Adirondack - Syrian Date & Walnut

Syrian Date & Walnut - Date Ice Cream with Walnuts

The next pint on my trip to New York is from the Adirondack Creamery and is called Syrian Date & Walnut.  I have reviewed a pint from Adirondack before on a previous trip to New York called Kulfi Pistachio Cardamom.  You'll notice that this is the second middle-eastern themed flavor that I have tried from Adirondack.  I checked their list of available flavors and they have a lot of more standard flavors (mint chip, banana chip, chocolate peanut butter, etc), so the bias towards more exotic flavors is on my end.  Since I eat so many different kinds of ice cream, I tend to gravitate towards flavors that are not as common.  This is especially true when I am out of town.  I don't encounter date-centric flavors that often -- that's why I picked this flavor.  The flavor link above mentions that this pint is specifically based on the Ma'amoul shortbread dessert common in the Arab world.  Adirondack is giving portions of the proceeds of the profits of this flavor to a charity which supports Syrian refugees.

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid, the date-based ice cream is a very light tan color.  Digging in, the date ice cream is fairly sweet and tasty.  Date is a surprisingly easy-to-like flavor.  I was not exposed to dates much growing up, so I expect it to be more exotic or something I might have to acquire a taste for.  It's delicious.  This is ice cream made from a date paste -- there are not dates or date pieces in the mix.  The walnut pieces are spread through the pint fairly evenly and provide the occasional crunch.

This is a delicious implementation of a date-flavored ice cream.  If you are curious about dates in ice cream, give this one a shot.  Because there are no pieces of dates in the mix, I did not like it as much as Lappert's Date Casablanca, but both flavors are not nationwide flavors (Adirondack is New York, while Lappert's is California & Hawaii).  More brands should try a date-themed flavor!