Alaska Lab is a stand-out dessert shop known for cream, which they make to order. The soft nitrogen ice-cream is accentuated with an organic condensed milk. The interesting laboratory-feel of the shop and the different toppings to choose from add to the fun.
This summer, you can find soft serve on just about every corner, but what about the real old-fashioned stuff? Churned, scoopable, rich with butter fat, comes in a dozen or two flavors?
Fortunately for you, we’ve done some sleuthing and the results—all small batch and handmade—are oh-so-worth it. On the list that follows, you’ll find both American-style ice cream and gelato (which, hardliners be damned, is really just Italian for “ice cream”). Yes, there are differences. American ice cream is served colder and harder, has more air, more butter fat, more star-spangled Coney Island street cred. Gelato, served warmer and softer, has less air and a higher milk to cream ratio and takes longer to churn (how very Italian). But as with many food categories, there are cross-overs all along the spectrum. What’s most important is that you can scoop it, savor it and take the edge off summer’s sizzle.
