10BEST: Stone-cold ice cream shops
The ice cream world has moved far beyond chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, says John Maguire, CEO of Friendly’s ice cream, which has 340 locations. “There’s a real push toward savory flavors, like sea salt, caramelized prosciutto and bacon. There are a
CREOLE CREAMERY NEW ORLEANS The secret to the Creole Strawberry Sundae is the Creole cream cheese ice cream, topped with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, a cherry and a wafer. “I don’t know what makes it Creole, but anything with cream cheese and strawberries on it is going to be good. The texture is really, really smooth,” Maguire says. 504-894-8680; creolecreamery.com
AMPLE HILLS CREAMERY BROOKLYN, N.Y. Maguire wasn’t able to finish the Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Sundae, which he calls “a delicious mess.” It’s made with a warm, homemade, dark chocolate fudge brownie or “ooey gooey” butter cake; a split banana cradling three scoops of ice cream; hot fudge, caramel and wet maple walnuts; and whipped cream. 347-240-3926; amplehills.com
MARGIE’S CANDIES CHICAGO Although Maguire never thought of himself as a honeycomb fan, he became a believer when he sampled the Chocolate Honey Comb Chip Sundae, made with three scoops of French vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry, along with cookie and honeycomb chips made in the store’s candy kitchen. “They’re just fantastic,” he says. He also likes the shop. “It looks like it hasn’t been remodeled in a millennium. It’s a pretty cool place.” 773-384-1035; margies finecandies.com BI-RITE CREAMERY SAN FRANCISCO The Dainty Gentleman sundae is a surprising combination of honey lavender ice cream, hot fudge, blood orange olive oil and Maldon sea salt. “I was almost going to hold my nose before I took that first bite, but it was fantastic,” Maguire says. “I don’t know who came up with that, what they were smoking, but it’s a fantastic combination.” 415626-5600; biritecreamery.com
CLOUD 10 CREAMERY HOUSTON The Cloud 10 Banana Split is nothing like the traditional dish. It starts with three balls of chocolate, vanilla and Nutella ice cream and is topped with three types of sauce, marshmallow, a darkmaroon berry jam and a milk chocolate shell that hardens on the ice cream. Then it’s topped with sugar-sprinkled banana slices that are caramelized with a torch. Finally come candied pecans, whipped cream and Nutella powder. “It’s unique flavors, and anytime you’re taking a torch to a banana, that’s pretty unusual,” Maguire says. 713-434-6129; cloud10creamery.com
SPRINKLES BEVERLY HILLS This popular cupcake shop (with locations in 17 cities) makes wonderful sweet concoctions, mixing ice cream with pieces of cupcake, cookies or brownies, in select locations. “It doesn’t get any better than this,” Maguire says. 310-274-8765; sprinkles.com BEACHES & CREAM SODA SHOP DISNEY BEACH CLUB RESORT, LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. Although Maguire is not a big banana fan, he was won over by the shop’s Grilled Banana and Peanut Butter sundae. “When you grill them, and they get caramelized with the sugar and sweetness coming out, I think it’s something Elvis would have loved,” he says. 407-934-7639; disneyworld.disney.go.com
SWEET REPUBLIC SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. The Campfire S’more — made with two scoops of Belgian chocolate ice cream, roasted marshmallow, whipped cream and hot fudge in a waffle bowl — benefits from high-quality ingredients. “This is made with more traditional flavors that really taste awesome,” Maguire says. He also likes the shop’s family atmosphere and board games for patrons. 480-248-6979; sweet republic.com FARFAR’S DANISH ICE CREAM SHOP DUXBURY, MASS. Maguire admits he has a bias for this shop near his home. He orders Danish sweet ice cream with hot fudge, marshmallow, three cherries and, perhaps, gummy bears. “One of my vices is gummy bears,” he says. The beach-town shop is open seasonally. “It’s a big day when Farfar’s opens, and a sad day on the last day of summer, when they close.” 781-9345152; farfarsicecream.com
LICKITY SPLIT RESTAURANT NEW HOLLAND, PA. The Kauffman’s Jailhouse Rock includes some of Maguire’s favorite ingredients. It has black raspberry ice cream topped with M&M’s and red licorice “bars,” whipped cream and a cherry. “The ice cream is fantastic here, and the black raspberry and chocolate flavor profiles are pretty superior together.” He also admires the shop’s small-town ambience. 717-354-4986; lickitysplit.info