Great regional ice creams

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Originally posted by Big Ugly Mich

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Originally posted by kools
Frozen custard is king in Milwaukee. As absolutely fantastic as Kopp's is, Leon's is more absolutely fantastic! I have put their vanilla against each other in an A/B test...Leon's always wins. Kopp's has Leon's beat for menu items, but there is no better custard on the planet than Leon's.

That's fine if you like vanilla, the whole vanilla, and nothing but the vanilla, and chocolate. Kopp's is for fruit flavors, caramel flavors, root beer flavors, etc. etc. etc. And burgers so good they don't take polls of Milwaukee's favorite burger, because what's the point? It's ALWAYS Kopp's.

Now, Oscars (Highway 100 just south of Lincoln Ave.) has a pretty good waffle cone. You can smell it for about half a mile. Their custard and burgers are not bad either. Gille's is okay in a pinch, but the locals made it one of the big three, so it must be commented on.

I used to make the waffle cones @ the one here in Waukesha back in college during the summer. You have to have fast fingers, but oh so worth it. :) Love Oscar's.

I will say Cedar Crest for our regional ice cream. Love the Blue Moon & the Cinnamon is great over pie in the fall.

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Originally posted by jettababs

Surprised no one has mentioned Ritter's yet. It's an Indianapolis-based custard stand. They do custard and custard only, no sandwiches or anything, but it's wonderful stuff. Usually have vanilla, chocolate, and a couple of flavors of the day. Turtle Somethin' is the best, with huge ribbons of caramel and fudge and nuts swirled throughout. They also have several types of sundae, but the custard is rich enough that one scoop usually does it for me.

Ritter's is amazing! We used to have to go up to the one near Danville to get a frozen custard fix... then they opened a Ritter's in Plainfield about a minute from my parents' house. I've never had anything so creamy! Man, I wish frozen custard existed down here where I live now...

I've traveled all over Europe, had the finest Italian gelatos, and indulged in roadfood in 47 states in America, and the very best Ice Cream I've ever enjoyed is Silky Smooth Ultra Creamery in Beverly Hills, CA. Truly the creme-de-la-creme of frozen desserts! As fresh & creamy as Kopp's Frozen Custard in Milwaukee, and as flavorful as the best Gelato in Bologna and Florence.

www.silkysmoothcreamery.com

I really enjoy the ice cream made by Louis Trauth Dairy of Newport KY, which is sold all over the greater Cincinnati area. I especially like their chocolate ice cream.

I have three not-yet-mentioned nominees.  These are three places that I have been in the last year for which I would make a detour if in the area.



Ted and Wally's - Omaha, NE - Quite simply, the best ice cream I've ever had.  They had a bunch of unique flavors, and after extensive sampling, I chose the French toast (top) and butterscotch Oreo (below).  Wow.  Just wow.



L&B Spumoni Gardens - Brooklyn, NY - Rainbow flavor (which is really pistachio, chocolate and vanilla) is the only way to go for me.  One of my favorite things about this place is that, with the exception of the accents of the diners surrounding you, you would have a hard time believing that you are eating outside in NYC.



Margie's Candies - Chicago, IL - Pistachio and cookies and cream.  Delicious.

In the past, I have also really enjoyed Larry's Ice Cream in DC and Beth Marie's Old Fashioned Ice Cream in Denton, TX.  Apparently, I mostly like ice cream parlors named after individuals.

Back in the 1960s, when we lived in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood, we lived about a block from a little family-owned ice cream shop called Cunis Candies. Every time I got my hands on 35 cents, I headed over there for one of their terrific chocolate sundaes. We moved to the south suburbs in '68, and I thought I would never taste that wonderful sundae again. Lo and behold, in the early '70s the Cunis folks packed up and moved their shop to South Holland IL, the same suburb that we had relocated to. I was ecstatic!!! It wasn't 35 cents anymore, but I didn't care; I had my chocolate sundae back. It's nearly 40 years later and Cunis is still there, on 162nd St. just west of the Bishop Ford Freeway, and the homemade ice cream and toppings are still as wonderful as ever. Great homemade candy too. Ya gotta try it!

Mayfield or Purity

Hi. Awhile back I said that Darigold was an excellent grocery store ice cream. It is now called Humbolt, is still good, and is STILL in 1/2gals. NOT 1.75 qts.
Regards

We stopped at our local Graeter's Ice Cream Parlor...well, acually we used the drive-thru, to get a waffle cone to munch  while we waited for the dog-groomer to complete the Doggie Makeover's of the Scotties! Janet got a single of Toffee Chip, and I did a single of the Mocha Chip. Both were outstanding and we really enjoyed the Spring-like break in the Winter Storms that we experienced yesterday.

When I think "regional ice cream", I make a distinction between bulk ice cream, like from the supermarket, and hand-dipped ice cream like from an ice cream parlor... and of course, sometimes you can get both in the same brand.

Here in NE PA, Hillside Farms makes a really nice hand-dipped that they supply to many local ice cream parlors. It won't be one of those "best EVAR" nominees, but you'll never get a bad scoop.

Manning Farm Dairy makes an excellent ice cream, available both in stores and from parlors. Real good. Balanced recipe; not overly sweet, nor fatty, just good, cold cream. Nice ice crystals.

Leichtmann's makes a good ice cream, both as dipped and as bulk.

For 3/4 gallons,

Wegman's store brand is an honest choice.
Someone mentioned Turkey Hill... most flavors are pretty good, except the vanilla. Overflavored.
Green's is OK, a little over guar-gummed but good.

Whatever happened to one of the most popular flavors years ago......Tutti Frutti ??

In the York area there is Mack's Ice Cream. I love their Caramel. It is not a vanilla ice cream with a ribbon of sickly sweet caramel sauce, but an ice cream that tastes of burnt sugar, almost bitter. It is the same color as brown sugar.
 
Their Orange-Pineapple Ice Cream is also very good.