Nick visits NYC : Day 2

[By Nick] With Day 1 recapped, time for Day 2 which was actually this past Monday. You see, Sam Mason posted multiple photos of mutilated peeps on instagram Saturday that were destined for an OddFellows Easter flavor. Well trying to get people to go to NYC with me last minute on Easter is a tough task. So if they had any left, I was going to go down Monday so I can try it. Thankfully, there was still some leftover and I knew I had to had it.

OddFellows x2, Coolhaus, and Shake Shack (all in one day)

First stop was OddFellows East Village location this time. This spot is small, very small. I blame Manhattan prices. That said, they do have a nice area to sit outside and enjoy your ice cream on a warm day like the one I was lucky enough to have. This time I went with a scoop of their Caramelized White Chocolate Almond ice cream and a scoop of the Peeps ice cream.

The peeps ice cream was actually really good. A nice, pure sweet cream base that really showed off the quality of Oddfellows ice cream. My problem was, I needed far more peeps. The bites with peeps were awesome but I felt myself digging for them. Somehow Sam managed to keep them chewy like their fresh selves and the undeniable sugar flavor stood out against the base. I might be bias with my love of peeps and this is a flavor targeted more towards kids. However, I'm a kid and I want more peeps!

The caramelized white chocolate almond was a lot different than I expected. I can't say I've ever had caramelized white chocolate but it's superior to it in its normal state. That added bit of caramelization cuts the sweetness and makes it richer in turn. The almonds actually added a smoky component that I wasn't expecting but loved here. I'm now 2 for 3 with smokey ice cream! Definitely give it a sample if it's available.

Not too far from Oddfellows, Coolhaus had set up their truck. I was looking at what flavors I could possibly use for an On Second Scoop flavor and sadly, none of them quite describe us. Can a guy get some cookies and cream ice cream? However for the first official On Second Scoop sandwich, I went with Red Velvet Ice Cream sandwiched by a S'mores Cookie and a Double Chocolate Cookie.

How was it? Delicious. After sampling various grocery store products, I was happy to finally get to try the real deal. This stuff is far better than what you get from the freezer which is saying a lot. I could've ate a dozen of the s'mores cookies all on their own. They're that good. It needed a little more marshmallow but I got that s'mores vibe right off the bat with a strong graham presence. The red velvet ice cream is of super premium quality. It was very cheesy like Milkmade however, I knew that from the start. This is why I opted with the double chocolate cookie. It's rich, cocoa profile keeps the cream cheese in check and added more of a chocolate component to the s'mores cookies. I have a feeling I'll be hitting up the Coolhaus truck each time I'm in the city from now on.

After hanging out in Chelsea Market and sampling some of Liddabit Sweets Bacon Corn (this stuff is delicious, go buy it now!) we decided to travel into Williamsburg and hit up Oddfellows flagship store. I had to bring Sam the rest of that bacon corn because I know he could make an amazing flavor with it. Despite getting myself lost, we made it to Oddfellows and Sam was still hard at work. After talking with him some more (an On Second Scoop flavor will happen, trust me) it was time to order some more flavors. Sam was mentioning how he was getting more and more into coffee so my friend ordered the coffee shake he was offering. They were out of the coffee ice cream so they used vanilla and I'd be lying if this wasn't the best coffee milkshake I've ever had. I had a big spoonful from my friends container and debated buying my own. I need to refine my descriptive words because I cant do any of these flavors justice. I can only imagine how great it is with actual coffee ice cream.

I instead opted to go with another cone. This time with Burnt Caramel and Oatmeal Cookie Dough. The burnt caramel was my friends favorite and Oatmeal Cookie Dough was mine for the day. I want burnt caramel to become a trend instead of sea salt caramel. It takes it to a whole new level and the added caramelization add so much more.

The Oatmeal Cookie Dough, while deceiving in its name, was still excellent. It was deceiving since it had crunchy oatmeal cookies in the mix. Even without the dough, this flavor tasted exactly like oatmeal cookie dough with added crunch. And yes, to Dubba's constant disapproval I have sampled my fair share of various cookie doughs in my life. Sam's expertise is just on show with every flavor he makes. Not one part of the ice cream flavor composition is ever out of place. There's a reason I'm such a big fan of his because he takes his craft seriously. If I could become half of the ice cream expert that he is, I'll be a happy man.

After hanging out for a bit, I noticed OddFellows was offering an odd flavor that I had to try. It was Caramelized Onion with a Raisin Caramel Sauce and Walnuts and Sea Salt. I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed it more than any human should and completely scarred my friend in the process. Thing of it as sour cream and onion dip with a bit of nuttiness and a layer of caramelization. This isn't something I'd want more than a scoop of but if it had a potato chip swirl, this could become the weirdest yet tastiest flavor ever. I for some reason was too excited to photograph it and Sam made it all pretty too. Oh well, this one isn't for the faint of heart or Dubba. [note: this was a free sample]

Last stop of the trip was at Shake Shack in the Theatre District. Why this specific Shake Shack? Because they have a jelly doughnut concrete. To be more specific it's called Jelly's Last Donut. It's made up of vanilla frozen custard, donut chunks, strawberry preserves and cinnamon. I really liked this but felt like the cinnamon was out of place. I can't think of a time I've had a strawberry jelly doughnut that had cinnamon involved. It was just odd to me. Ditch the cinnamon and add more preserves and this might have been worth the money. As is, I'd rather opt for their chocolate pretzel concrete next time I'm in the city (which will be Saturday... because I have a problem)

So there you have it, two days of exploring NYC's sweeter side. Let me know your thoughts on this kind of post. Maybe a once a month round up of only the worthwhile stuff could work? I don't know, you tell me! That and where else should I stop while in the NYC area? Holey Cream, Ample Hills and Mikey Likes It are all on my list. Okay, I'm done. Normal reviews to continue tomorrow!