"The cornerstone of any beach town is its ice cream shops, and along the Jersey coast there are no shortage of options. The arrival of Milk Sugar Love—which has served some of the state’s best ice cream in Jersey City for more than a decade—has upped the ante on great desserts in not only Asbury Park, but the entire Shore. While locals often push back against all things arriving from North Jersey, this shop’s unique flavors and high quality ingredients (like malted cookie made with housemade sea salt chocolate chip cookies, their deep black midnight cocoa with activated charcoal, and the smooth lemon olive oil) differentiate it from its competitors. If you need more than the standard cone or cup, there are cookie sandwiches, special collabs, and seasonal offerings, which regularly feature some of the state’s best produce at its peak. The recent blueberry crumble was among the tastiest ice creams we’ve had, and alongside other forthcoming fruit-forward specials, will prove to visitors why they call this the “Garden State.” photo credit: Emily Schindler" - Michael Sinatra