I don”™t scream for ice cream because I”™m not a baby (although my wife might not agree,) but I do desire, crave and positively need a good ice cream hit a couple of times a week.
True, cream of any kind is my weakness. La Grande Cascade restaurant in Paris, a beloved spot I often visited as a child, still serves desserts with a choice of heavy “pouring” cream, a heavier cream akin to clotted cream and whipped Chantilly cream. If you choose to have all three on your profiteroles or even your ice cream, no one turns a hair. Ça c”™est normal for the indulgent Parisians and delicious it is, too.
Commercial French ice cream, like the popular Berthillon brand, distinguishes itself by using a greater than usual amount of egg yolks, which give added depth and custard-like creaminess. Here in the United States, Häagen Dazs has long been the gold standard for “luxury” store-bought ice cream, with its egg content relatively high and added air content relatively low, although its dependence on combination flavors, rather than simple, “true” ones has, in my view, somewhat diminished our ability to discriminate.
Which is why, when we go to Italy, or taste gelato (which is simply ice cream by its Italian name,) we recognize the difference. In good “gelato,” there is both purity and intensity of flavor, with less fat and less air than its American counterpart.
Reverting to the French model, I”™ve long admired the rich ice cream churned by Pete and Ben Van Leeuwen at their factory in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and available in markets and their own branded Van Leeuwen outlets throughout the country. There are now 41 of these, from New York to California with many points in between.
Ice cream fiend that I am, I was excited to learn about their latest “scoop shop,” as they call it, in Darien, which opened in the Darien Commons Mall in April, alongside upscale neighbors like Sweetgreen and Warby Parker. With 20 people already waiting ahead of us on line, the new mall”™s lack of landscaping or aesthetic appeal clearly wasn”™t putting people off the day I visited, with my two tasting helpers. These Van Leeuwen guys must be doing something right, we thought.
Well, up to a point. Out of the four staff members present, one was robotically wiping down a cabinet while staring into space; another was grappling with a recalcitrant milkshake blender; a third was standing doing nothing, waiting to take sporadic payments; while the fourth was valiantly struggling to scoop ”“ and to cope.
At the front of the line at last, I asked for an initial scoop of vanilla in a cup ”“ “a very good place to start,” as Maria von Trapp sings in “The Sound of Music.”
“Sorry, no vanilla,” came the disheartening reply. “We”™ve run out.” (Well, vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream.) Under pressure and with no Plan B at this point, I opted for vegan PB Brownie Honeycomb. While a little sweet for my taste, it was dense and creamy with a gentle crunch. (“PB” is, of course, peanut butter, although it could just as easily stand for “Pete” and “Ben.”)
Between the three of us we went on to sample four more flavors, with comments faithfully reported below.
Vegan strawberry shortcake: “Overly sweet, bubble gum-forward, claggy texture.”
Big Face coffee affogato: “Great, authentic coffee flavor, smooth consistency, though it didn”™t quite capture the punch of a strong espresso hitting cold vanilla ice cream, as implied in the name.”
Pistachio: “Pale, slightly insipid green color belied a beautifully sunny, ripe pistachio flavor.”
Earl Grey Tea: “Subtly captured real Earl Grey flavor ”“ black tea with a hint of bergamot ”“ in a smooth ice cream base.”
As they were also out of regular whipped cream, I tried the vegan whipped cream alternative. It tasted of coconut and processed cheese.
When I asked our overstretched scooper about the bomboloni ”“ Italian donuts filled with ice cream that I had seen advertised as being unique to the new Darien shop ”“ he said he had never heard of them. He suggested an ice cream sandwich instead, two scoops of ice cream between two cookies. Although I did not try it, it is apparently a best seller.
Along with milkshakes and a good selection of toppings, Van Leeuwen sells its ice cream in pints to take out, as well as its own ice cream bars in boxes of six. The bars, which by the way are excellent, are certified kosher. (The ice cream is not).
The day after the visit, I received a text from Van Leeuwen, which had craftily captured my number when I paid my bill. “We hope you enjoyed your visit as much as we enjoyed your visit,” said the rather glib message. That sentiment felt a little hollow, since there was no obvious sign that anyone behind the counter had enjoyed our visit. Indeed, I think the young and hopelessly undertrained staff would have been happier had we not been there at all.
On the one hand, I continue to enjoy the Van Leeuwen brand ”“ and, old sap that I am, I”™m crazy for its packaging by the way ”“ but I do think socks can be pulled up. On the other hand, with that line snaking into the parking lot, the customers seemed happy enough, so perhaps I”™m just talking out of my ice cream cone.
For more, visit vanleeuwenicecream.com.
