Big City, Little Kitchen

Few things are more evocative of childhood summer nights than an ice cream truck. Fidgeting anxiously on the sidewalk as the truck wends its way down the block, grimy fists clutching coins and dollar bills, seriously deliberating the choice at hand: maybe these memories are why everyone has such visceral feelings toward ice cream. It doesn’t just taste good, it reminds us of innocent, happy times.

And speaking of happy: I was borderline ecstatic when I heard about the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream truck parked downtown. As outlined more extensively in this Gourmet.com post, the business is run with extreme attention to detail and quality, from the absence of corn syrup to the use of environmentally-friendly cups and utensils. Besides that, the product is delicious! I loved Pistachio, made using a particular type of pistachio from Sicily; the taste is not overly sweet, and the scoops are a beautiful, muted green. The Red Currant flavor is subtly-flavored, creamy vanilla ice cream studded with brilliant red, fresh currants, sourced from upstate New York. Other flavors include coffee, gianduja, and ginger.

The Van Leeuwen truck can be found in SoHo, at the corner of Prince and Greene Streets, every day from 12 to 7 pm, at which point it meanders up to the NYU area, parking at University Place and 10th Street until 10 pm (dangerously close to the Dessert Truck).