Strawberry Ice Cream in Paris
A month or so ago, the biggest food critic in my life visited me in NYC; my mother. I took her to Mario Batali’s Otto for dinner, but my main motif was to have her try the olive oil gelato. She called me a couple days later and said, “Andrew… I can’t stop thinking about that olive oil gelato- it was fabulous.”
Thank you all for sharing your childhood (and grown-up) ice cream favorites!
My Top 4 in no particular order:
Ice Cream: Olive Oil Gelato
Location: Otto
City: NYC, NY
Testimonial: “This insanely flavored gelato is almost perfect, sprinkled with sea salt.”
Ice Cream: Corn Ice Cream
Location: Cones
City: NYC. NY
Testimonial: “This Argentine-style ice cream (resembles gelato) is made with sweet corn. Sound gross? It’s crazy good.”
Ice Cream: Strawberry Shortcake
Location: Baskin-Robbins
City: Deerfield, IL (multiple locations)
Testimonial: “How can I not include this? It’s a childhood favorite.”
Ice Cream: Strawberry Ice Cream
Location: Bertillon
City: Isle St. Louis- Paris, France
Testimonial: “- Recommended by too many people when I traveled to Paris, I about stopped in my own tracks on a street corner to eat it because I could not do two things at once. “
THE TOP 5’s:
1.) Ice Cream: Chocolate and Coconut
Location: Bacio Gelato
City: Coconut Grove, FL
Testimonial: “… hands down.”
2.) Ice Cream: Coffee Vanilla Swirl
Location: Pinkberry
City: L.A. (multiple locations)
Testimonial: “with coconut on top of course”
3.) Ice Cream: A play on Banana Split
Location: An underground dining group
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “It had dark chocolate-habanero ice cream, so it was sweet, bitter, freezing cold and intensely spicy all the same time. There were caramelized manzano bananas, peanut brittle, and warm meaty bacon lardons as the garnish. Absolutely unreal. With my top button undone, I swore I wasn’t going to make it through dessert, but when this came out I was licking the bowl.”
4.) Ice Cream: Nutella Ice Cream
Location: Amorino
City: Paris, France
Testimonial:
5.) Ice Cream: Moose Tracks
Location: Sherman’s Dairy
City: South Haven, MI
Testimonial: “It’s worth the wait, which there always is, all summer long!”
6.) Ice Cream: Breyer’s Heavenly Hash Ice Cream
Location: (Select Grocery Store)
City: (see above)
Testimonial: “It’s vanilla and chocolate ice cream filled with white vanilla marshmallow swirls, chopped almonds, and dark chocolate chunks. When allowed to soften just a bit it becomes almost sublime.”
7.) Ice Cream: Caramel Buerre Salee (Salted Butter Caramel) with Pear Sorbet
Location: Berthillon
City: Paris, France
Testimonial: “The two flavors in one cup taste like a caramelized pear tart.”
8.) Ice Cream: Salted Butter Caramel OR Roasted Banana
Location: Bi-Rite Creamery
City: San Francisco, CA
Testimonial: “Salted Butter Caramel is quite tasty and a good stop if you can’t get to Paris. You can feel the high-fat content of the ice cream in your mouth.”
9.) Ice Cream: (Any Flavor)
Location: Cows
City: Park City, Utah
Testimonial: “This Canadian ice cream maker has a shop in Park City. 16% butterfat content! Any flavor will do.”
10.) Ice Cream: Death by Chocolate
Location: 3B’s
City: Harrisburg, PA
Testimonial: “It’s an old fashioned shop with great homemade ice creams – I’ve never tasted an ice cream there I didn’t like.”
11.) Ice Cream: Prailine’s and Cream
Location: Baskin-Robbins
City: (multiple locations)
Testimonial: “There are real prailines in the cream. Candy covered nuts. Seriously delicious.”
12.) Ice Cream: Popcorn Ice Cream Sundae
Location: Country Restaurant
City: NYC, NY
Testimonial: “You think Otto has got salty and sweet down? This is kettle corn in a melty dish.”
13.) Ice Cream: Wattleseed, Naga AND Pandan Ice Cream
Location: Vosges Chocolates
City: NYC, NY (other locations)
Testimonial:
14.) Ice Cream: Saffron Gelato
Location: Azucar
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “It’s sweet and savory and unbelievable.”
15.) Ice Cream: Pera & Pecorino (pear and pecorino cheese)
Location: (on it’s way)
City: Lucca, Italy
Testimonial: “WOW!!! I can’t stop thinking about that!!!”
16.) Ice Cream: Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
Location: Kilwin’s
City: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Testimonial: “key lime ice cream, with chocolate covered graham cracker pieces and a swirl of cream cheese.”
17.) Ice Cream: Sweet Cream Ice Cream
Location: Farfars
City: Duxbury, MA
Testimonial: “There flavors are great but the sweet cream which is the base of most of the specialty flavors is just divine!”
18.) Ice Cream: Helado de Chocolate
Location: Heladeria Rayas
City: Sevilla, Spain
Testimonial: “No better place to wash down a few litros of Estrella del Sur and take in the Spanish nightlife”
19.) Ice Cream: Ice Cream Sundae
Location: McDonald’s
City: Deerfield, IL (multiple locations)
Testimonial: “$1 Ice Cream Sunday – Can you possibly beat this deal? Extra nuts.”
20.) Ice Cream: Chocolate Cookie Sandwich
Location: Toll House
City: (grocery store)
Testimonial: “Everyone knows about this one but never disappoints.”
21.) Ice Cream: Maine Maple Walnut
Location: Quiet Side Café & Ice Cream Shop
City: Southwest Harbor, ME
Testimonial: “Sometimes the journey to The Perfect Ice Cream Cone is part of the flavor…. My personal favorite is the Maine Maple Walnut. That sweet maple and cream blends perfectly with that slightly bitter taste that walnuts have. Sometimes they will even throw a little banana in there (after all, it’s homemade!). But you’ll be torn between all the soft serve and hard serve flavors and whether to get vanilla to go a la mode over one of their incredible blueberry pies.
22.) Ice Cream: Strawberry
Location: Jordan Pond House
City: Bar Harbor, ME
Testimonial: “it’s a little more fancy-pants, but the homemade strawberry ice
cream at the Jordan Pond House in the main section of the park actually does strawberries (my favorite fruit) justice!”
23.) Ice Cream: Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
Location: Good Humor
City: (truck or grocery store)
Testimonial:
24.) Ice Cream: (any flavor)
Location: Marino’s Italian Ice
City:
Testimonial:
25.) Ice Cream: Ice Cream Sandwiches
Location: (grocery store)
City: (see above)
Testimonial: “the shitty ones”
26.) Ice Cream: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Location: Baskin-Robbins
City: (multiple locations)
Testimonial: “-I don’t care that its artificially colored, its the smashed chips that make it memorable.”
27.) Ice Cream: Peppermint Chocolate Chip
Location: Otto
City: NYC, NY
Testimonial: “early summer season- NON artificially colored– the real deal. They have it now…”
28.) Ice Cream:
Location: Freddy’s Pizza and Gelateria
City: Cicero, IL
Testimonial: “… the gelato is amazing. Great choice of flavors! My mom and I stop there whenever we are anywhere near Cicero, and you know how often that is. Not often enough though for this food. Everything is great!”
29.) Ice Cream: Turtle Banana Split
Location: Margie’s Candies
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: Three scoops of ice cream w/ hot caramel on top, a split banana, whipcream, cherry, nuts and their famous hotfudge on the side w/ a vanilla wafer. This place is a dessert lovers dream…their hotfudge is like candy crack! The menu is huge and filled w/ all kinds of delicious desserts. I could go on for ever but instead I’m going to call them right now and tell them how great they truly are!”
30.) Ice Cream: Snickers Blizzard
Location: Dairy Queen
City: Carbondale, IL (multiple locations)
Testimonial: “An all time favorite that will probably never leave my life.”
31.) Ice Cream: Cannoli Ice Cream
Location: Gelloti’s
City: West Patterson, NJ
Testimonial: “it’s technically italian ice, but its creamy so I’m making the bold statement of saying it could hold its own in this category- perfect blend of ice and cream, authentic enough to feel like you’re eating it out of a shell from the old country.”
32.) Ice Cream: Cherry Garden Chip
Location: Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor
City: Dania Beach, FL
Testimonial:
33.) Ice Cream: Brownie Nut
Location: Ron’s Gourmet
City: Hyde Park, MA
Testimonial:
34.) Ice Cream: Coconut Chip & Blackberry Chip
Location: Graeter’s
City: Columbus, OH
Testimonial:
35.) Ice Cream: Strawberry
Location: Crème Cremaillere Restaurant
City: Bedford, NY
Testimonial:
36.) Ice Cream: Dutch Chocolate & Blueberry
Location: Fosselman’s
City: Alhambra, CA
Testimonial:
37.) Ice Cream: Cherry Moobilee
Location: Moomers
City: Traverse City, MI
Testimonial: “Choc pieces, cherries, brownies, MMM !!!”
38.) Ice Cream: Lemon/Raspberry/Watermelon/Orange
Location: Vivolo in Firenze
City: Florence
Testimonial: “Enough said, it is the holy grail of gelato…and they too have bizarre flavors.”
39.) Ice Cream: Nocciole/Limone/Stracciatella
Location: Gelatiamo
City: Seattle, WA
Testimonial: “Nocciole, Limone and Stracciatella are the mark of a good gelato…Maria’s stuff is great and it is classical!
40.) Ice Cream: Oatmeal Cookie Chunk
Location: Ben & Jerry’s
City: (grocery store)
Testimonial: “I love A LOT of ice cream flavors but I could only eat one for the rest of my life it would be Ben & Jerry’s Oatmeal Cookie Chunk. It’s AMAZING!… It is VERY easy to finish an entire carton in one sitting because you can’t put it down. It’s hard to find, but when you do, I suggest you stock up!”
41.) Ice Cream: Mocha Chocolate Chip
Location: Graeter’s
City: Columbus, OH
Testimonial: “Hands down best ice cream experience… I’ve never actually made it to one of their retail locations, but I have anxiously awaited the overnight delivery guy’s knock on the door the morning following my phone order. This French pot style ice cream is as rich and flavorful as any I’ve had in the USA. The coffee flavor rivals the fullness of my daily morning brew and then to call it “chips” is not even close to being accurate. The chocolate is ladled into the cold cream, forming thick veins of hardened dark sweetness throughout. At our kitchen counter, which is about as far as the pint containers get in our home, the lucky guy (or gal) who strikes the vein gets to follow it as far as it reaches…then the container gets passed to the next prospector. Sometimes I cheat.”
42.) Ice Cream: Riso Gelato
Location: Festival di Gelato
City: Florence, Italy
Testimonial: “… an all time favorite European gelato… This frozen rice pudding gelato is memorable, could cause you to cash in frequent traveler mileage, and is an absolute must for aficionados eating their way through Tuscany.”
43.) Ice Cream: Mango Ice Cream Bar
Location: Mexican Pushcarts
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “I love the ice cram bar covered with mango on the outside- no not just the mango ice- the crema ones.”
44.) Ice Cream: Salty Caramel Ice Cream
Location: Bi Rite Creamery
City: San Francisco, CA
Testimonial: “Maybe my favorite flavor ever. Perfect balance of sweet and salty.”
45.) Ice Cream: Mont Avalanche Ice Cream
Location: The Chocolate Shoppe
City: Madison, WI
Testimonial: “Mint ice cream (all of the ice creams are made in the science lab at UW – Madison), oreo cookies, andes candies and fudge swirl. Very heady.”
46.) Ice Cream: Coconut Gelato
Location: Vivoli
City: Florence, Italy
Testimonial: “When I was in Italy it was my mission to taste every coconut gelato there was. This place had the best…”
47.) Ice Cream: Olive Oil Gelato
Location: Sociale
City: San Francisco, CA
Testimonial: “We actually had vanilla gelato with olive oil and salt. Either way I had no idea how tasty that combo was. Genius.”
48.) Ice Cream: Buko or Ube Ice Cream
Location: Mitchell’s
City: San Francisco, CA
Testimonial: “Buko I guess is a baby coconut and ube is a purple yam both found in the Philippines. The Buko is great if you love coconut because it has the same flavor, but the coconut bits are soft. Ube is delicious also and really is just purple ice cream that tastes like sweet cream. Both are super delicious.”
49.) Ice Cream: Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream
Location: Tony’s Sub’s
City:
Testimonial: “home of the Warriors… In a safety cone- Hot summer day, cool summer treat, taste explosion….can’t tell it is Low Cal also.”
50.) Ice Cream: Ice Cream Sandwich
Location: Diddy Reese
City: Westwood, CA
Testimonial: “I like the cookie dough ice cream with a chocolate cookie…”
51.) Ice Cream: Chocolate Soft Serve Ice Cream
Location: Dairy Queen
City: Northbrook, IL (multiple locations)
Testimonial:
52.) Ice Cream: Vanilla Cone with chocolate jimmies
Location: Mister Softee
City: NYC, NY (multiple locations)
Testimonial:
53.) Ice Cream: Gold Medal Ribbon
Location: Baskin-Robbins
City: Philly, PA (multiple locations)
Testimonial: “The perfect balance of vanilla and chocolate with just a little swirl of caramel. Add some chocolate jimmies on top… perfection.”
54.) Ice Cream: Lemon Custard
Location: Jarling’s Custard Cup
City: Champaign, IL
Testimonial: “The Lemon Custard is the perfect cool treat on a hot summer day in good old C-U.”
55.) Ice Cream: Rainbow Cone
Location: Walt’s
City: Joliet, IL
Testimonial: “Famous for it’s towering Rainbow Cone, always a challenge to eat it all before it drips down onto your shoes!! A tradition in Joliet, it is so old school, I can’t even find the phone number for it!!!!”
56.) Ice Cream: Kitchen Sink
Location: Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor
City: Dania Beach, FL
Testimonial: “… literally served in a miniature kitchen sink and loaded with whatever ice cream flavors the scooper feels like. It’s a huge serving so bring friends but its damn worth it. The ice cream is homemade and the best I’ve ever had.”
57.) Ice Cream: Butter Pecan
Location: Fair Oaks Dairy
City: Fair Oaks, IN
Testimonial:
58.) Ice Cream: Strawberries in Vanilla Gelato
Location: (little place off the square)
City: Rome, Italy
Testimonial:
59.) Ice Cream: Vanilla and Butter Pecan
Location: Graeter’s Ice Cream
City: Columbus, OH
Testimonial:
60.) Ice Cream: Vanilla Ice Cream
Location: Table 52
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “… with the Hummingbird cake…”
61.) Ice Cream: Vanilla Ice Cream Cone dipped in chocolate coating
Location: Dairy Queen
City: (multiple locations)
Testimonial: “On a hot day- dipped in chocolate coating- it’s not real but who cares- it brings back memories of childhood in the south.”
62.) Ice Cream: Pumpkin (seasonal)
Location: Krisch’s
City: Massapequa, NY
Testimonial:
63.) Ice Cream: Fiordilatte Gelato
Location: Grom Gelateria
City: Florence, Italy (and now in NYC)
Testimonial: “ “Essence of milk” is what comes to mind when eating this smooth,
rich, creamy and clean flavor.”
* GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN:
Ice Cream: Chocolate Milkshake
Location: Cherry Pit Cafe
City: Deerfield, IL
Testimonial: “That chocolate milkshake served in the metal mixing cup is one of my fondest childhood memories.”
Ice Cream: Ice Cream bar
Location: Lindemans
City: Deerfield, IL
Testimonial: “… enough said. Everything there taste better if you leave your rollerblades on!”
Ice Cream: Chocolate Soft Serve
Location: TCBY
City: Highland Park, IL
Testimonial: “… the old TCBY by the new Judy’s…”
