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She Says: Vegan or Not, Go To Stōgo
Today I got to be a little bit of a celebrity.
I put on my big glasses to hide from the ‘razzi, headed to the East Village and stopped at Stōgo to be a VIP taste tester of their Vegan Ice Cream.
I first learned about Stōgo when I went to Beam Green where it was served. I didn’t have any that night, but I remember thinking how delicious it looked. Then Ashley raved about it, so I knew it was legit. When I found out that Mark was filming there with Jordana for Planet Verge, I asked if I could come along. At first I was just going to observe, then Jordana asked me if I wanted to help her taste test and pick a favorite. Ummmm. Of course!!!!!
So what makes Stōgo stand out in the city of New York where there are frozen yogurt and ice cream places on every other block?
Everything at Stōgo is organic and vegan. The ice cream contains no artificial ingredients or refined sugars and on average has 1/2 the calories and 1/3 the fat of dairy ice cream.
The ice cream base is either organic soy, coconut or hemp milk and they have a few sorbet flavors as well. The flavors range from the traditional like Fudge Brownie or Mint Chocolate Chip to the off-beat like Cardamom Pistachio and Vanilla Goji Berry Crunch.
There are also other vegan treats like Babycakes cupcakes, cookies (yes, you can create your own ice cream sandwich) and brownies, raw chocolate and truffles.
Jordana interviewed Gene Stone, a Stōgo founder, while I patiently waited to sample. Finally it was time! Here is what I tried.
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Salted Caramel Pecan – Delicious. Creamy, sweet, salty, gooey, thick and creamy.
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Mexican Spiced Chocolate – You think it’s regular chocolate and then … woah where did that cayenne pepper come from. Fun!
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Coconut Vanilla – I found the coconut based ice cream even creamier than the soy and the most similar in texture to non-vegan ice cream. Like Gene explained, you can’t disguise the coconut in coconut milk, so if you don’t like coconut, stick with soy or hemp based flavors.
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Mango Sorbet – Light and refreshing, tasted just like mashed and frozen mango.
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Peanut Butter Fudge - Gene said this is what the non-vegan boyfriend usually orders and that made me chuckle. It was definitely very decadent. My favorite part was that it had actual little peanuts in there.
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Banana Foster - Fabulous. If you like bananas there is nothing to dislike about this flavor that is absolutely bursting with natural banana flavor.
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Hemp Chocolate – I thought this was the least like non-vegan ice cream because it was quite dense and almost fudge like. I thought the flavor was just like brownies.
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Mint Chocolate Chip – Gene’s favorite flavor! I thought the mint was really subtle, which was good because I actually don’t like mint! I really liked the mini-chips in there.
As you can see, I said a lot of brilliant things to Gene while sampling.
So, which was my personal favorite?
Salted Caramel Pecan
I knew from the second that I put that teeny spoon to my mouth that this would be my favorite. I originally said it tasted like maple syrup and I think that’s probably true, but it was much more complex than that. The salt complimented the sweet in the best possible way. The caramel was the perfect amount of sticky and and creamy. And even though it’s ice cream and obviously cold, the rich flavor and creamy texture made it almost warm.
And if you go, but don’t have room to taste all the flavors you desire, you can take some home for later.
It was really fun taste testing all the ice cream! It would be so fun to do that kind of thing all the time, but I definitely prefer writing at the computer than speaking on camera. I am much better at thinking about and reflecting on the flavors than I am at coming up with interesting things to say right on the spot.
Overall, I loved my experience. First, I love when people are passionate about their product and I could tell that Gene believed in his vegan ice cream, especially the Mint Chocolate Chip. Second, they give samples, not just to people filming, but to anyone who comes in. They want people to love their vegan ice cream. Third, I ate a lot of ice cream and do not have a belly ache at all. I love eating treats that are also good for me! It’s pricey, a small (but packed) cup is $4.25. I say it’s worth the splurge for an exciting ice cream experience, and an experience is really what Stōgo is.
Thank you Stōgo for letting me taste your delicious vegan ice cream! And thank you Tim for the beautiful pictures.
That sounds amazing! Another reason I should visit NYC!
I have never tried any non-dairy frozen desserts! These look amazing!
Kelly: Yes, it says whether it is coconut or hemp and the rest are soy (except the sorbet, which I think is water). The coconut was definitely the creamiest, but these soy flavors were really creamy as well. I know what you mean about soy ice cream, but that wasn’t the case. The hemp wasn’t icy either. If anything it was “dry” if that makes sense.
Oh my goodness! That sounds like a great event to be able to participate in! Sounds worth the splurge!!
Mexican Chocolate + Bananas Foster… yes, please!!!
Whoa whoa whoa…ice cream that is GOOD for you?! That is awesome. The Peanut Butter Fudge sounds amaze.
Love the pap’ shots!
Oh yum. I wish there were a place like that where I live! Love the last photo
so jealous! i wish we had a vegan ice cream shop. i just gave up dairy- finally- and i live in the good ol’ midwest with no non dairy ice cream shops in sight! ice cream is the hardest thing to “give up.” i need to move!
[...] Heather Trains « She Says: Vegan or Not, Go To Stōgo [...]
ooooh my god that place looks SO good!! definitely need to get there someday
great review!
Holy CRAP, I shouldn’t have read that while waiting for Ari to come pick me up for lunch. I’m starving, and all those goodies look amazing! You had me at “salted caramel”.
That pizza AND that ice cream look delish!! Wish I lived closer to the city!
That ice cream place looks incredible.
And I feel so proud, I shredded up my leftover salmon and threw it in some mac n’ cheese. It would have been a shame to throw out good salmon
OMG that looks like ice cream nirvana!! definitely hitting stogo up on my next nyc trip!!
OMG…that looks SO good!!! We have no place at all like that here in Columbus.
You are such a celeb! Love the shades
Although I am completely jealous that you gotstogo to Stogo. I love that picture of you during the interview. The Coconut Vanilla may have been my favorite…I’ll just have to go if I ever make it out there, right?
Look at you! Hot mama
I am fully convinced that everything about the East Coast is glorious, except the humidity.
Very fun taste testing event. I would think the Salted Caramel Pecan would be a top contender for me as well…or the coconut…or peanut butter. Yum.
what a fun post!! everything looks amazing!
Thank you for this thorough summary of why I have no excuse not to have tried Stogo yet!
Pretty glad Beam Green is next week right now!
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Great articles & Nice a site