Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 5, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Our ten days of Pumpkin Sugar Rushes are over, but that doesn't mean I have any intention of stopping my consumption of pumpkin desserts. After all, the season doesn't last forever! Whether it be the pumpkin cocktail over at PDT, or Tafu's Wabi-Sabi tea-infused pumpkin cupcakes, there is absolutely no shortage of pumpkin sweets in our city. The newest dessert to join the seasonally inclined roll of Otto gelatos is the pumpkin copetta. Generous scoops of positively silky and delicately spiced gelato, concocted from sweet Cheese Pumpkins, are piled above nutty almond crumble. It then gets topped with whole buttered pecans, cherries for a puckery tart, and a plush finish of mascarpone crema. Not pumpkin-related, but also of note is that our chilly weather has finally ushered back in the warm mugs of Gianduja Chocolate (buttery shortbread included!) onto the menu at Otto. Almost makes you wish it was winter all year long…
Otto
One Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10003 (map)
212-995-9559
ottopizzeria.com
Brooklyn Paper asks this week if the best gelato in New York City is being served out of the back of a tanning salon? The answer is yes. Yes it is.
Posted by Ed Levine, August 5, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Editor's note: Every afternoon we post a short Sugar Rush to end your day. Think of it as the dessert to your daily blog reading. —Zach
I'm an affogato freak, so I really appreciated Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite's affogato roundup in yesterday's New York Magazine. They are partial to the affogati served at Barbuto, P*ong, I Sodi, Fiamma, Otto, and Wakiya. The Otto version is pretty great, but I don't care how good the affogato might be at Wakiya—I'm still not going to plunk down my hard-earned money there.
Robin and Rob failed to mention one of my faves, whipped up at Esca by pastry chef Alicia Richards. A shot of espresso, a scoop of housemade caramel gelato, with some crunch-adding crocante (pralines made with nuts and caramel) as the pièce de résistance. It's a creamy jolt of heaven. 402 W 43rd Street, New York NY 10036 (on Ninth Avenue; map); 212-564-7272
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, August 1, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Olive oil gelato, while justly delicious, seems to be the only thing everyone talks about with regards to dessert at Otto. Let us not forget that there remains a plethora of sublime flavors deserving equal attention: salty caramel, hazelnut stracciatella and balsamic strawberry, just to name a few. And how can we neglect other desserts, like the brioche sandwiches, coppettas and my current favorite, the black and white. This aptly named creation features alternating layers of milk chocolate chip and creme fraiche gelato, with crackly shards of hazelnut brittle. Warm chocolate sauce and a generous turn of plush caramel crema make it perhaps a touch too indulgent—but then again, is indulgence not the purpose of dessert?
Otto
One Fifth Avenue, New York City NY 10003 (nr. Eighth Street; map)
212-995-9559
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, July 8, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Editor's note: Every afternoon we like to post a short Sugar Rush to end your day. Think of it as the dessert to your daily blog reading. —Zach
Il Laboratorio del Gelato's recently reconfigured shop makes it all the more easy to simply pop up to the open street window and order two, three, or even four scoops. Flavors are still evenly divided between gelato in the left-hand case and sorbets in the right, all starting at $3.25 for a small.
We were tempted by the lemon and basil sorbet, along with a tart black plum number. But gelato never fails to win our favor in the end; we've yet to taste a flavor that disappoints. We enjoyed a cup of buttery smooth and mild green tea with vanilla bean, as well as a separate cone with a particularly delightful amaretto crunch piled over nut-speckled pistachio. Could there be a sweeter way to cool off?
Il Laboratorio del Gelato
95 Orchard Street, New York NY 10002 (b/n Broome and Delancey Streets; map)
212-343-9922
laboratoriodelgelato.com
Posted by Ed Levine, June 27, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Over on Serious Eats we've asked folks to help us settle controversies surrounding strawberry ice cream (whether it's wonderful or not) and vanilla ice cream (whether the vanilla bean specks are a sure sign of superior vanilla ice cream). Who better to weigh in, with her considerable cred in this area, than Otto's resident gelato and sorbetto genius, Meredith Kurtzman? Kurtzman is the gelato-maker who has given us the heavenly olive oil flavor available at Mario Batali's pizzeria and enoteca.
Ed,
I'd like to throw my hat into the strawberry ice cream ring. We're using local strawberries—no frozen bits—and it's a contender I think. The fragrance that you get from vanilla beans cannot be matched by extract. I'll stand by this until someone shows me the money. Also,this week at Otto, very creamy cantaloupe and nectarine sorbets. More summer fruit in the pipeline (if I only could afford to make raspberry).
Regards,
Meredith, Otto
Otto: 1 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10003 (at 8th Street; map); 212-995-9559
Posted by Zach Brooks, June 16, 2008 at 11:15 AM
A cup of pistachio and hazelnut gelato from Grom, and a cup of vanilla and pistachio gelato (with a extra "sample" of strawberry) from L'Arte del Gelato.
Gelato lovers in New York City will be hard pressed to find an area with more choices than Bleecker Street in the West Village, and New York magazine has officially dubbed it "Manhattan's Gelato District" in this week's issue. Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite tried out all six and gave their impressions, which in turn sparked a mini debate here at SE:NY.
While we all agree pistachio is the way to go, we couldn't agree on who serves the best version, newly opened Grom or L'Arte del Gelato. L'Arte has our resident Sugar Rush experts Kathy Chan and Robyn Lee in its corner, while Raisfeld and Patronite—from the sound of what they wrote—and I all tend to lean toward Grom. (Let it be noted that I am a cheapskate, and my willingness to pay Grom's exorbitant prices is only a testament to how good it is.) For final judgment we turn to the serious eater out there. Let us know what you think in the comments.
Posted by Ed Levine, February 29, 2008 at 6:15 PM
I know it's winter, so you're probably not thinking about ice cream, gelato, or any other frozen dessert, but listen up. Gino Cammarata, as I wrote in the New York Times in 2002, might be New York City's best artisanal gelato maker, and he is back this week after a prolonged absence from Gotham's food scene.
He's making his transcendent gelati in the front of a popular tanning salon in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
You heard me right. In a tanning salon.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, September 18, 2007 at 12:07 PM
Greenwich Village always seems to attract fine gelato and ice cream makers. In the eighties I remember a place on Seventh Ave. South called New York Ice, which I used to love, but back then none of us knew exactly what we were looking for when it came to ice cream, sorbet, and gelato.
Now there's Otto, Cones, and the latest village gelato entry, L'Arte del Gelato, which also has a branch in Chelsea Market. L'Arte's gelato selection includes a terrific, strong-tasting capuccino, an intensely berryish strawberry, and a fine green apple sorbetto. The blueberry was too sweet, but my tastes of pistachio and chocolate were promising. Its gelati are smooth, creamy, and intensely flavored, and if they would cut the sugar content L'Arte could make a credible bid for village gelato supremacy. This branch of L'Arte del Gelato is steps away from Cones, so I am planning a competitive gelato tasting.
L'Arte del Gelato
75 Seventh Avenue South (north of Bleecker St.)
Ph: 212-924-0803
75 Ninth Ave. (between 15th and 16th Streets in the Chelsea Market)
New York, NY 10014
Ph: 212-366-0570
Posted by Ed Levine, July 27, 2007 at 4:40 PM
I live a block away from the delicious intersection of Grom Street and Beard Papa Avenue on the Upper West Side. Ever since Grom opened its doors, dispensing costly but delicious gelati and sorbetti, I have felt sorry for the young Japanese workers at the much emptier Beard Papa. If they weren't so even-tempered and polite, they would be standing outside their storefront yelling, "Why are you waiting on line like sheep at Grom? There's no waiting for our just-as-refreshing mango ice shower, it's much bigger, and it costs a quarter less!"
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, May 6, 2007 at 11:26 AM
On Wednesday SeriousEater Lia posted about Grom, an Italian gelateria concern opening its first US store on Saturday the 5th of May. What Lia didn't tell all of you is that Grom is a mere fifty yards from my house.
When I left my house at 10:30 on Saturday there was already a short line to get into Grom, which was opening at eleven. When I returned five hours later, the line was longer--much longer, a full city block long in fact. I noticed a friend, Mindy, standing with her significan other midway through the line. I asked her how long she had been waiting in line: 45 minutes, she said. "The gelato is free," Mindy said. Ah, yes, combine a little New York Times hype and the promise of free, artisanally made ice cream, and you have the makings of a long line in Gotham.
I chatted with my friend catching up for another half-hour. By then she and I were at the front of the line.
The friendly fellow in the back of the counter informed us that you could have any two flavors in your free small cup of gelato, "unless you want to pay for your gelato. Then you can get all the gelato you like." I fished out a ten dollar bill.
"I'll pay, I'll pay," I told the guy . I ordered my small freebe cup of pistachio and capuccino. The man behind the counter offered me three paid sizes. I pointed to the largest. He didn't say how much a large cost, and not wanting to suffer sticky shock, I just plowed ahead. I ordered lemon sorbet and this raspberries and cream that my friend Mindy was contentedly eating. I was paralyzed with indecision about my third flavor. At moments like this, much like a world leader does, I feel the weight of the food world on my shoulders. My counterman came to my rescue. "Do you like grapefruit?" I nodded. "Have the grapefruit, he said. "It is fantastic. It will make you happy."
The small cup was free as advertised, and the large paid cup was a whopping $9.75.
I started muttering obscene things related to rip-offs, but then I took my first bite of pistachio. It tasted like fresh-roasted pistachio nuts whipped into an ultra-creamy consistency. It was a quasi-religious experience it was so good. The capuccino was just great, but did not rise to religious heights.
I then started in on the large cup. The guy was right about the grapefruit. It was like biting into the sweetest, juiciest, coldest grapefruit ever. It was more than a religious experience, it was a miracle of modern gastronomy and deliciousness. The lemon was also astoundingly good, but it paled in comparision to the grapefruit. The luna, was sort of a raspberries and cream. It tasted like the creamsicle of my dreams.
Halfway through the large cup I realized how difficult Grom was going to make my life. I had just gotten on the scale that morning to find that I had gained five pounds in the last month. I immediately vowed to go on a monastic, ice cream-free diet. Now I had to walk by Grom twice a day with summer approaching.
I thought about going to some weight-loss 12-step program. "Hi, everybody. I'm Ed, and I'm a Gromoholic."
I noticed a beaming man looking very ownerly. It was Mr. Grom himself. I asked him about the line: "It's because it's free, right?" He smiled and shook his head: "In Italy we have lines half as long every day. The free thing today, what can I say, we think our gelato is like a drug. Once they have their free taste, they'll be hooked."
He was right. It was the crack method of marketing, and I was among its first victims. I imagined standing up before my fellow twelve-steppers and saying, "You see, I couldn't help it. They were offering free gelato right on my corner. Could anyone resist the siren call of that pistachio gelato, or the grapefruit sorbetto?
The next day the line was noticeably shorter. I had to meet a friend for lunch at noon. I quickly figured out I would only be twenty minutes late if I waited on line. And I'll get my friend some. He wouldn't be mad at me for keeping him awaiting if I arrive Grom in hand. I order a lemon-grapefruit sorbetto cup for me (I'm trying to watch my weight, you know). and a pistachio-capuccino combo for him. My cup was gone by the time I reached the subway. His was gone by the time the train pulled into the station. Oh, boy, I think I have a problem.
Grom
2165 Broadway (at 76th St.)
New York, NY 10024
Posted by Ed Levine, August 4, 2006 at 9:21 AM
These last few days have almost done me in. So I've been treating myself to one scoop of ice cream a day (no more, no less, given my "eat less" diet, which has me down 40 pounds). Here are my NYC faves:
1. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory: Old-fashioned American, not particularly high in butterfat, ice cream.
2. Otto cart in Washington Square Park: The cheapest way to sample Meredith Kurtzman's amazing gelato.
3. Shake Shack: I know it's a cliché, but the frozen custard here rocks, and the ice cream and shake only line is consistently short.
4. Il Laboratio de Gelato: Where Ciao Bella (see below) founder Jon Snyder now plies his trade.
5. Ciao Bella: It's still pretty damned fine, even without Snyder, especially the malted milk ball.
6. Cones: I love the fruit-based gelati and sorbetti here. Bleecker Street, just east of Seventh Avenue South.
7. Eli's: Eli is a ganef, but the man knows how to make great food.
8. Creme Cremaillere: Try the Mission Fig. Sold by the scoop at Manhattan Fruitier, 29th Street, between Park and Lex.
9. Emack & Bolio: I know they're from Boston, but the ice cream is really good.
10. Eddie's (Maspeth): For old time's sake.
Have I missed any?
Häagen-Dazs is by far my favorite mass-produced ice cream, a rare example of a formerly boutique brand that's maintained its quality standards after being bought.
Posted by Ed Levine, July 4, 2006 at 11:15 AM
When it's July 4th weekend and it's this hot, a man's thoughts turn to ice cream.
With the temperature and humidity levels ridiculously high this weekend, I am pleased to report that the Otto ice cream cart is back at the NW corner of Washington Square Park. I ordered a half lemon, half coconut cup last week and got a half lemon, half vanilla instead, but it didn't matter. This is truly great ice cream, made by Meredith Kurtzman at Otto, where the gelati and sorbetti are almost uniformly sublime. Otto is definitely one of the great NY ice cream spots.
Here are my other favorites:
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, January 3, 2006 at 1:25 PM
I managed to get through the holidays without gaining any weight. In fact, I lost a pound between Christmas and New Year's Eve. I am particularly proud of this given the amount of food that not so mysteriously makes it way to our house during the holiday season. You see, for a food writer, every day is Xmas in terms of the flow of food presents. While the rest of the world only has to resist temptation from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day every year, food writers are constantly tempted by people who send us food to sample 24-7 the entire year.
This year we received the following at our house between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day:
- Buttered pecans and candied pecans from North Carolina.
- Peanuts from Virginia
- Six pints of Graeter's Ice Cream in Cincinatti
- Six pints of Capogiro Gelato from Philadelphia.
- A huge gift basket of food sent by a writer client of my literary agent wife
- Samples of what turned out to be an awful low-cal ice cream.
- Two kinds of pound cake.
- A pound of delicious Smoked Salmon.
- Three different kinds of designer chocolate
- An eight pound smoked brisket from Texas.
Most of these were holiday presents from friends and colleagues. I know it sounds churlish to complain about this flow of free grub, but if you're someone who adores food who happens to be on a diet, it does make it difficult.
I am accepting all gifts of kelp and miso this post-holiday season.
