Shake Shack Hanukoncrete: This special edition custard from the Shake Shack is available until December 14th and consists of vanilla custard, pieces of donut from The Doughnut Project, and a strawberry syrup, all topped with powdered sugar. The powdered sugar felt like an unnecessary flourish as the dessert was sweet enough without it, but the combination of donut, rich vanilla custard, and sharp and tangy strawberry was surprisingly delicious. The best part was definitely the vanilla custard, which was very smooth. 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc dessert icecream custard donut strawberry shakeshack hanukoncrete 3.5
Snowdays Ube shaved ice: Taiwanese shaved ice in a classic ube flavor is true to the sweet, earthy flavor of the vegetable. Texture is close to snow - fluffy and light, yet a bit more dense and clumped together at the bottom of the large cup, even for the smallest possible size. Purchased from the East Village location of chain Snowdays. 3.0/5.0
nyc dessert icecream snowdays shaved ice 3.0 ube
Culture Plain frozen yogurt with pumpkin cheesecake topping : The pumpkin cheesecake topping at Culture, a yogurt chain in NYC, features cubes of pumpkin-flavored cheesecake and a drizzle of pumpkin syrup / caramel. The cheesecake pieces were well spiced, and the syrup was rich but not too sweet. My favorite part was the plain frozen yogurt, though, which is always smooth, tart, and creamy. 3.5/5.0
recommended froyo nyc dessert culture plain frozen yogurt pumpkin cheesecake topping 3.5
Ice & Vice Nankhatai n' cream ice cream : Ice & Vice currently has a variety of Cookies and Cream riffs, ranging from sweet potato and sesame to tomatillo and blue corn. The version I ordered combines chai with bits of pistachio cardamom cookie. The single scoop was pricy, but the portion was generous. It has a smooth consistency with a concentrated spiced flavor that worked really well together. I did find it to be overly rich, and that combined with the large portion size made it feel a bit samey as I was reaching the end, so I wo... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended icecream nyc dessert chai pistachio icevice nankhatai n' cream ice 3.5
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory Ginger and Black Sesame Ice Cream: I finally made it to Chinatown Ice Cream factory, a shoebox-sized shop that specializes in Asian flavored ice cream like durian and Thai iced tea. It reminds me of Garden Creamery in SF in terms of selection. The ginger ice cream was impressively smooth and had a pleasant ginger flavor, though I personally would prefer it to be spicier and less sweet. The flavor of the black sesame ice cream was very special - quite savory, and sprinkled with real black sesame seeds, it was nutty and not t... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended icecream nyc blacksesame dessert chinatownicecreamfactory ginger black sesame ice cream 3.5
Dominique Ansel Bakery Chocolate Hazelnut Hedgehog: I like cute things, and snacks are no exception. This very precious chocolate hedgehog was one of the desserts normally exclusively available in Japan that was offered at Dominique Ansel Bakery this weekend as part of their 7-year anniversary. The hedgehog consisted of a mix of hazelnut, milk chocolate, and coffee-flavored mousse covered in a chocolate shell and chocolate shards. Overall, I found the chocolate dessert to be pretty good and not overly rich, but it isn't one of the better c... (read more) 3.0/5.0
sweets dessert nyc dominiqueanselbakery chocolate hazelnut hedgehog 3.0