There are those who eat ice cream only in the summer and those who eat it year round. Although I don’t eat it nearly as much as I did when I lived in Boston (which seems to be more of an ice cream town), my ice cream habits lean toward the latter group: I’ll have a scoop any time of year. So I was thrilled when I saw the Van Leeuwen truck during a walk with my toddler. There it was on Fifth Avenue near Union Square. But if you’re not ambling around during the day as I am, you can find out their locations via twitter: VLAIC. This is artisanal ice cream at its finest, with high end ingredients (gianduja & Michel Cluizel chocolate, organic vanilla beans soaked in vodka, to name a few) and flavors like hazelnut, red current, cinnamon and my choice that afternoon, Earl Grey tea. Since ice cream isn’t necessarily a hot commodity this time of year, they also serve coffee and tea, and next time I think I’ll order the affogato: ice cream & espresso. Van Leeuwen has been around for a couple of years now, but I’m still grateful that the old-fashioned notion of an ice cream truck has been perked up.
Visit Van Leeuwen’s web site for more information.
