One refrain I hear often is that people wish there was an ice-cream shop in the neighborhood—and while it does seem like there should be one, given the extensive pre-tween population, I’m guessing that the demand is sated by the ice-cream trucks that linger outside the schools.

Adults who want real ice cream aren’t entirely without options, of course. In recent summers, the Odeon has wheeled out an ice-cream cart and Duane Park has opened a stand, Griff’s Gelato. Wichcraft and Tribeca Treats sell ice-cream sandwiches (Wichcraft’s are only available in summer). The sole year-round cone/cup option* is Ciao Bella, in the World Financial Center.

I took it upon myself to try them all.

Griff's frozen-pie-on-a-stick

First, I went to Griff’s because I was obsessed with tasting the new frozen pie-on-a-stick. The pie flavor was coconut cream, and because the ice cream was coated with graham-cracker crumbs, I felt as if I were eating frozen cheesecake. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn’t what I wanted on a hot afternoon. I’ll need more research before I can reach a verdict. At $5, it was definitely a better deal than the $3 cup of gelato, which held a scoop the size of a golf ball. The next day, my partner tried Griff’s cookies-and-cream gelato; he was underwhelmed, but he ate it. Then we walked over to the Odeon, where I bought a veritable half-pint for $4. The ice cream itself was fine—not so fine that I remember which flavors I got—but considering that I felt sort of sick after eating so much, I began to see the appeal of a daintier portion. (Not really!)

Next up: the ice-cream sandwiches. When I hear that phrase my first thought is of those crappy ones you buy at the supermarket, with ice milk and chocolate “cookie” that sticks to your fingers. I love those! As trashy as they are, I used to prefer them more gourmet versions, especially after I had a run-in with a bad Chipwich. (I will never buy ice cream from a deli freezer again.) Wichcraft’s ice-cream sandwiches($4) changed my mind, but there’s usually only one cookie/ice cream combo per day. If the cookie is peanut butter or chocolate, I’m onboard; if not…. It’s not that I’ve ever had a bad one, but I do believe that part of the fun of going out for ice cream is choosing a flavor. Tribeca Treats has a variety of ice-cream sandwiches ($3.50), made with Ronnybrook Farms ice cream. I bought one with mint ice cream and a chocolate cookie—the same type of cookie they frost for their delicious special-occasion cookies. If Tribeca Treats will make a version with peppermint ice cream at Christmas—the only time peppermint ice cream is sold, maddeningly—I’ll be their dog.

You probably already know how you feel about Ciao Bella. I think the gelato is good, and the range of flavors is impressive, but as at many chains, the staff doesn’t want to be there. I only buy ice cream when I decide that I deserve it, when I’m happy, and I’d like the occasion to be joyous. The portion size is ideal, though, and $4 feels right. The fact that the store is a schlep from my apartment is both a boon—I don’t need to eat it all the time—and a problem. When I do crave ice cream I tend to crave it right now.

* Or is it? I keep thinking I’m forgetting something. Bazzini and the Soda Shop are gone, and I don’t really consider the Baskin-Robbins on Chambers to be anywhere I want to go ever again, and not just because I worked at a Baskin-Robbins one summer in high school and was forced to wear brown pants and a pink-and-orange striped shirt.