ICE CREAM REVIEW: Dominique Ansel Kitchen

My search for the best ice cream in New York continues ….

I want to say I would never spend $7 on a cup of ice cream. But I would be lying if I said that because I did spend that ridiculous amount of money on a single serving of ice cream.

When I walked by the window at Dominique Ansel Kitchen (an upscale dessert restaurant from the creator of the Cronut) selling ice cream, I knew I had to try it. I had been reading about the soft serve here for a year or so now but had yet to make it during opening hours (they are only open Wednesdays through Sundays).

I paused at the price tag. I actually walked on for about 20 minutes before returning and deciding we only live once. Thankfully for me $7 won’t break the bank and I wanted to try this intriguing ice cream, so there it is. $7 later and all I have to show for it are these less than professional photographs.

But now I’ve also had the experience of trying Dominique Ansel’s ice cream. Was it worth $7? Not sure I’d go that far.

Two flavors are on offer and I went with a swirl of the two. Each one comes with a set of garnishes and accoutrements. The entire thing was a bit precious (what you’d expect from one of the country’s preeminent pastry chefs). The woman selling the ice cream even had to throw away the first attempt because she said it wasn’t up to the chef’s standards in presentation.

I guess this is why it costs $7. But the truth is, I’d rather just have the ice cream and not all the fancy stuff. In my opinion it didn’t add much.

The burrata is a regular offering – it came with literal drops of balsamic, a few sprigs of microbasil, and confited strawberries. The Cold Brew flavor is only available through June (and then the flavor will change to White Peach in July and Dark Chocolate Olive Oil in August). I’m a cold brew coffee junkie so I was most excited about this.

Both flavors were good with a smooth creamy texture. I always thought someone should turn fresh mozzarella into ice cream and the burrata nailed it. It was very subtle with just a hint of that creamy, ripe mozz flavor. It might have been more pronounced without the coffee swirled in.

The cold brew was strong and roasty with a refined whipped cream called milk foam and an excellent anise biscotti.

Dominique Ansel is a master baker and I realized I should have gotten the ice cream in a cone instead of a cup. That’s my fault for making an amateur move. But the truth is, I was most interested in the ice cream itself. And while the presentation was a bit precious and the garnishes were more of a gimmick than an enhancement, this was still pretty good ice cream.

But it’s the last time I’ll spend that much money on a single serving. At least until next time.

Is Dominique Ansel Kitchen the best ice cream in NY? It’s an interesting one to try but the severity of it and the high price tag takes some of the fun out of ice cream for me. 7 out of 10.