INSIDE SCOOP

Ben’s Fresh 33 East Main St, Port Jervis, NY • 845-856-9760 • bensfresh.com Sun-Thurs: 11am-10pm • Fri-Sat: 11am-11pm

It was a beautiful day which screamed for an ice cream run. By the time all the daily chores had been taken care of, it was getting on in the afternoon so we looked for a shorter but still fun ride in the general vicinity of Backroads Central. Like most of you, there is a route that is in the tank bag which serves to clear the head and stretch the cables, while still getting you out and back in a quick turnaround. And that is exactly what we did this day, with a great ice cream stop along the way. Heading out on Route 519 east, we took the road which we feel is our tire-warmer on the way out of town or the welcoming home to a journey of any length. Today, the icing on the cake was that it had recently been paved and all the tar snakes and potholes which marred this snaky pavement, which we like to call the Crazy Squirrel, were no more. We effortlessly cruised to Route 23 and headed north over the equally curvaceous High Point and back down into the burg of Port Jervis. We have started many a Backroads’ ride at the Port Jervis Diner and, for many decades, Homer’s had served riders a terrific meal before or after a ride. But there’s a relatively new kid on the block. Ben’s Fresh, owned by brothers Ben & Kanan Zyberaj, extended their culinary fingers in 2016. For years, Port Jervis Brick Oven Pizza served up some of the best pizza in the area and drew a loyal and hungry following. But they wanted to bring a different cuisine to the area and Ben’s Fresh was born. While the menu may sound like fast food choices, that is far from the truth. The burgers – 100% pure, fresh, custom ground beef – are cooked to order and served on a toasted pickle bun. The split and grilled hot dogs are 100% pure beef served up in a variety of ways but all delicious. The fries are freshly hand cut from Idaho potatoes and cooked in pure peanut oil. While there is no fried chicken, their hand breaded, fresh fried chicken fingers are sure to please the pickiest of chicken lovers, as will their choices in crispy chicken sandwiches. To round out the menu, you’ll find quesadillas, salads and a wonderful variety of fresh fruit smoothies. But we had come for ice cream, not a full-on meal, and we were not disappointed. Ben’s Fresh proudly serves up Perry’s, Gifford’s and Gillette Creamery. This last one, to my surprise, was one I had not previ-

ously tasted and I was very excited to add a new creamery to my ever-growing list. Perry’s has an enormous selection of flavors to satisfy any ice cream afficionado. Gifford’s has long been a favorite of mine after my first taste in Maine, their home state. Gillette, family owned by four Gillette brothers, has been around since 1985, with their facility in Gardiner, NY. They began their operation a bit closer to Port Jervis, in Ellenville, NY and are the largest ice cream distributor in Eastern New York State.

As you can see from the pictures, the offered flavors are almost too many from which to choose. The menus plaster the outside wall as well as spilling over to the inside. Before we get to the hard ice cream choices, let me first tell you that their soft serve is made fresh with local Jersey cream and REAL bourbon vanilla. That, my friends, is rare and might just convert me to a soft-serve lover. Ben’s Fresh has their own ‘Mix-In’ called the Concrete using soft ice cream with crispy, creamy & crunchy additions such as the Salted Caramel Crunch: Vanilla ice cream, salted caramel and crushed toffee crunch. Their deluxe ice cream sodas are, as they say, made the old-fashioned way with flavored syrup, local ‘cream on the top’ milk, seltzer water, soft serve ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry on top – OH YEAH! Brian opted for one of their homemade milkshakes – coffee, I believe – and I snuck a taste; just delicious. Okay, hard ice cream. I do believe that they offer EVERY single Perry’s flavor known to mankind, from the benign chocolate, strawberry and vanilla to the more inventive Queen of Hearts (dark chocolate with raspberry swirls and fudge-filled hearts), Deep Sea Treasure (caramel with salty caramel swirls and caramel sea salt truffles) and Kahlua Almond Amaretto (pretty much just how it sounds). Gifford’s had a nice presence but it was the Gillette that I was most interested in tasting. My first choice of Nutella was sold out (reason to return, I say) so I went with the Graham Slam Cracker and Cappuccino Explosion. And, just in case none of those hit the mark, there are deep fried Oreos, Twinkies and Cheesecake. We went outside where there are a number of tables at which to enjoy whatever you may be eating. There is plenty of parking for the whole crew and, on Wednesdays from 5-8pm, Ben’s Fresh holds a Bike Night which seems to draw a good crowd. Next time you are heading to or from the Hawk’s Nest, make a stop for a meal or dessert – Ben’s Fresh will have you covered either way. ,