New York Ice Cream: Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

Scoops 2 - New York City Entry #7

The ice cream trust must have called in heavy favors for mid-September to boil the souls of New Yorkers. The Brooklyn Heights Promenade had the aspect of Marsailles in July.

Under the Brooklyn Bridge at the Fulton Ferry Landing Pier (a stone's throw from the River Café) sits the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, a highly regarded establishment (with a few indoor tables and a plaza with a spectacular view of lower Manhattan and that magnificent monster of a bridge.

After waiting on a substantial line (far longer than at Grimaldi's Pizza), I selected scoops of Peaches and Cream and Vanilla Chocolate Chunk. BICF serves a mere eight flavors (Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Butter Pecan, among others). These folks are purists.

Their ice cream base is as good as I can recall. It is creamy and sweet without being obese. It is super-premium ice cream, but without that excess that sometimes characterizes ice creams that feel the need to flaunt their luxury. Like great ice cream, the flavor profile should rely on a taste of half-and-half, rather than whipping cream.

With this base, one wishes that they added brave flavors to their suave cream. Both ice creams lacked powerful tastes. Although small bits of peach were present - and unlike many peach ice creams they were not half-frozen - they did not produce the child's peach memories that such a late-summer delight demanded. This was no Madeleine de la Pêche. If only the makers took "Peaches" as seriously as they took "And Cream."

One can say the same of Vanilla Chocolate Chunk. I couldn't find vanilla in a selection more precisely labeled "Chocolate Chunk and Cream."

Some home-made ice cream artisans offer an option that they modestly describe as "Plain." I cannot think of a more pleasant setting to sample ice cream plain and simple.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
Fulton Ferry Landing Pier
Old Fulton Street (and Water Street)
Brooklyn
718-246-3963

http://www.vealcheeks.blogspot.com

While in Manhatten for a week recently, we tried Ciao Bella gelato, which is spottily available here in SW Ohio; there seems to be an occasional supply/delivery problem out of their Chicago distributor. We've found that Godiva's Belgian Dark Chocolate, a widely-available ice cream, seems fairly close to an actual Italian product. What are New Yorkers' favorite brands? We've had okay gelato in Savannah and very good in Charleston. Too bad it isn't the default ice cream in the US; Italians have it soooo good!

The best gelato I've ever had, by far, is Il Labaratorio in Manahattan's lower east side (across from the tenement musesum).