While en route to something totally unrelated to eating ice cream, my cab dropped me off right in front of the adorable pastel-yellow Van Leeuwen ice cream truck, which a number of people had told Lessley and me about before the CHOW Tour. Their deal: making the ice cream truck over into something better than Mister Softee. (That means using hormone-free local milk; biodegradable cups and spoons; and no stabilizers, unnatural emulsifiers, or preservatives.)

The flavors are posted on the side of the truck on an arty poster with a drawing of each, and they are fairly traditional. They include red currant, strawberry, mint chip, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, pistachio, espresso, hazelnut, gianduja, ginger, and Earl Grey. I ordered a scoop of Earl Grey—pricey at $3.95; call me an idiot, I had two bucks in hand thinking it was enough—but totally creamy, soft, dense, and tasting just like a nice cup of tea with cream and sugar. I think it was worth it, but maybe buying from them by the pint would be a better value?

Posted on Monday, July 19th, 2010 by Roxanne Webber in CHOW Tour: Innovation No Comments