Culture Raspberry frozen yogurt: This is the best raspberry soft serve I’ve ever had, with a concentrated berry flavor that’s sweet and tart. With a flavor this good, it’s best eaten without any toppings. Seasonal flavor from NYC-based yogurt shop Culture. (Purchased over a month ago now, so raspberry may not be on the current menu, but their menu changes every day so it just may return.) 4.5/5.0
exceptional nyc dessert froyo culture raspberry frozen yogurt 4.5
Dolce Cucumber mint and lemon gelato: Surprisingly good gelato from a small shop in Red Hook. Texture is excellent. Cucumber mint was refreshingly clean, and lemon was tart and sharp. Pure and concentrated flavors. Out of the way, but if you’re in the area, Dolce is definitely worth a stop. 4.0/5.0
recommended sorbet gelato brooklyn nyc dolce cucumber mint lemon 4.0
Morgenstern's Ginger Grapenut, Raspberry Cheesecake, and Mango Passion Rice Ice Cream: Morgenstern's, my favorite ice cream spot in NYC, has opened up an expansive shop at 88 West Houston, with an overwhelming number of flavors organized into categories like parlor favorites (including salt n' pepper pinenut and American egg), Bananas (including charred chocolate banana and banana kalamansi), and Misc (french fry, bread, and popcorn). I love options, but the menu is intimidating, even for me. This time, we tried three different scoops from three different categories. The gi... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc icecream dessert morgensterns ginger grapenut raspberry cheesecake mango passion rice ice cream 3.5
Otafuku x Medetai Red Bean Taiyaki: Otafuku x Medetai is a small Japanese to-go street food shop in the East Village specializing in okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and taiyaki. Taiyaki is a classic Japanese dessert with a fish-shaped waffle exterior and different fillings inside (traditionally red bean). They make all their taiyaki from scratch here, filling their detailed custom molds with batter and producing 6 fishies at a time, all of which you can watch. This was probably the freshest taiyaki I've had -- it came out pipping h... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional nyc japanese otafukuxmedetai red bean taiyaki 4.5
Bao Tea House Chocolate Milk Bao: This is a special at Bao Tea House in the West Village that will be added to the full menu soon (in that way, it’s more of a preview than a special). Ordered in sets of two, the chocolate baos are coated in melted milk chocolate and slices almonds, with chocolate chips and a cream filling. I’m not a very big chocolate fan, so this wasn’t really a dessert for me, but texturally I liked the combination of crunchy and soft. The cream filling was a bit overwhelming though; it felt more like calo... (read more) 3.0/5.0
manhattan nyc desserts sweets baoteahouse chocolate milk bao 3.0
Morgenstern’s Cardamom Lemon Jam ice cream: There are many great ice cream shops in NYC, but Morgenstern’s has been my favorite for a long time. Over the years, I’ve found myself mostly purchasing their specials, but this time I ordered one of their regular menu flavors, and it did not disappoint. This cardamom lemon jam ice cream has a really wonderfully spiced cardamom flavor, with a creamy yet sharp acidic aftertaste. Texturally, it is perfectly smooth. It’s a fantastic flavor that shows off how consistently good Morgenstern’s can be. 4.5/5.0
exceptional nyc icecream manhattan morgensterns cardamom lemon jam ice cream 4.5