When I was maybe ten years old, I asked my dad what it felt like to be a grown up. He considered it, and then said something to the effect of, “You feel the same inside, you’re just taller.” It both relieved and disturbed me at the time, and still does now that I understand how true it is.
This isn’t what he meant, but feels as good a segue as any: I always expected to grow out of the thrill of hearing ice cream truck music. Not that I stop every time I see Mister Softee and dump the contents of my purse on the ground, grabbing for cash like I’m in a money machine … but sometimes I do!
The problem is that you can’t manifest the ice cream truck when the mood strikes, and, semi-famously, the McDonald’s ice cream machine seems to always be down. So here are some soft serves in the city that will inspire childlike wonder, jingle not included.
A tropical South Asian swirl
Any visit to Malai feels like a treat. Because it’s in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, there are plenty of post-day camp children being pacified with cups and cones. Malai always has a rotating soft serve; in the past, there’s been Parle-G biscuit, coffee cardamom and, most recently, saffron and pistachio. When swirled, it makes a classic Indian combination known as kesar pista. Now through the end of August, they have mango and coconut, available on their own or as a swirl. You know what to do.
268 Smith Street (Degraw Street)
Ice cream loves salt (and olive oil)
In the summer, my mom, a known soft serve enthusiast, can’t be downtown without going to Softside in NoLIta. Even when there’s a line, she insists it’s worth it for the Riff, a precariously tall swirl of vanilla ice cream topped with honey, grassy olive oil and sea salt. I’m a pistachio girl myself, and prefer it with just a sprinkle of salt — in a cup, please, so I don’t have to fight against time to keep my paws from getting dripped on.
