St., Flushing. (718) 793-8629.

Il Gelatone

I really wanted to like Uncle Louis G's (rapidly proliferating Italian ice/gelato chain). It is obvious that many others do, judging from the lines of customers sweating in the summer heat. But when I ordered a "spumoni" last night, I was unceremoniously presented with a cup of three colors of Play-Doh. Right then and there, I decided that I had to get serious about my gelato craving.

And so, I made my way to Il Gelatone: oasis of authentic gelato and sorbetto. Chocolate hazelnut gelato was assertively cocoa-y, with satisfying chunks of nut. Tiramisu gelato was milder and tasted of the requisite cocoa and mascarpone. Hazelnut gelato was subtly nutty and creamy, and the flavor of fig shone through clearly in the light lavender fig gelato. Sorbetti were offered in fruit flavors such as mango and strawberry. I was too engrossed in the more caloric offerings, but I promise to visit again to report on the more virtuous sorbetti. Or, if you invite me to accompany you, I will just take a bit of yours while I order the caramel gelato.

Il Gelatone: 397 3rd Ave. (212) 481-2093.

Grimaldi's Pizza and The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

Last night's culinary adventure was a trip to Grimaldi's Pizza and The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, both located by the river in Brooklyn. If you haven't been to Grimaldi's, let me tempt you: the thin-crusted pizza is topped with fresh mozzarella, not the shredded Velveeta that you find at so many Brooklyn pizzerias. Our favorite toppings are the sweet roasted red peppers (fresh, not canned) and the salty whole black olives (no tinny sliced olives here)!

We abstained from dessert (the usual suspects: tortoni, spumoni and cannoli) in order to visit the now-legendary Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, which has only been open since September 2001. Various neighbors are protesting the existence of the Factory, so if you want to support good ice cream, sign the petition. We already lost Pete's, open for 25 years, to a landlord who raised the rent by 75%; the Factory is a good alternative (although I miss the brownies at Pete's!).

The Factory is close to my heart because it uses Michel Cluizel Belgian chocolate in the hot fudge. So I went all out for the creamy chocolate chunk ice cream (HUGE dark chocolate chunks) with hot fudge and whipped cream! My partner chose the strawberry ice cream, a little milky and sweet for my taste. We will try the peaches and cream next time, as well as toppings like toasted almonds and caramel.

Grimaldi's: 19 Old Fulton St., Brooklyn. (718) 858-4300. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory: 2 Old Fulton St., Brooklyn. (718) 246-3963.