Last night I
returned to my Belgian roots at Pomme Frites (123 2nd Ave.), where
East Villagers’ go to get their french-fry fix. The line was out the door, but as usual, worth the wait. The
frites are truly authentic, and come served in a paper cone, just as they are
in Belgium or France. There are
three sizes (regular, large, and double) and my two friends and I split a large
– believe me, these frites are meant for sharing! A few of the dipping sauces are free (such as Ketchup and
Frites Sauce, which is traditional European Mayo –what Europeans dip their
fries in instead of ketchup) or else you can opt for some of the special sauces,
which cost $1.50 each. We opted for cheddar cheese, which was melted and
slightly sharp-tasting. In the
past, I’ve tried the Rosemary Garlic Mayo, which I also recommend. Some sauces on my list for future
frites trips: Sweet Mango Chutney
Mayo, Peanut Satay, Organic Black Truffle Mayo, and Smoked Eggplant Mayo. The fries themselves are thick, but not
too thick, and perfectly salted: the quintessential European frites!
Pomme Frites!
The Line
For dessert we
headed a couple blocks over to the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop (125 E. 7th
Street), which started as the “Big Gay Ice Cream Truck” in 2009, and opened as
a store last year. There was a
line here too, but I’m always willing to wait for ice cream! This ice cream shop is like a gourmet,
East Village-ified Dairy Queen, because they make traditional soft-serve ice
cream, and then add zany, creative toppings. I ordered the Salty Pimp (yes, it’s really called the Salty
Pimp), which is vanilla ice cream with dulche de leche and sea salt, all dipped
in chocolate. When I bit in, the
hard chocolate covering melted slightly, and combined with the creamy vanilla,
the gooey clumps of dulche de leche, and the hint of salt. I can’t wait to return for the Monday
Sundae (vanilla ice cream, Nutella lined cone, dulche de leche, sea salt, and
whipped cream) and the American
Globs (vanilla ice cream, pretzels, sea salt, chocolate dip.)
Making the Salty Pimp
The Salty Pimp
