Van Demand

NOT THAT I HAD REMOTELY any room left in my tummy after enjoying (not one but) TWO FULL BRUNCH ENTRÉES AT SWEET CHICK in WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN. But having never tried the cool creamy desserts from any of the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream trucks that have dotted the city for years, I could hardly pass it by as it was parked halfway between my brunch spot and the Bedford Avenue subway station I was headed to on the way home.

"Artisan", of course, means that Van Leeuwen offers a greater variety of ICE CREAM flavors and toppings. And as I am a food traditionalist who nonetheless loves a fun "flavor adventure", I had the nice folks in the truck whip me up a customized concoction of one scoop of pistachio ice cream, one scoop of candied ginger ice cream, both topped of in a big cup with their own candied curried nuts and a waffle cone.

I know full well it's not everyone's "cup of tea", but this was right up my alley and delivered excellently on familiar and exotic flavors, while offering a welcome mix of textures as well between the candied ingredients, the nuts, and the cone.

I personally would always rather have my ice cream "looser" as opposed to "icier", so I had to eat it slow to let—what at least felt like—ice crystals in the frozen custard melt a little. But it wound up only helping the otherwise delightful dessert last longer.

It was the perfect middle of an already beautiful and warm NYC Sunday afternoon. And I still at least had plenty room left in my day to enjoy it.