By Bob Sacks
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Among the many foods of summer, cool, creamy ice cream is one of the first that comes to mind. Always a great year-round treat, it tastes even better when the sun is shining brightly during the day and the nights are warm and balmy.
There are lots of ice cream shops in the Two River area, so it seemed like a fun endeavor to select a half dozen or so, get a couple of pints from each one, and hold an ice cream tasting. We did not include pre-packed ice creams, which are readily available in the freezer section of area food markets and grocery stores; we chose only hand-packed pints and taste-tested them at home. Young and old weighed in on their favorites.
From Carvel in Little Silver, the pink strawberry ice cream had a nice texture, and was smooth and light. Some tasters craved a more authentic strawberry flavor. It seemed like the perfect flavor for a milkshake. The Nutella flavor received mixed reviews. Nutella lovers looked for a nuttier flavor, with some thinking it tasted more like light chocolate than nuts. That said, it was still quite enjoyable.
The Chocolate Bar, Little Silver, provided a wide variety of flavors, from which we chose peach and black raspberry. The peach was a hit with our tasters. Discernible pieces of peaches were blended through the creamy ice cream. For a fun dessert at home, top it with fresh raspberries and/or raspberry puree, or even a splash of framboise liqueur to make your own peach melba. The black raspberry had a mild, authentic raspberry flavor and appealed to those who prefer their ice cream not overly sweet. A scoop of this would dress up a piece of rhubarb pie or a brownie nicely.
Many people visit Crazees in Rumson for their swirled, soft-serve offerings, but we chose to try two pints of their Thomas Sweet hand-packed ice creams. Chocolate chip cookie flavor reminded us of our familiar and favorite treat – Chips Ahoy cookies. The ice cream had notes of brown sugar and butter and was generously laced with small chocolate chips which provided a crunch with every bite. This was popular with everyone. The vegan mint chip was a pleasant surprise. Folks trying to avoid dairy products will not feel deprived with this treat. Excellent texture with a fresh minty taste enhanced by the chocolate chips reminded some of us of a chocolate mint Girl Scout cookie.
Homemade ice creams from Nicholas Creamery (multiple locations) received high scores from everyone present. Peanut Butter Palooza has justifiably become one of their trademark flavors. A base of peanut butter ice cream with crushed Oreos and homemade chocolate peanut butter cups had something for everyone – a treat in every bite. Their Cookies N Cream offering starts with sweet cream ice cream, swirled with more of those addictive Oreo pieces. Hard to resist!
Fable Creamery, Red Bank, offers a wide selection of vegan ice creams. All use a base of coconut milk to which a variety of fresh ingredients are added. First, we tried the Mint Stracciatella, with its mild minty flavor and a swirl of semi-sweet chocolate. It was reminiscent of a gelato of the same name, creamy with a slight crunch. Mango Lassi, a take on the Indian, yogurt-based beverage, blended fresh mango with coconut yogurt, which provided a pleasant tartness. The flavor of the coconut-based yogurt was quite evident.
Our youngest taster went right for the pistachio flavor from Ryan’s Homemade Ice Cream, Tinton Falls. He was more than happy with the creamy green ice cream studded with a generous number of whole pistachios, as were we. Fans of butter pecan will enjoy Ryan’s version. The ice cream, with its buttery flavor and cool, creamy texture, was blended with pieces of pecans, prompting one taster to praise the ice cream-to-nut ratio. Ryan’s changes flavors seasonally, so be sure to look for their famous peach flavor soon.
As dedicated ice cream lovers as we are, there were only so many flavors that could be tasted at one time. There are many more ice cream shops in the Two River area that we did not have a chance to visit yet, and fully plan to do so in the near future. After all, how often do you get to eat ice cream for the sake of academic research?
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
The article originally appeared in the May 18 – 24, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
