Travel + Leisure names Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe in Riverhead best in New York

Travel + Leisure magazine, citing voters from Yelp, has listed Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe in Riverhead as the best in New York State.

Snowflake is on a nationwide list that the magazine put together state by state based on the input of Yelpers.

Anyone who has sampled Stu Feldschuh's ice cream over the last three decades would easily agree. Although Travel + Leisure referred to the previous owners, who established Snowflake in 1953, Feldschuh has been running it and creating notable flavors for 31 years.

Snowflake is known for flavors such as Peconic Swamp Thing, which swirls raspberry into chocolate; and Black Magic Woman, which mixes chocolate with fudge, chocolate crunchies, and dark chocolate chips.

"Ice cream shops sell two or three times as much vanilla for every chocolate," Feldschuh said. But chocolate devotees "are fanatics" for their favorite flavor and the popularity has boomed.

All the classic flavors are made at Snowflake, from maple walnut and butter pecan to black raspberry and strawberry. 

Seasonal local fruit is in the repertoire for strawberry, blueberry, and peach ice creams. The fruit sundaes, with local fruit toppings, are exceptional. Snowflake also is the paradigm for soft serve ice cream, malteds, shakes, and ice cream sandwiches and brown bonnets.

There's also a flavor of the week. The current one is wittily called "Car 54," starring coffee ice cream with chocolate-covered Entenmann's doughnuts.

Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe is at 1148 W. Main St., Riverhead, 631-727-4394, snowflakeicecream.com