4-1-1/20 What's the scoop?
9As noted in a prior post about careers/jobs I had previous brushes with different food service employers. One of them was when I managed a Bresler’s 33 Flavors Ice Cream Parlor for my FIL in the mid -80’s. (Take Baskin Robbins with your measly 31 flavors…)
Ice cream has always been one of my favorite foods (along with pizza… another career choice that spanned several college years). Other than the odd one-off flavored (like licorice) ice cream we sold, I could be counted on to eat almost any of the others given a chance. Some of these were seasonal (like apple spice in the fall, or a red/white/blue (aka dyed vanilla) for 4th of July, peppermint candy or eggnog for Christmas), or just promotional (like chocoholic (chocolate, chocolate sauce swirl, fudge bits, chocolate chunks), strawberry cheesecake, banana split, etc) . I ate them all… cones, sundaes, shakes you name it.
The store was in a mall, and on occasion we would go in after hours, check-in with the mall security, and open the store for a make-your-own-whatever-the-hell-you-want party with friends. That was often the highlight of their visit.
So, today’s queries
Ever dip ice cream for a paycheck (You can skip this part @cinoclav)
What is your favorite flavor/brand of ice cream (and NO DQ does NOT sell ice cream…)
- 16 comments, 25 replies
- Comment
Lactose intolerance means ice cream has pretty much been off limits.
@narfcake Do you not have these in your local grocery?
Local favorite is Abbott’s frozen custard. And no, don’t call it ice cream. Chocolate almond is fantastic, especially when they add the toasted almonds just as you order it. Black raspberry is particularly good as well. Crap, now I want some…
Kopp’s flavor-of-the-day custard in Milwaukee, WI (actually Glendale, but close enough).
kopps.com
/image kopp’s custard
@mike808 oh I do like a good Kopps malt/shake!! Those cows out back a a bit freaky though!!!
/giphy kopps cows
@mike808 With Brookfield & Greenfield locations also
Hey I too worked in a ice cream shop back in 1983, one of my favorite jobs or maybe it’s just one of the best/funest times of my life! Just graduated high school and moved to Florida, all by myself not knowing a soul, to escape my twisted reality at the time. I’ll spair you another rambling about my wild and crazy adventures though. As for the many flavors of ice cream I don’t even remember what any of the exotics were, butter brickle and butter pecan have always been a fav, along with any kind of variation of cheesecake.
…and then there’s the different types of sherbets and jellotos!
Yup did that in college working in the dorm cafeteria (also did short order, worked the line, and cleaned the dinning room - got stuck doing that after a food fight once). I especially love vanilla and chocolate chip - but it has to be a good brand - Franklin’s Ice Cream that then became United Dairy Farmers Ice Cream is really good. And Ben and Jerry’s Super New York Fudge Chunk. I like blackberry ice cream a lot too.
@Kidsandliz
Like this:
@chienfou That looks about right. There was a balcony around 3 of the sides. People turned their tables on their side as a shield and were lobbing food off the balcony to the folks below. Below they were throwing food at each other and trying to get the folks in the balcony. Jello cubes and mashed potatoes were involved. Plates didn’t get thrown (they were china) but about everything else did. Took several hours for 2 of us to clean it up. Was not worth the extra pay. Oh, and if I remembered correctly capacity was about 250 people and the food fight happened when the place was pretty full.
Whatever flavor I had during the great blizzard of 1978 I think the year was, at that place in Cambridge MA.
Lines of folk outside waiting for the place to open. Some people came wearing skis and snowshoes, as all roads were closed except for emergency traffic.
Real Italian gelato (in Rome or Venice) was also just fine.
amore : )
Homemade peach or blackberry ice cream (using peaches or blackberries harvested by us, the grandkids), fresh from my grandparents’ hand-cranked rock salt maker, was also dandy.
Brand - Homemade or artisanal, but I won’t turn up my nose at any half-decent brand.
And “best” brand depends on the flavor.
Flavor - I like almost any flavor (though there are some Japanese flavors that cross the line - no thanks.) Bonus points for chocolate or nuts, but sometimes I’ll be in the mood for a simple fruit thing like peaches and cream. Other times I’ll crave a mishmash of chunks, textures and flavors. I may be a subversive, but I like icecreams on the less sweet side of the spectrum.
Then there’s gelato, custard, Italian ice, sorbet, sheep’s milk icecream (much better than it sounds), frozen youghurt, and more.
And “best” flavor depends on the brand.
Now I’m really hungry.
My favorites always get discontinued! I tell people I should get paid to be a tester, because if I love it it’s probably going to be unpopular (no way would I eat licorice ice cream, though.) Ben & Jerry had a marzipan flavor; Talenti had a key lime pie gelato; H-Dazs had a couple of good ones that seem to be gone - so I’m scared to list my current faves lest they too disappear! But I will say that Tillamook is really good and I like the Haagen Dasz Trios. Never worked in an ice-cream shop but did have to scoop some vanilla occasionally when I waitressed at a place that had great homemade pie. Hot Dutch cherry-apple pie ala mode was divine!
@Kyeh wife and I hit up the Tillamook dairy when we visited the Oregon coast in dec 2018. That was definitely some yummy stuff!
Never did it as a job, but did have a friend that worked at a hand-made ice cream place, and we’d go there after hours for “tastings”.
Fave store-boughten:
F00l, you’re thinking of Steve’s Ice Cream which I believe was across the line into Somerville.
@jdavis103
I remember them, not the store, but before Ben & Jerry’s hit the west coast, there was Steves in the store, Steves mix in (not sure if the same or not).
Ben & Jerry’s sorta drove them out of the market. But I found a place that did it locally, think Coldstone only 100x better. Not near me though.
I like the Ben & Jerry’s Buzzzzz coffee flavored and Caramel Sutra and Core
but then I LOVE Caramel in ice cream (or good caramel anywhere, that stuff on MorningSave is actually quite yummy, even if expensive)
@jdavis103
Yeah that’s the place.
Is it still operating?
@f00l no, Steve’s is long gone. He sold out to a nearby competitor (Joey’s), and later opened the Herrel’s stores in the area. There’s still one of those left, in Northampton MA, and it’s very good. Steve is the one who invented (for realz) the mix-in concept. The line for that store would be 100 people long, going down the block.
Never scooped ice cream professionally. I love vanilla. I love adding things to vanilla. Even though it’s not ice cream, DQ’s vanilla soft serve is delicious and even better when chocolate dipped.
I have a local custard place that makes different daily flavors. So many good options. When there’s no great daily option I add strawberries to the vanilla.
Publix makes really good ice cream. Their vanilla bean is yum.
I recently saw Rhett and Link (YouTube) rate a bunch of ice cream and they were surprised that they kept rating Blue Bell high since they had never really had it. They had a Banana Pudding flavor they raved about. I still haven’t found it, but I ended up buying their Moollenium crunch. It is divine. I have to put it in my fridge for 30 minutes before scooping though.
/image blue Bell Moollenium crunch
There’s this local place called The Milkshake Factory, I don’t go for milkshakes. They serve ice cream from Perry’s. Chocolate and Sea Salt Caramel Swirl is my favoritest ice cream in the world. Just now, when searching for a picture, I discovered that they sell it in grocery stores. Not any grocery stores near me. :Sigh:
A restaurant I use to visit from time to time made an amazing cinnamon ice cream. It was delicious.
Other than that I am more of a gelato fan!
Made ice cram one summer I got to try. OMG awesome
At the grocery store I usually go for something extra chocolaty, like Tillamook Chocolate Mudslide. But my all-time favorite ice cream treat is Salt & Straw Bacon Raleigh Bar. Incredible combination of flavors.
@macromeh That sounds [and looks] just amazingly good.
There’s also a great seasonal place, Frank’s Italian Ices, that makes fantastic spumoni: chocolate hazelnut, pistachio, cherry vanilla. Made to order. So good, it’s served in most of the better Italian restaurants in town.
@ybmuG that sounds yummy
@tinamarie1974 oh. It’s fantastic. It’s one where it doesn’t matter how full I am. If they have it on the menu, I’m not leaving without it. Frank’s dad brought the recipes from Italy and he stays true to the tradition. Now Frank’s sons are taking over. Great to see. Just hope they survive all this. I’m watching their website for when they open.
@ybmuG I hope the kids hold Franks traditions!
We had an amazing Sicilian bakery here in St Louis and when the kids took over they started cutting corners. It has been four or five years now and the quality is just not the same. Really sad.
@tinamarie1974 I sure hope so. There’s a strong Italian community here, so it would be a disappointment to more than me!
We did lose one great Italian bakery about 20+ years ago. I still mourn the loss. Neighborhood downturn and next generation wanted to do pizza more than bread and it didn’t last.
@ybmuG
Frank’s is the place up by the lake, right?
We lived nearby there in our first house, and we often used to take Ms. SWMBO’s St. Bernard on walks up there.
Often, all three of us would get a cone from them.
People were amazed at how quickly a 210+# St. Bernard could eat that ice cream- and apparently he never got brain freeze, or at least didn’t show any evidence of discomfort.
The drool was quite legendary whilst we were waiting in line, and people were pretty astounded by that too [it was just prior to the Beethoven movies], so they had never seen anything close to it before…
The ice cream was the best I ever had, until I tried Ben & Jerrys’ Wavy Gravy- sadly now discontinued.
My 2nd fave of theirs was Rainforest Crunch- also d/c’d.
@PhysAssist yes, Dewey just north of the Parkway. We first knew of them at the mainly wholesale place on Spencerport rd.
@ybmuG That’s what I thought- I knew about that place [Spencerport Rd], but had never been there, despite growing up in the southwest corner of Monroe Co- a Chili boy.
@PhysAssist now you know everyone not from Rochester thinks you mean you like chili…
@PhysAssist @ybmuG I thought I was the only one - absolutely love spumoni. It used to be easily available around Christmas and I always made sure I had plenty anytime it was around. Haven’t had it in years, as somehow the state of Maryland seems to have forgotten what it is, or maybe it’s unfashionable. I almost wish I could start my own ice cream company to bring back spumoni and maybe a couple of other lost flavors.
@mehcuda67 @PhysAssist @ybmuG +1 for spumoni! We used to keep it in stock in our store. Good stuff
@mehcuda67 @PhysAssist @ybmuG I had forgotten about spumoni ice cream. My parents, or at least my dad, loved it. And I think it was only at Christmas the store had it maybe? Or at least that is when they bought it.
@ybmuG Only we know that we are in the know.
@PhysAssist I know, you know?
@mehcuda67 You should, you’d prolly clean up on the wave of nostalgia that’s gonna sweep over the country [the survivors] once this plague is over…
@ybmuG Yuppers. No one else knows, no no no…