Restaurant: Hedonist Artisan Ice Cream 672 South Ave, Rochester, NY (585) 461-2815
Ice Cream Chocolate Maker: Joya Wade
Apple pie ala mode. Is there a more iconic dessert – or a more beloved flavor combination? It has been my experience that the best artisanal ice creams are those that repeat familiar flavor profiles, giving you the unexpected treat of a taste you know executed in a way you’ve never experienced. That is exactly what I got when I visited Hedonist Artisan Ice Creams in Rochester’s South Wedge neighborhood. Okay: I’ll admit something here that I’ve never said in any A-list column: when they said “Apple Ice Cream”, I was skeptical. Yes, sometimes I do get tired of being wrong.
I went in, I sampled the Caramel Apple, and not only did I love it, it ended up on the Best Dish List. Which means you should try it too. Do you know that delicious flavor of melted ice cream mixed with sweet apple pie filling? The flavor that happens at the bottom of your bowl when you’ve had a really great slice of apple pie ala mode? That is what is happening here. It’s apple pie flavor in sweet, rich, creamy ice cream, with a freshly made, still hot waffle cone playing the role of pie crust – and playing it even better than the original. Apples cooked down with brown sugar and ginger, threaded through sweet caramel ice cream, in that waffle cone that would have made a fabulous dessert all by itself. It’s exactly what artisan ice cream should be – thoughtfully crafted from the flavor profile to the ingredients to the execution. I was pleasantly surprised by the waffle cone, as I’m not typically a fan (again, see “Wrong; being”) This not the waffle cone of your childhood. Gone is the sugary sweetness and that chemical afterburn. The batter is made in house and these waffle cones are prepared fresh to order. Paired with the Caramel Apple ice cream, this Best Dish will give classic apple pie ala mode a run for its money, and make you nostalgic for fall flavor in a whole new way.
-Allison Zimmer, A-List Contributor
