Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

I eat a lot of ice cream.  I eat it daily.  At least once a day, often twice, frequently as a topping on a warm dessert.  And when I'm in New York, in the summer, I eat even more ice cream/gelato/froyo than usual (although I have a strong bias towards soft serve during the summer weather, something about a soft serve cone in the sun just brings me such joy).  And yet I somehow never tried Van Leeuwen Ice Cream until now (even though I've heard of it, seen their pints in grocery stores, and walked by a location right next to my NY office a zillion times).

Spoiler: I was missing nothing.  But if you do want to try it, they have a slew of stores around New York (and other states), and sell pints nationwide in generic grocery stores.  It isn't hard to find.  They have been around since 2008 (started in Brooklyn) and offer up a good mix of generic crowd pleasing "safe" flavors, and some more interesting seasonal ones.  The regular ice cream is "French" style, which means more yolk than some other brands.  They also have vegan options.

I tried 4 flavors when I visited the shop in Chelsea.  I found the base ice cream for all flavors to be fairly average.  To be clear, I mean average for premium ice cream, I'm not saying it was like a generic cheapo base, but, it didn't stand out in any way compared to other local ice cream shops.  Even with abundant locations that seem convenient to wherever I am, and rarely any lines, I have no reason to return.  I also find it pricey, even compared to its (far better tasting) peers.

Mint Chip / Praline Butter Cake.

I sampled 4 flavors first, and was kinda let down by all of them, but settled for 2 since I was there and did want ice cream.

Mint Chip

This is a very simple flavor, but one I generally enjoy.  Classic minty base that wasn't too strong nor too artificial.  Loaded with lots of high quality dark chocolate flecks.  A simple basic flavor done well.  I like even more with fudge or chocolate sprinkles to accent it (and, ideally, whipped cream and strawberries!).  Higher 3.5/5.

Praline Butter Cake

"Nothing makes us happier than this Praline Butter Cake Ice Cream. We can thank Louisiana for the praline and Mardi Gras. But you don’t have to throw beads to get your hands on this creation; sweet cream ice cream with praline and pieces of brown butter cake."

Definitely an interesting and fun flavor.  It was certainly sweet, but not too sweet.  It was loaded with reasonable size hunks of the gooey, sweet, buttery butter cake.  An enjoyable flavor, unique, and my favorite by far of the four flavors I tried.  That said, it still wasn't exceptional, the base ice cream just fairly average premium ice cream.  Low 4/5 if I was stranded in a small town, but 3.5/5 for NY really.

Sweet Corn & Blueberry Jam

"Nothing makes us happier than this Buttermilk Berry Cornbread Ice Cream. We mix in pieces of honey cornbread with buttermilk ice cream. Then we add in swirls of sweet and tart raspberry. You add your spoon. Before you know it we have a mouth band."

I thought I'd love this!  But I didn't really taste the corn, and the fruity swirls just overwhelmed.  Very sweet in a fruity way.  The swirl also seemed a bit icy.  It was fine, but not what I was looking for. Low 3/5.

Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Brownie

"Nothing makes us happier than this Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Brownie Ice Cream. Dark brown sugar ice cream. Cookie dough. Brownies. It’s a collection of all the best stuff. Like an ice cream platypus whose den is your mouth."

I found this one very boring.  Yeah, it was a slightly interesting sweet base from the brown sugar, and yeah, it had hunks of cookie dough and brownie, but I didn't really think anything stood out, and the mix-ins were overly chewy.  Another low 3/5.

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Stellar Pretzels

Regular readers of my blog know that I am an avid snacker (hence, why Fridays are exclusively dedicated to snack food reviews).  Popcorn (flavored) is my number one probably, followed closely by snack mixes, but, I do go through pretzel phases.  The thing is, I'm super fickle about pretzels.  I dislike probably 90% of the pretzels on the market.  I strangely often prefer gluten-free ones.  I also, as you may expect, tend to go for yogurt or chocolate coated, heavily seasoned, etc.  But every once in a while I do appreciate a more standard pretzel, which lead me to try Stellar pretzels.

Stellar snacks is a high end snack brand, started by a mother and daughter who had a "dream of crafting pretzels infused with passion."  The use high quality flour (grown and milled in the US), fancy salt imported from Italy, natural seasonings, etc, etc.  And they make pretzels.  Just pretzels.

The pretzels currently come in 3 savory flavors (salted, French dijon, or herby) and 2 sweeter (Maui monk, sweet & sparky). All are braid style (besides one simple salt variety of thins).  The form factor, 1-2 bite braid shaped pretzels with two strands, it turns out I like considerably more than simple sticks or common twists.  For the flavored varieties, the double strand twist serve to catch even more coating between the folds, which is a huge plus in my book.  Bring on the seasoning!

 

Another point to know: all are vegan, which is notable as they have such a strong (vegan) buttery taste.

Simply Steller.

"Classic pretzels with a wholesome twist. Simply Stellar pretzel braids are infused with naturally rich vegan butter and sprinkled with the perfect pinch of sea salt. Delicious on their own or paired with your favorite dip, these vegan pretzels are a canvas for flavor."

To form my baseline opinion, I started with the basic plain pretzel, dubbed "Simply Stellar".  As noted above, I really liked the bite size braid shape.  The flavor of these was shockingly buttery, buttery even for a regular, let alone vegan, pretzel.  You definitely need to be in the mood for a buttery style, rather than more bland plain base.  Salt level average.  Basically, a pretty decent, specifically buttery, pretzel, if that is what you want. 3/5. 

Sweet & Sparky.

"Taste the spark in our signature zesty buffalo seasoning. A delicious flavor combination of sweet and then heat, these vegan pretzel braids pack a punch. Be warned that each crunchy bite will leave you craving more! If you're a fan of spicy snacks, look no further."

Next I moved on to one of the sweeter and more savory offerings, the "Sweet & Sparky".  These were a very fascinating, complex, flavor.  Same base pretzel, some base high butteriness, but also lots of savory notes (cayenne, vinegar, garlic, paprika, onion, garlic, red pepper), and sweetness, particularly in the aftertaste (from both regular cane sugar and monk fruit).  Very complex, although more just savory than spicy, I wouldn't call them buffalo nor spicy, as they describe.

3.5/5.

Maui Monk.

" Loaded with the savory taste of Maui onion and finished with a hint of sweetness, these vegan pretzel braids satisfy crunchy cravings with their irresistible flavor. Maui Monk is beloved by serial snackers and culinary connoisseurs alike."

Next, the sweetest offering, Maui Monk, although this one still has quite a substantial savory component from the Maui onion (and garlic).  

They did have a slightly onion flavor, and were slightly sweet, but the buttery flavors really overwhelmed. The butter is just a touch too strong for me; I really wanted to taste more of the Maui onion. Grumpy at the promise of onion but barely tasting it, so, low 3/5.

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Petee's Pies

Petee's Pies is, you guessed it, a pie company, located in New York city.  They have two locations there.  They also ship nationwide.  

"We're based on a simple concept: make the best pie money can buy using real ingredients. We make our pies using seasonal local produce and natural fair-trade sweeteners. Our crust is made with organic flour and grass-fed butter from New York State.  In other words: we make damn fine pie for damn fine people."

Petee's full pie lineup is pretty lengthy: all your expected fruit pies (apple, sour cherry, blueberry), all of which are available with either full double crust or crumb topping, cream/custard pies (banana cream, chocolate cream, key lime meringue, coconut custard - note: not coconut cream, lemon chess, salty chocolate chess, black bottom almond chess), and then some more unique offerings like their signature guava mascarpone and brown butter honey pecan, along with seasonals like "spring cordial" with elderflower lemon meringue and rose crystals.  All use all butter crust.

Petee's has been on my radar for years, as they get pretty good reviews and are well known in the pie scene in NY, but somehow they hadn't made it to the top of my list.  Luckily, I didn't need to seek them out: they came to me, as many desserts and baked goods do, as surplus from another team's event at my office.

  

I had my eyes on the more unique ones, plus the banana cream of course, but since I only got to try the pies when they were leftover after someone else's event, I didn't get to pick the flavors.  I really did enjoy all the pies I tried, and would gladly get them again.

Banana Cream. $45.

"Old-fashioned vanilla pudding topped with fresh banana slices and dolloped with whipped cream."

Of course I went straight for the banana cream pie, even though it was looking slightly worse for the wear.   

I started with a bite of crust.  Oooh, this was good crust.  Super rich, buttery, flaky.  Very good crust, the butter level in particular was fantastic.  **** crust.

I moved on to the filling, pretty thick, smooth vanilla pudding.  Definitely on the sweeter side.  No strong vanilla flavor (nor banana flavor to it), just sorta basic (but good) pudding.  Standard size banana slices, not too mushy.  Lots of (also sweetened) fresh whipped cream.  Pretty classic banana cream pie contents, well made, but borderline a touch too sweet for me.  No twists or deviations from the classic here.  ***+ filling.

Overall, a very good banana cream pie, and wow, the crust, it made me very excited to move on to the fruit pies.  I think low **** overall, I just wish the sweetness was slightly tamped down.  My favorite of the pies, but only slightly.

NY Sour Cherry.

"We use Montmorency cherries from upstate New York in our Sour Cherry Pie-- and we don't sugarcoat 'em either. We let their vibrant, tart flavor take center stage. This bright red cherry pie with a nice big scoop of ice cream will knock your socks off."

I moved on to fruit pies.  I again started with the crust.  It was a slightly different crust than the banana cream, definitely darker, thicker, likely due to the fact that this one is baked with filling compared to the blind baked cream pie.  It was again quite good - very flaky, strong buttery flavor.  Definitely bakery quality pie crust (compared to say grocery store, or often, restaurant quality).  What you want from a standard pie crust really.  Low ****.

The sour cherry filling was good - slightly tart, slightly sweet, some goo but not much, soft whole cherries that were cooked down.  I could indeed taste the sour element, slightly tart, definitely not too sweet.  Clearly made with real cherries not canned pie filling.  As they say, definitely even better with a scoop of ice cream.  Another low ****, it was certain a good pie, but not memorable beyond being "hey, that was a good classic pie".  

Also, please don't mind the very odd itty bitty mini slice that some previous monster left in this pie ... this is how I found it (seriously, who does that?!).

Wild Maine Blueberry. $40.

"A fresh and delicious pie made with scrumptious organic wild blueberries from Josh Pond, Maine. Only a quarter cup of sugar in a whole pie to let the natural sweetness and flavor of the blueberries shine through."

The blueberry was fairly similar to the sour cherry, although a bit sweeter, and with smaller fruit.  But very similar pedigree of great crust, not much goo, and not overly sweetened. I think the sour cherry was slightly better as I liked the pop of tartness it had, but this was pretty close behind.  Low ****.

Hudson Valley Apple. $40.

"Our apple pies feature individual varieties of apples sourced from local orchards. New York State grows more apple varieties than any other, and our apple pies are a celebration of classic New York and heirloom varietals."

I don't frequently pick apple pie given other pie choices, but I tried this since it was there and took just a sliver, and then immediately went back for more.  The crust was again very very good, as I now knew to expect.  The apples were really nicely cooked, not too soft, not too al dente.  No skins on.  Lightly spiced, but not aggressive in any way.  Again not much goo.  It was quite enjoyable, I think my second favorite, above even the cherry and blueberry pie, which really surprised it.  I think this one would be fantastic with their crumble top too, but alas, we had only the double crust pies.  Another low ****, one of the better apple pies I've had in few years.

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Rooted Coffee

Random extra donuts show up regularly in my office.  I eat donuts basically at least once a week.  I know all the boxes of all the top places in town by sight, from way down the hall.  I thought I knew all the donuts in the area.

And then one day, I walked into the microkitchen, and found regular takeout boxes full of donuts.  Not a signature pink donut box, or even a generic donut box.  Not a fancy box from a bakery or cafe.  Just a regular, large clamshell, box.  Several of them.  No branding.  No frills.  

In the boxes were some cake donuts, rarely my donut of choice.  I tried a little scrap of a cinnamon sugar coated one, and ... well, huh.  It was good.  Great flavor, lightly crunchy exterior, plenty of cinnamon sugar ... but I was on my way out the door, and I really didn't need a donut as I had another dessert lined up for that night.  And then I noticed a really, really strange donut ...

Oh Mega Donut (GF). $4.75.

"Housemade gluten free donut. nutrient dense, high in omegas from chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds! sweetened with coconut sugar."

I took one tiny bite piece that someone else had cut up of another, entirely out of curiosity, as I wasn't sure why this savory looking, seed covered, healthy thing was in a box of donuts.  I ... strangely loved it, and quickly snatched up a full size one.

I later set about figuring out where it came from.  It took some searching, but my research lead me to Rooted Coffee, a plant based (e.g. entirely vegan) coffee shop / cafe based over in the East Bay.  Ok, so, uh, vegan donuts?  I was even more amazed when I saw that this one, the Oh Mega Donut was also ... gluten-free?!  Yes, I'm telling you that this vegan, gluten-free, no refined sugar, loaded with omegas from flax, hemp and chia is strangely delicious.

Because it is.

But that isn't to say it is really anything like an actual donut.  Think of it more like a muffin, just one in donut shape, to start.  It had a deep, hearty, taste, yes, healthy, but not in a way that was off putting to me.  I tasted maltiness, perhaps molasses or something, that I suppose was the coconut sugar?  It wasn't savory, it was sweet, but not nearly as sweet as a normal donut.  It reminded me somewhat of a bran muffin, just without bran, or a morning glory, but without the mix-ins.  Really, it was unique, and hard to really describe.  I also loved the chew to it, a bit like a mochi muffin, presumably due to the gluten-free nature, but it totally worked.

And as for those omegas?  The seeds were on top, and I'm guessing within, but I didn't taste any of the bitterness nor grittiness I associate with them.  

In short, this was really just enjoyable, in a healthy but not too healthy way.  When I later did research to find out what this was, I saw another person refer to it as "strangely deliciously", and I think that really does sum it up well.  I'd gladly get another.  ****.

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Deep River Snacks

Update Review, Summer 2025

It had been a few years since I last had Deep River Snacks potato chips, but I remember thinking they were a bit better than average, so I picked up a few more varieties to try.  

All were their standard kettle style chips - average thickness, little bit of skin on, extremely crispy, definitely heavy oily fried style, blistered all over.  Not my favorite style of chip, but a touch above average.  Deep River Snacks only makes two flavors of non-kettle chips, so kettle are mostly what you'll find.

Sweet Maui Onion.

"Combine the flavors of sweet onions and garlic, add our thick-cut potato chips, and you've got one of our most popular kettle chip varieties. It’s simply addictive. Just don’t say that we didn’t warn you."

The Sweet Maui Onion I don't think I'd had before, at least, not in the past 10 years or so.  They were extremely flavorful, with a taste that starts of in familiar sour cream & onion territory, but quickly veers off more sweet, and less creamy.  It really is an enjoyable flavor.

4/5.

Mesquite BBQ.

"Down-home, done right! The perfect blend of mesquite, brown sugar, and paprika, with notes of exotic spices - your taste buds will thank you."

These are pretty classic mesquite style BBQ kettle chips.  Very kettle-style, so again, not my favorite.  The mesquite flavors are quite strong, which is nice when in the mood.  Not a bag I'd get again though. 3/5.

Zesty Jalapeño.

"Four-alarm kick with only four ingredients! Impossibly simple and incredibly delicious, our Zesty Jalapeño kettle cooked chips are the perfect balance of flavor and fire."

This batch of chips was all pretty dark, lots of burnt spots on them.  And the chips were all bigger than normal, and more twisted up.  It was interesting to see the base chip so different in this bag compared to any other Deep River chips I've had before.

The flavor was deeply potato, and only a bit zesty, the zing really only hit on the finish.  Compared to the other flavors of Deep River chips I tried, these seemed to have the flavor hit dialed back a bit, which is too bad, as jalapeño chips can be such a great heat!  3/5.

Update Review, Summer 2021

Deep River is a fairly major potato chip manufacturer, but I rarely see their products around town.  I wonder if it is a regional thing?  Anyway, I've reviewed them before, but it was years ago, and before my covid inspired "chip-a-holic" phase.

Deep River only makes two flavors in the "Kringle Cut" form: Salt & Cracked Pepper and Sour Cream & Onion.  The rest are all kettle style (or tortilla chips).  As a krinkle cut fan, and not really a kettle chips fan, I was eager to try these, but also couldn't resist picking up another fascinating kettle chip flavor.

Krinkle Cut Sour Cream & Onion.

"The bold flavors of onion and garlic combine with tangy sour cream on our krinkle-cut kettle chips for an incredible flavor and crunch you can’t resist."

Sour Cream & Onion is somewhere on my list of general "eh, they are ok, but not my top choice" flavors.  But, with only two flavors available for Krinkle Cut, I had to pick them.

It was a good move.  These were great chips.  I loved how crunchy they were - I think the potatoes are sliced a bit thicker than a standard chip, and they were so very fried, the crunch was just fantastic.  They felt like heavy chips, and, well, they were.

The sour cream and onion flavor was fine - not very sour cream forward, but they had a nice herby zing to them.

These were a chip that ate very well, and I certainly enjoyed.

****.

Aged Cheddar Horseradish.

"Sharp, aged cheddar cheese paired perfectly with the zesty bite of horseradish. Kettle chips so delicious they’ll bring tears to your eyes!"

These chips were a lot of fun!  They really delivered on all aspects: they were deeply cheesy from the aged cheddar AND quite zingy from the horseradish.  The kettle style worked well, perfectly crisp.

I really enjoyed these, even though cheese and horseradish isn't a combo I normally think of!

****.

Original Review September 2016

Deep River Snacks is, well, a snack food company.  They make 5 product lines: kettle chips, classic chips, Honchos (tortilla chips), popcorn, and healthier baked crisps.  Given that I love to munch on things, chips and popcorn are right up my alley, so I sought out their products.

Except, it turns out, kettle chips are clearly the focus of the company. The Classic Potato Chips line has exactly one variety: salted.  Same with the popcorn, just one flavor: salted.  And same with the baked crisps.  You guessed it: salted.  Honchos are their version of Doritos, available in nacho cheese and ranch, plus peach habanero.  Since plain salted items aren't really my thing, and I loathe Doritos, I stuck with the kettle chips only.

Kettle Chips

"These are no ordinary kettle chips! Our kettle-cooked potato chips are made in small batches, ensuring outstanding crispness and crunch! Our Kettle Chips are a better-for-you snack made exclusively with sunflower oil. And, like all of our snacks, our kettle cooked chips are certified gluten-free, free from GMO ingredients, and made in a nut-free facility."

Deep River Kettle Chips are available in about a dozen flavors, ranging from your standard salted, salt & vinegar, and bbq, to slightly more interesting like Aged Cheddar Horseradish, Salt & Cracked Pepper, and Zesty Jalapeno, to downright fascinating New York Spicy Dill Pickle, Ninja Ginger, and Rosemary & Olive Oil, and a plain 40% Reduced Fat version for those who are attempting to be healthier, and somehow think kettle chips fit the bill.

I can't speak on the reduced fat versions, but, the regular ones are not healthy chips.  280 calories in a bag of chips!  (Sure, it says 2 servings, but, um, its a personal bag of chips, no one eats them in 2 servings).

They are very classic, super fried, style chips.  If you are looking for a standard kettle chip, check them out.

Rosemary & Olive Oil.

"Deliciously fragrant and flavorful kettle cooked chips!  Rosemary, garlic, and olive oil marry perfectly with our kettle-cooked potatoes for a delicious chip with great crunch."

These were very classic kettle chips.  Super crispy, super oily, crunchy chips.  My favorites are always the ones that are curled up slightly, or bent over.

The flavor however was pretty unique.  I don't think I've ever had rosemary chips before.  I really liked them.  I know it sounds funny, but, the more interesting herbs made them taste ... grown up?  They really seemed like what a trendy bar would serve as a bar snack, "And here is our housemade rosemary kettle chips ..."  They really didn't seem like a packaged snack.

Anyway, a very unique chip, and I liked them. ***+.

Sea Salt & Vinegar.

"A New England classic potato chip!  The tart and tangy taste of vinegar paired with the perfect amount of sea salt is sure to make your mouth pucker. "

These did make me pucker, exactly as advertised.  Very tangy, classic salt and vinegar chips.  Standard very fried kettle style.  Not really my thing, but, a good version of what they are. Low ***.

Zesty Jalapeño.

"These kettle chips offer a four-alarm kick with only four ingredients!  Impossibly simple and incredibly delicious, our Zesty Jalapeño kettle cooked potato chips are the perfect balance of flavor and fire."

The Rosemary & Olive Oil were my favorites in that they didn't seem like packaged potato chips, but, for a classic potato chip, the Zesty Jalapeño actually wins.  They were indeed fire-y.  And again, classic kettle chip style. ***+.

Ojan was eating a bag of these and absent mindedly took a big handful all at once.  Several seconds later he was frantically running for water, as he had forgotten that they were so intense.

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Klinger's Bread Company

Years ago, my mom picked up a scone for me from Jake's Coffee Company.  I loved it.  I did my due diligence, and found out that it came from Klinger's Bakery.  Glorious scones.  I remember how great these were, so, on a subsequent trip home, I took matters into my own hands and sought one out myself.  But ... Jake's had changed their scone supplier, and I was very let down (as you may have read about then).

Since then, when I've seen the Klinger's brand around town, I've snatched up products to try, but still haven't come across their scones anywhere else.  You can find their breads (and sometimes pies) at grocery stores and markets around Vermont and New Hampshire. 

Breads

"Rugged, healthy, hearty, crusty, chewy...these are just a few words overheard to describe the artisan breads of Klinger's.  Our hearth-baked breads were proudly brought to Vermont in 1993 by the Klingebiel families of Williston, Vermont and Salem, New York.

These flavorful, authentic European breads were developed by one of America's premier artisan bakers. Our bakers have been thoroughly trained in the methods and subtleties of bread baking. The breads are made from starters which are allowed to develop over a thirty hour period.  Visit the bakery and watch our bread crafters at work. Amidst floured tables, you will see them mix the finest ingredients, hand shape loaves, and bake them with care in our French brick oven.

We at Klinger's are proud to bring you the rustic, homemade taste of our signature artisan breads. Our goal is to produce breads with character and integrity, to make your mouth water with the aroma of loaves fresh from the oven, and to share the products of our labor with you again and again."

Breads are their primary product, with a pretty huge lineup of basic loaves to rolls and baguettes to specialty flavors like roasted garlic parmesan or maple oat walnut.  They bake different kinds every day on rotation.

Cranberry Pecan.
24 oz loaf. $7.95.

"Our most popular specialty bread, probably because it’s densely studded with cranberries and pecans, baked into our farm dough."

I didn't realize when I got this that it used a sourdough base.  I don't like sourdough.  Boo.  But it had plenty of goodies in it, great crunch from the pecan, sweetness and tartness from the cranberries.  Wonderful textures and really loaded up.  I couldn't quite get past the sourdough enough to eat it by the slice, but we used it in a pumpkin bread pudding later and it worked beautifully there.

3/5 for me because, gah, sourdough.

Challah.
18 oz. $7.50.

"This traditional Challah bread, a beautifully braided and light airy loaf loaf, is baked to a deep golden brown with aromas of honey and egg yolks."

I love challah, particularly for making what I call "soaked bread" or kinda lazy style french toast or bread pudding, where I soak a slice in melted ice cream and just bake it a bit.  Or just toasted and slathered with butter, cinnamon, and sugar, or melty chocolatey spread of some kind.  I had a favorite challah that I could get from Oren's Hummus in San Francisco only on Fridays when they got it from a local wholesale bakery (Irving's), and I stocked up on it by the loaf from them regularly, but alas, they changed suppliers a few years ago, so I've been searching for a challah to live up to that since.

Klinger's did a very nice job with this.  Beautifully golden brown crust, sooo fluffy and enriched inside.  Slight sweetness.  This is the kind of challah that makes for incredible french toast or bread pudding.  I really enjoyed it, no notes really.  4/5, maybe even 4.5/5.

Pastries

"Additionally, in the tradition of the finest European patisseries, we offer pastries and unique desserts.  Please visit us and see for yourself.  Linger at our cafe over a relaxing cup of gourmet coffee, or enjoy lunch while observing our bread bakers having fun and working hard to bring you the very best artisan breads."

They also make some pastries such as croissants, danishes, muffins and the like (and obviously, the aforementioned scones), although these are harder to find as they tend to only distribute the breads outside their own storefront.

Authentic French Croissants.

My mother randomly picked up some croissants one day when she saw them somewhere.  I could tell from looking at these that they are a bread style croissant, *not* a flaky, fresh croissant, but I thought they'd probably still work well for breakfast (or lunch) sandwiches if nothing else.

At room temp they were kinda "eh", but if you bake (as they say to do) they get a bit crisp.  Amazing butter flavor.  Overall actually, pretty decent, particularly for the style, and great slathered with Nutella too.  But not a "real" croissant.  3.5/5.

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Jacob's Pickles, NYC

Jacob's Pickles is a relatively well known small chain in New York that offers up kinda basic comfort food, Southern style.  The original location opened in 2011 on the Upper West Side.  Like anywhere popular these days it seems, brunch is a big draw.  They've expanded to have smaller takeout only outposts at the TimeOut Market in Brooklyn, and at Moynihan Train Hall, which is the location I visited.

Setting - Moynihan

The Moynihan location is in a food court alongside a few other business, all fast food style. 

Train Station Location.

There is clear signage displaying the reduced menu, and you order at the register (or mobile ordering).  The line seems to move quite slowly, so I do recommend just mobile ordering.  You wait for order to appear on the counter, which also seems to occur slowly, a surprise given that I'd expect some percentage of guests are in a rush due to train station location?  There is shared seating with the other establishments, no actual dedicated dining area for Jacob's Pickles.

Cuisine

This location has a pretty small menu, mostly just fried chicken, fries, and mac and cheese.  Well, and pickles of course.

Soft Serve!

I was there to try their brand new soft serve ice cream (because you know how much I love my ice cream, particularly soft serve!). Interestingly, this product is offered only here at this location.  They offer two flavors, only in dishes, no toppings.  But the flavors are noteworthy enough on their own ...

Pickle Ice Cream (Vegan). Sample.

First up, the one that definitely gets the most attention:  pickle.  Yes, pickle soft serve.  This *is* Jacob's Pickles after all! 

For some reason, they made this flavor also vegan (I'm not sure what the base is).  I asked to sample it first, as you can see here.  I'm glad I did.

I like pickles.  I like soft serve.  Turns out, I do NOT like pickle soft serve!  Intense pickle flavor and just truly not enjoyable to consume, at least for me.  I tried a few licks, and yeah, just wow, not for me.  The pickle flavor was intense though, I gotta give them that. 1/5.

Popcorn Ice Cream. $6.

"Topped with Pink Himalayan Salt."

So I went for the popcorn flavor, this one is real (dairy) ice cream.  This one was considerably better.  Good sweetness level, super creamy, slightly buttery and salty, a kind of fun flavor for sure.  It didn't necessarily scream "popcorn" to me, but, it was enjoyable enough, and a sorta different flavor.  It was supposed to come sprinkled with pink salt, but mine did not (I watched it dispensed from the machine, nothing added).

 3.5/5.

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