Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Dessert Row lives: Here comes the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop to Seventh Street



Xoom, the nearly 18-month-old smoothie shop, moved out from its Seventh Street location in March. (Jennifer at Xoom is planning to open in another East Village location.)

Meanwhile! Serious Eats (via Eater) reports that the folks behind the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck are opening a shop in the former Xoom space. And this will likely happen next month or so.

Meanwhile! (Again!) Big Gay Ice Cream is the second trucker to open an ice cream shop on Seventh Street. We expect to find Van Leeuwen open soon near Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
On East Seventh Street: Dessert Row seems a little deserted -- Chocolate Bar has closed

Keep on truckin': Van Leeuwen opening dessert shop on Seventh Street

19 comments:

Lisa said...

Wastin' away again in Diabetesville...

Coffee and ice cream, ice cream and coffee. (Oh, and cupcakes.) How much more of this shit do we need, for the love of God? I mean, really, folks!

Anonymous said...

They're not bars, so I'm happy. Plus, real ice cream is great. It's not that horrible Tasti-D-Lite or whatever that awful chemical concoction is named. NYC is a walking city, if you get so little exercise that you can't eat a cupcake or an ice cream cone without fear of obesity related diabetes, you have bigger problems to address.

nygrump said...

actually white sugar is a vicious substance that suppresses the immune system - the real problems of white sugar are much deeper than just obesity. That said, I do think the butterlane make the best cupcakes in town.

Anonymous said...

Never had gay ice cream before.

Lisa said...

Anon. 12:16 - Not sure if you are enough of a jerk to actually be suggesting that I am a corpulent blob who would be courting diabetes if I ate a cupcake or ice cream cone, but such is not the case. I get plenty of exercise and watch what I eat, so if I wanted to indulge in an occasional sugar fest I could. And have. No, my point is that all we seem to get these days is banks, nail salons, bars, coffee joints and ice cream/fro yo stores, and my subsequent question is, how many of them do we have to have? Isn't there a tipping point?

Now. Go learn some manners, you upstart.

Jeremiah Moss said...

i don't hate the big gay ice cream truck, mostly because it says "gay" on it and i think the city needs more queerness, in general, and less heteronormativity, but really the EV has enough frozen treat shops, especially around there. enough. couldn't we have the Big Gay Tailor Shop or the Big Gay Bookstore or the Big Gay Stationery Store?

also, how will these places stay in business for more than one summer season? and how will they encroach on Ray's fro-yo business?

Kurt said...

@Jeremiah Moss, I think most residents would like a little more diversity in the businesses that open but it's funny because it seems like the businesses that already exist get no love unless they close. A few weeks back someone was complaining about not being able to buy bread in the neighborhood but we have 9th Street Bakery which is always empty when I go. More recently another poster wished for a shoe store and we already have a shoe store on 2nd Ave and St. Marks that always seems empty. I know these places aren't all run by character like Ray but they seem awfully neglected by the community and if and when they close I'll just see more posters on this blog bitch about how they are being replaced by another fill in the blank when they never patronized the business in the first place.

glamma said...

what we really need is an increase in dentists and AA centers

Kurt said...

@glamma, what's an AA center? I know there are many Alcoholic Anonymous meetings in the neighborhood. I have a few friends that attend. A quick search show 6 meetings in zip code 10009, 27 in 10003, and 5 in 10002.

As far as dentist I know there is one on 10th and there are scores up by Beth Israel.

Melanie said...

Dr. Patel had to move because the rent was too damn high. He was located on Avenue A and about 11th Street for years and was a great dentist. I still miss him.

Anonymous said...

I think Ben and Jerry were gay, weren't they ?

Anonymous said...

GREAT! Can I just say how furious I was when I waddled my 9 month pregnant ass down to 13th and A only to find the truck sitting there with a cardboard closed sign on it, closing an hour early! My hormones went into a rage, proceeded to drag my husband down to 6th and B for Lula's only to find that we had to wait 20 minutes in line, by then we were both at each others throats! I got ice cream though.... even though it wasn't the Salty Pimp from BGIC

HippieChick said...

Well, since I hate going above 14th Street, I buy bread at 9th Street Bakery and shoes at the place on the corner of St Marks and 1st (which used to be a fabric store which I supported loyally) and hardware needs at Saifee's and sewing needs at Gizmo's and the 9th Street shoemaker. My laundry and dry cleaners and greengrocers are likewise local.

And yet I do NOT patronize Butter Lane or the fro-yo (whatever the hell that is) places or any other hipsteriffic incomers.

Now I want the Big Gay Fishmonger. Or the Big Straight Fishmonger, I'm not fussy. I just want to be able to buy some fresh haddock. Surely that's not too much to ask.

Kurt said...

Has there been a fish monger since the one on 1st and 9th closed? Maybe 6-7 years ago. There are fewer and fewer places that sell fresh ingredients. We're down to one butcher and really no place for fresh produce besides the Green Market. I brought this up once on this blog and I was told it's because this neighborhood was for artist and artist don't cook at home at eat at cafes or some such thing.

Hey19 said...

Their ice cream is super, thanks for asking.

L.a.m.f. said...

Fish monger blah blah fish monger blah blah blah fish monger blah blah fish monger derp.

Anonymous said...

Kurt -- TO BE FAIR...
I was the one complaining about nowhere to buy bread. I had no idea that Nine Street Bakery did bread at all, if it's the place I'm thinking of they've always had ill/sad looking pastries in the window and it never occurred to me to stop in and get some. I will check it out and hopefully thank you!

L.A.M.F. said...

Kurt, your comment @3:53 is exactly correct!

Anonymous said...

Awful name.