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Half Moon’s take on the ice cream sandwich is much tastier than the Good Humor Man’s.
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Forget those ice-covered, high-fructose, syrup-laden ice-cream desserts in the supermarket’s frozen-foods aisle and try a creamy, cool concoction from one of these restaurants.
Bistro Citron (2 Weaver St, Scarsdale 914-574-5564). Apple tarts and profiteroles get their own à la mode scoops of vanilla here. As the summer develops, so will other house-made concoctions, such as cinnamon, mint vanilla, and mango and peach sorbet.
Chiboust Bistro + Bakery (14 Main St, Tarrytown 914-703-6550). The homemade vanilla-bean ice cream at this charming Mediterranean eatery is a natural best friend to strawberry rhubarb crumble. And if you’re a lemon lover, try the lemon custard ice cream with Chiboust’s summer fruit tarts including peach, plum, or nectarine frangipane.
Half Moon (1 High St, Dobbs Ferry 914-693-4130). You won’t find this eatery’s version of the ice cream sandwich in any cafeteria. Stacks of crumbly phyllo, not graham crackers, sandwich vanilla ice cream and fresh fruit. Then whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and raspberry sauce top it all off.
John-Michael’s (100 Titicus Rd, North Salem 914-277-2301). Go nuts and order JM’s double pecan dessert: butter pecan ice cream with spiced pecan crumble and a drizzle of caramel sauce. It’s a summertime special, as is his PB&J: peanut-butter mousse with homemade grape-jelly ice cream. The Concord grapes come right off the vines out in front of the restaurant.
Moscato (874 Scarsdale Ave, Scarsdale 914-723-5700). Classic profiteroles are great at this hopping Italian eatery at which puffy, not-too-sweet choux pastry rounds hold vanilla ice cream, all ribboned with hot chocolate sauce.
Plates (121 Myrtle Blvd, Larchmont 914-834-1244). You’ve got to love Plates’ ice-cream cake that’s made using a family recipe: homemade vanilla ice cream anchored by a ring of homemade ladyfingers with a ribbon of caramel and homemade almond crunch. A recent Girl Scouts cookies version (another favorite), however, folds crunched-up Samoas (shortbread, baked coconut, and caramel) into the vanilla ice cream. The owners’ daughter’s cookie sales inspired the variation.
Shiraz Persian Restaurant (83 E Main St, Elmsford 914-345-6111). The exotic opposite of the standard chocolate-vanilla-strawberry, Shiraz’s golden saffron ice cream is sophisticated and delicious. The sprinkle of green pistachios makes a crunchy combination that pleases every sense.
Sonora (179 Rectory St, Port Chester 914-933-0200). Churros, the elegant Latino cousins of donuts and fried dough, are gilded here with chocolate and blackberry dipping sauces and a mound of dulce de leche ice cream. Chef and owner Rafael Palomino helped make that luscious ice-cream flavor a hit from the get-go.
Zephs’ (638 Central Ave, Peekskill 914-736-2159). Get abducted by Zephs’ “flying saucer,” made with homemade banana ice cream sandwiched between fudge cookies. There are often other cool and creamy homemade ice creams on this original list: licorice, malted vanilla, mint chocolate chip, and dulce de leche.
