Your Guide to Authentic Regional Eats
Although the South has a tremendous sweet tooth, low dairy consciousness obviates it as an ice cream lode. While I wouldn't match up Ye Ole's product with the heavy hitters of the North, this charming little sweet shop is worth a stop if you're hankering for a cup, a cone, or a hot fudge sundae along Route 17 north of Charleston. (There are eight other locations in the area.) The ice cream served is Ashby's, a 14% butterfat, 85% overrun premium brand which our server declared to be "by far the best ice cream I've had in my entire life." Thirty-six flavors are available; we tasted just one, advertised on a sign outside the restaurant: banana pudding. The very idea of it was enough to cause the car's steering wheel to automatically turn and veer into the parking lot. As fans of the tenderest dessert, we'd probably order banana pudding-flavored meat loaf if we saw it on a menu; and the goodness of ice cream veined with streaks of vanilla wafer and banana slices is pretty much inarguable.
