Battle of the Newfangled Popsicles: Popbar vs. People's Pops

In the last year, the old-fashioned frozen confection on a stick has been pimped out so you wouldn't even recognize it. We clasped People's Pops to our breast when this tongue-depressor goody was first created, using only sustainable farmers' market products, sometimes in odd and seemingly crazy combinations.

More recently, along came Popbar, offering what they were pleased to call "gelato on a stick." Well, some of the flavors didn't seem very gelato-like, but they were damn good, and you could trick them out with crushed nuts and other toppings -- at extra expense, of course. So, since this is Fork in the Road, we decided to pit these two exemplary products against each other in a classic Battle of the Dishes.

Popbar Tasting Notes

Popbar occupies a storefront at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Carmine Street. The pops are attractively ranked in a case, and when you order one, the attendant whisks it from the case and rests it in a special contraption on top, waiting for you to scoop it up.

Some of the pops seem like gelato, especially the ones that contain greater amounts of dairy. Others are more like Italian ices. The chocolate that we selected for the competition -- one of our favorites -- doesn't taste like either. In fact, it's like a new and improved version of the Fudgsicle, creamy and chocolaty at the same time and completely irresistible.

The peach was slightly disappointing, a little too sweet, and we wish we'd chosen the cantaloupe, which is superior. In fact, if Popbar's frozen pops have any overarching defect, it's an excess of sweetness.