My Newest Project

Those that know me well know that I love to tackle big projects. For instance, I'm currently watching all the Oscar nominated films. It's going to take me years to get through them all, but it's all about the journey and less about the finish line. I'm also going to all of Time Out New York's 100 Best Things to Eat and Drink. So I like going through lists and finding new things (whether it be an interesting dish or a great old movie).

So my newest project has to involve ice cream, of course. I discovered this pretty popular book called The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. And I decided to follow all of his recipes and make all the different ice creams, sorbets, toppings, etc. that are listed. For the last year or two, I have been creating my own recipes. And I think going through a professional's recipes will be a huge learning experience for me. There's different ways of making all sorts of flavors and I'll take what I like and what I don't like from his ideas and then eventually make them my own.

I also realize there's this movie coming out called Julie and Julia which is based on the true story of this woman who decided to cook all of Julia Childs' recipes in her New York apartment. And then of course she wrote a book and then it became a huge hit and now a movie starring Meryl Streep. Well, my idea is completely unrelated (just a coincidence) and I certainly don't expect Meryl Streep to play me in a movie one day. She's a really good actress, but not quite that good.

My Arch-Nemesis

So when Keri and I were talking about starting an ice cream company last year, our most promising idea was an old fashioned ice cream truck. We had all these great ideas and were getting really excited about it. Then we discovered Ben Van Leeuwen on the internet. He basically had our concept, but was much further along and had proclaimed he would be taking over the world (not quite, but something close). He had plans for numerous ice cream trucks in the city, on the west coast, and packaged ice cream in Whole Foods.

Well, the summer is upon us once again and I've heard more and more about these new Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Trucks. I've even seen the product in Whole Foods as promised. Keri and I were quick to poo-poo him and his ice cream business. It seems the ice cream is made at a farm in upstate New York - cheating! And his ten flavors never change - boring! But he uses all natural and the freshest possible ingredients available. For instance, his hazelnuts all come from Piedmont, the vanilla comes from Papa New Guinea, and his coffee, of course, is Fair Trade Colombian. And his cups and spoons are all made from corn husks to help the environment and our health.

All of these promises are well and good, but does it matter if the ice cream itself isn't spectacular?

We found ourselves in Williamsburg for brunch the day after July Fourth. It was a beautiful day outside and we came upon this huge line outside a truck. It was the one and only, much derided Van Leeuween Ice Cream Truck. We had to finally try this for ourselves!!!

The line itself was ridiculously long and we watched him lose customers as the one employee could not keep up at a steady pace. But we persisted. The employee was very friendly and the truck itself is sleekly designed. The first taste I had was the one special flavor - Earl Gray. It was tasty. Lemony and light.

We decided on Strawberry and Coffee. I was a little disappointed to say that the ice cream was pretty good. The flavors were all there and they were fresh and the mouthfeel was soft and refreshing. I wanted to hate this so much, but the product was more than acceptable.

The one criticism I can point out is that the ice cream itself didn't have a whole lot of depth. The flavors were very on the surface and they were good. But I like to be surprised and hope the flavors will get deeper as I eat. They were definitely good, but not extraordinary.

Regardless, I reluctantly recommend waiting in line (if you have the time!) for the ice cream. Van Leeuwen beat us to it, but there's always room for more than one ice cream truck in this city. And ours would be completely different. So I've made peace with my arch-nemesis and realized this town just might be big enough for the both of us