Brooklyn's designer ice creams tested

Photo by Bionicgrrrl. — A Jacques Torres sandwich, photo by Bionicgrrrl.

Can any ice cream really be worth $6 a bowl? Brooklyn-based food blogger Andrea Strong thinks so. She reviews the trendiest scoops in the Sunday Post, sampling ‘scream from the Greene Ice Cream Cart (229 DeKalb Ave.), Blue Marble’s Ice Cream Tricycle (176 DeKalb Ave.), the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, (various locations), Jacques Torres‘ Ice Cream (62 Water St.) and Ben Van Leeuwen ‘s Artisan Ice Cream (Seventh and Carroll).

With his high-fat, high-guilt, custardy scoops and rich flavors like hazelnut milk chocolate and vanilla caramel popcorn crunch, Jacques Torres churns out what Strong calls “one of the creamiest and most satisfying scoops in town.” (Single scoop $3; double, $4.75; triple, $6)

Then there’s Ben Van Leeuwen’s $3.95 scoop whose eco-conscious ingredient list includes hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy products, biodynamic cinnamon, slowly grown Sicilian pistachios and bio-degradable cups. Please! What’s the fun of ice cream without hurriedly grown pistachios?

Closer to our budget is the no-frills Greene Ice Cream Cart (made with salvaged Yamaha wheels): “No motor, no jingles, just some of the best ice cream in town,” Strong writes. It’s a deal at $2 for a small, and $3 for a double, with extra scoops at $1.50.

See Strong’s reviews here.