(This venue is closed.) Three green barrels sitting outside meant three flavors on hand: lemon, orange, and coconut.
Frutti di bosco was to have joined them later but may have been thwarted by an afternoon rainstorm. ("Don’t even bother trying to get an ice there on a rainy day," the website advises.) Also sitting outside were John DiCosmo (leaning back) and his wife, Nancy (in the center chair), third-generation owners of this family business founded in 1915. Their son, John, has established a DiCosmo location in the Rockaways and, observed his mom, churns out some exuberant flavors. But my cup of orange (first photo below; small, $1.50 at the time) was no less artisanal for sticking to the basics: The original, fresh fruit was evidenced by one bit of pith and a little pulp.
More recently, near Rockaway Beach: a small cup ($3) that concealed mango ice under a snowcap of coconut.
DiCosmo's
714 Fourth Ave. (at High St.), Elizabeth, New Jersey (shown)
Also at 95-19 Rockaway Beach Blvd. (at Beach 96th St.), Rockaway Beach, Queens
Both locations summertime only
www.DiCosmos.com
