Phantom Gourmet: New City Microcreamery In Hudson

HUDSON – Some of the best ice cream in the country is being made in a whole new way. When you first look at the ice cream at New City Microcreamery it may appear ordinary, but once you taste it you'll realize this ice cream is truly extraordinary. When you get a chance to see how it's made, you'll be absolutely blown away.

At this shop in Hudson there is one simple goal: to make the best ice cream in the world. Before opening the doors, owners Karim El-Gamal and Michael Kasseris spent two years visiting ice cream destinations around the globe, in pursuit of that goal.

"We've traveled around the world, looking at all different types and styles and techniques to make ice cream, and we feel very strongly that this is the best way to make an ice cream," said Michael.

It's a bold claim, but these guys back it up: starting with the base for their ice creams, which unlike most places, is made from scratch, using ingredients from local dairy farms.

"We get the milk, the cream, real sugar, all real ingredients that go into our ice cream base. Second, we use all natural ingredients to flavor those cream bases. Then we freeze it with liquid nitrogen, and that's the third, and one of the most important parts of what makes our ice cream different," Michael explained.

That's right, there's some sweet science behind their sweet treats, because at New City Microcreamery, they're not freezing their ice cream the old fashioned way. They're using liquid nitrogen.

"A lot of people hear liquid nitrogen and they think it's a gimmick, but actually it's one of the best ways to make ice cream," Michael said. "Liquid nitrogen is negative 300 plus degrees. So we're flash freezing the creams right away. When you freeze your ice cream quickly, you don't allow a lot of ice crystals to develop. So when we get it at -300 very quickly, right away you can taste that smooth, creamy texture."

Watching this ice cream being made is almost as much fun as eating it. At New City, the entire process is done in a gorgeous open kitchen, in full view of the customers.

"Every batch we make is right in front of the customer. When I say that - it's in the dead center front of the house. You're right up there; you're maybe like five or six feet away watching the whole process," Karim said.

That process is part Chemistry class, part Home Ec, and completely mesmerizing.

"Liquid nitrogen is awesome; everyone gets super excited when they see it. We have this giant liquid nitrogen hose that comes out of the wall and it fills in this dewar and it erupts with smoke," described Michael.

"You're watching it poured in; you're watching plumes of steam and smoke coming out, so much that the whole bowl disappears. Your feet disappear, because it's just covering the floor and spreading all over," continued Karim. "Then as that clears, you see what used to be a liquid form kind of harden and harden slowly into a nice, creamy, almost like a soft serve texture."

Of course the show is entertaining, but what really matters is if it leads to great ice cream, and rest assured, this stuff is spectacular.

"You know the show is just a bonus. We were using it for the process. We were trying to find the coldest and fastest way to freeze our cream bases, and that is, from our research, using liquid nitrogen," Karim said.

As soon as you walk into New City Microcreamy, you can see this place has taken the ice cream shop to the next level. It's big and beautiful, with strings of lights and wooden ice cream crates suspended from the ceiling; plenty of comfortable seating encouraging customers to stick around; and a fun chalkboard menu showcasing the ever changing flavors, homemade sauces and toppings.

Best of all, since deciding what to order can be difficult, they aren't stingy with the samples.

The choices go from classic to completely unconventional. There's boozy Vanilla Bourbon, rich Peanut Butter Brownie, refreshing Blueberry Sorbet, and spicy Mexican Chocolate, made with cinnamon and chipotle.

"You're gonna get a nice smoked chipotle. You're gonna get a little bit of heat going around the end of your tongue. The chocolate is a real deep, dark chocolate. It's smooth, it's creamy, and then you're gonna get a bright pop from the cinnamon," described Michael. "It's a chocolate lovers dream."

If you really want to jazz things up, there are sundaes and parfaits, ice cream tarts, and something known as the Chocolate Bomb.

"Choco Bomb is a triple threat of chocolate," promised Karim. "We've got a center of hot fudge, surrounded by chocolate ice cream, and that is all dipped in chocolate and frozen all together into a chocolate bomb that we'll serve with some fresh berries."

There are wide mouth ice cream sandwiches that come in individual or party sizes, but for a real crowd pleaser, check out New City's cute and craveable Micro-cones.

"This was a product of our research. We saw these in Europe. And so you'd go somewhere as a guest and people would bring out a tray of these little microcones at the end of a dinner at a party. That way everybody could have an ice cream treat without getting their hands dirty or digging around for bowls and spoons," Michael explained.

In a cone or a cup, on its own or smothered with stuff, any trip to New City Mircocreamery always ends with a smile.

"When you leave, I'd like you to feel like you just left another world: a world of pleasures; a world of sweets; a world of excitement. Something to bring out your inner child, and that's how people feel," Karim said.

You can find New City Microcreamery at 28 Main Street in Hudson, and online at newcitymicrocreamery.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.