DISH OF THE WEEK: Tahini Soft Serve at SEED + MILL

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

2016 was a pretty sad year for the New York restaurant world. It seemed like every week another announcement revealed that an old standby or well-regarded food spot was closing – victims of astronomical rents or high labor costs or just plain bored chefs.

Carnegie Deli, Soto, Montmarte, Betony, Fritzl’s Lunch Box, and Pork Slope were just some of the great dining establishments we lost. But the saddest for me by far was Victory Garden.

I didn’t write enough about this goat milk ice cream business in the West Village. I think that’s probably because I was so busy enjoying it and always forgot to sit down and reflect. It was definitely the place I visited the most – after dinner, after work, on the way home. Whenever I could. The soft serve was simply divine and the flavors were healthy and surprising.

But unlike most of those other businesses, we haven’t completely lost Victory Garden. Thank the good Lord!! They will still be packaging their ice cream in pints at local grocery stores, summertime will bring an ice cream wagon, and their incredible soft serve is available (albeit in one flavor only) at a cool little stand at Chelsea Market.

The stand is called Seed + Mill and they have already begun to grow (it was just announced they would be opening a second location at a soon to open Midtown Whole Foods). The specialty here is sesame seeds in all its many forms. You can sample and purchase a range of different halva flavors and all sorts of sesame-spiked spices.

But my absolute favorite thing here is the luscious soft serve goat milk ice cream made from tahini. Tahini is that tart sauce created from toasted sesame seeds, lemon, and garlic. Not the first flavor most think of for soft serve.

Yet it works wonders. And if you get it topped with a blend of different halva bits, you have a creamy and crunchy sensation with many different flavors melting in your mouth. The main flavor of the ice cream is rich and complex with a silky finish and as tangy as fresh yogurt.

And as you can imagine, it’s so good because it is made by Victory Garden. I’m sorry I didn’t sing its praises more on these pages, but thankfully, it’s not too late. Price: $8