In all began in 1960!

On my way home from a nice lunch with a good friend in Granby I stopped for fuel at a place called Sam’s Food Store in East Granby. I have been researching the town of East Granby for a couple years and haven’t been able to find any place that serves ice cream. But much to my surprise when I entered Sam’s food store I found a freezer with various ice cream products.

Today I chose a Häagen-Dazs ice cream bar with vanilla ice cream, and a milk chocolate covering, which hit the spot. This may not be a Creamery or a Dairy Bar, but a Häagen-Dazs ice cream bar was just what I needed for the ride home.

Häagen-Dazs ice cream began in 1960 in the Bronx, New York but it wasn’t till the 1980s that Häagen-Dazs began to sell ice cream bars, commercially through a variety of different stores. The moral of the story, when in doubt look for Häagen-Dazs. You can’t go wrong.

99 flavors of ice cream on the wall, 99 flavors….

Just off the Western Connecticut State University campus is the Dubl Twister ice cream shop that is celebrating 50 years in operation! We were lucky to meet the owners, an Albanian couple who have owned the shop since 2014, and operate two Dubl Twister locations, Danbury and New York City.

Lucy, who has worked at Dubl Twister for several years was on call and quickly found The Connecticut Ice Cream Quest online and we enjoyed some playful banter about ice cream and our Knights of the Roundtable Quest!

I had the usual…a medium coffee milkshake with a scoop of chocolate. Maureen had her fave, chocolate soft serve with chocolate sprinkles on a wafer cone. The shake was good and thick and very tasty while Mo’s soft serve was some of the best she has had. But there are many, many options and some might say “99 flavors of ice cream on the wall.” We will definitely try something different next time

They have a long list of hard ice cream flavors and multiple toppings but the long counter showing the ice cream is very impressive. They offer cups, cones, shakes, floats, sundaes, cakes and ice cream sandwiches. Their ice cream is made on site and transported to NYC and offered at Candlewood Creamery in New Fairfield.

Dubl Twister is a pleasant, nostalgic shop and has a long history in Danbury. This won’t be our last time here and should be on your bucket list when visiting western Connecticut. Congratulations on 50 years of keeping WestConn students tummies filled with ice cream and cheers to the next 50 years!

Thick, thick, thick…

On my way home from a tour at the Wilton Historical Society I took the opportunity to drop into Scoops, a long standing ice cream shop in town. Scoops is under new ownership but doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. They are open year round and are located in the heart of Wilton.

They have a modest number of flavors of Buck’s hard ice cream along with a number of toppings and offer cups, cones, shakes and floats. Their servings are moderately priced. Along with the ice cream is a wall of candy that made me very itchy to try several treats but I somehow managed to pass.

I had my usual, a coffee milkshake with a scoop of chocolate and Bucks ice cream did not disappoint. The shake was rich in flavor, creamy, and so thick, thick, thick it was hard to appreciate with a narrow, paper straw. Any yes it was tasty!

If you are passing through the southwest part of the state stop in at this hidden gem but remember to bring a spoon if your having a shake! 😉

Four generations strong!

In the sleepy town in Lisbon is Wildowsky Dairy farm that has been around for four generations. The farm is an active dairy with a farm store that sells various products including milk, chocolate milk and ice cream (of course 😁), which is all priced very reasonably. The store operated on an honor system, although the ice cream was guarded by a friendly doggie that seemed to enjoy his place next to the warmth from the freezers. And their ice cream is offered nearby at Meyer’s Crazy Hollow Creamery

I was joined by my good buddy Jim from Buffalo who was my designated driver on this quest today as we drove through three or four small Connecticut towns before we settled on Lisbon. After a fair bit of exploration on this rainy Friday we settled on Wildowskys.

We were limited to the offerings in the store which were not small in number or creativity. We split a pint of mint chocolate crunch which has a light, creamy delicious taste. They offer about 16 unique flavors including blackberry, pistachio, coffee, and strawberry to name a few. Their ice cream is all made on the farm and has a nice 16% butterfat, which is amazing considering how light and creamy their flavors are.

If your looking for a break from the rain, head east to Wildowsky Dairy in Lisbon. You won’t be disappointed!

Over the river and through the hills…

I spent another afternoon in eastern Connecticut and on my way home we passed through the town of Hebron which is a charming, rustic country town. As we were heading south we passed Scooter Bug Ice Cream that is in a strip mall on route 85.

Scooter Bug’s is a smaller takeout place that serves Gifford’s hard ice cream and an unknown soft serve. They have a good variety of flavors of hard ice cream and more than 30 flavors of soft serve! They offer cups, cones, shakes, sundaes and banana splits. I had the usual…a small coffee milk shake with a scoop of chocolate that was very well made. It was thick, creamy, well mixed with a strong coffee flavor.

If you are taking a trip over the river and through the hills in Hebron stop at Scooter Bug’s and enjoy being pleasantly surprised.

Retired old men eating ice cream!

The Fish Family Farm is an active, working dairy farm in the beautiful, rural town of Bolton in eastern Connecticut. The farm has a store that serves a variety of dairy products, including milk, coffee milk, ice cream, and even maple syrup. They make all of their products on site as is viewable from the store. Their ice cream is made fresh daily and they had about a dozen flavors on hand today.

I was joined today by two of The Connecticut Ice Cream Quests’ top fans, and two of my closest friends from my hometown of Stafford, Connecticut that joined me on my “Knights of the Round Table” quest for another ice cream venue.

Fish Farm offers cups and cones in a number of flavors and also a number of toppings. Today I had a small scoop of chocolate chip in a cup. My friend Jae had a scoop of blueberry and maple Oreo in a cup while Jerry had chocolate chip on a wafer cone. As an active dairy farm, it is safe to say the ice cream was fresh, creamy, light and simply delicious. While we sat at the farm and reminisced for a couple of hours, it was astonishing how many people were coming and going to pick up milk and other dairy products, while we enjoyed the beautiful scenic views, sounds and aromas of the farm.

Regardless of whether or not you are retired old men looking for ice cream or are just looking for a fun place to spend an afternoon this fall, check out the ice cream on this active dairy farm in Bolton. You won’t be disappointed.

The Gateway to the Berkshires

Today we headed to the Wild West of Connecticut and visited the largest geographic town in Connecticut, New Milford. According to local legend, New Milford is at the southern edge of the Berkshires. Kimberly Farms is an active dairy farm with Guernsey cows in the adjacent fields, a farm market and an ice cream shop with incredible vistas in every direction.

The ice cream shop offers a wide variety of flavors, all made on site with the freshest ingredients you can imagine. They offer both hard packed ice cream and soft serve and all the regulars…cups, cones, sundaes, pints, cakes and ice cream sandwiches and they have a good mix of toppings. Their prices seem a bit on the high side but your paying for this farm fresh product!

I had the usual…coffee milkshake with a scoop of chocolate and Mighty Mo had a small mint chocolate chip on a sugar cone. Both were delish and you can taste the high butterfat content in their ice cream. One of the surprises is the large chocolate chips in the mint chip, but to be honest, both the shake and cone did have some tiny ice crystals mixed throughout.

If you are looking to drive the length of the Berkshires, or are just looking for a reason to go west, head to New Milford for a scoop at Kimberly Farm to get you underway.

After the rain has fallen…

After several days of rain it was nice to get out and see the sun today. On my way home from Willimantic I felt like I needed a treat to celebrate the splendid day and stopped at The Main Moose in Columbia.

The Main Moose is a charming, rustic place that serves ice cream and meals. They have a take out window and lots of outside seating. I was greeted by Ruthie, a delightful person behind the counter who made a fantastic coffee milkshake with a splash of chocolate.

Hershey’s is the ice cream product that is offered in both hard ice cream and soft serve, along with frozen yogurt. They offer cups, cones, milkshakes, sundaes in all the standard flavors as well as some exotic flavors and crazy concoctions such as buttered beer! They have lots of toppings and sprinkles for those liking mixtures. All in all, a very cool place.

If you’re driving through eastern Connecticut and looking for an interesting diversion, head to The Maine Moose! You won’t be disappointed.

The oldest ice cream shop in Connecticut?

On a cloudy, rainy day we took a quick trip on a Sunday afternoon north to the town of Meriden to Les’s Dairy Bar that is a classic Connecticut establishment. Les’ is a small take-out place on East Main Street that predominantly sells soft-serve products, some yogurts and slushes. In addition to cups and cones, Les’ has sundaes, boats, floats, flurries, slushes and shakes in a creative variety of flavors and wide variety of compliments. The prices are incredibly reasonable if not on the cheaper side.

The young lady working the place on a chilly Sunday was pleasant and helpful. She made a nice, small soft-serve chocolate milkshake. Maureen was excited for her kiddie cup of chocolate-vanilla twist with chocolate “shots.” My soft-serve specialist Mighty Mo thought the dairy products are from Hershey Ice Cream as the young lady behind the counter was uncertain.

Since 1952 Les’ Dairy Bar has been a staple in Meriden on East Main Street. Could this be the oldest continuously operating ice cream establishment in the State? We have not found any place older yet but 71 years is pretty impressive. Good luck Les’.

Eat more ice cream!

On a Sunday afternoon we drove west to New Fairfield, just east of the New York border and west of the well known Candlewood Lake. On the site of the historic “Hubbell House” sits the Candlewood Creamery that provided the perfect spot for an afternoon lunch!

The Candlewood Creamery is an intriguing place in the outskirts of New Fairfield. The shop is an interesting place with lots of bright, colorful artwork on the walls. They have a good variety of ice cream and sorbet flavors, and both hard and soft serve ice cream. They offer cups, cones, sundaes “açaí bowls.” Their prices are modest and they offer good size servings. Their ice cream is produced in Danbury and the gentleman serving us was unsure who produced it.

My chief strategist and soft serve specialist Maureen had a kiddie scoop of soft serve twist with chocolate sprinkles on a wafer cone. Unfortunately the Creamery did not have any coffee ice cream so I had a small chocolate milk shake. This is probably one of the best shakes I have had this year. The shake was thick, creamy and had a rich chocolate flavor. No doubt this was all in the preparation and execution of this shake that took more that a few minutes to make.

If your heading west, check out the Candlewood Creamery and “Eat More Ice Cream” and enjoy the countryside!

All in the family…

On my way home from Farmington today my good friend Lynn Jones stopped at Pralines in Plainville. I have wanted to visit this shop for a couple years and was not disappointed!

Pralines in Plainville is a family run shop. Kathleen, daughter of the former owner was our host and gave us the history of this local landmark. They have a long list of soft serve and hard ice cream flavors. They offer cups and cones, sundaes and lots and lots of cakes!

I went back to my old standard—a milkshake with coffee and chocolate ice cream, which was totally delicious…thick, creamy with a strong coffee flavor. Lynn had a waffle cone with Mint Oreo and Reece’s Nightmare that was also out of this world!

If you passing through this part of the state, stop on by and enjoy this nice family owned shop. You won’t be disappointed.

A classic dairy bar!

On our way home from the Goshen Fair we stopped in the city of Torrington at a classic ice cream dairy bar, Carvel. Torrington is well known in the dairy industry. It is the former home of Borden Dairy, the company that created condensed milk.

The Carvel ice cream shop in Torrington is a classic venue with a take out counter, some counter and stools and picnic tables out front. They serve a very rich, creamy soft serve according to Maureen and a variety of hard, scooped ice cream. They are well known for their cakes, sandwiches and sundaes!

Maureen had a kiddie cone with chocolate soft serve with chocolate “shots” or sprinkles for rest of us. I had a small chocolate milk shake. Both were rich, rich, rich in flavor and tasty. My shake with thick, well made and delish and Mighty Mo said this was some of the best soft serve she has had this summer!

If your heading home from the fair or just driving around the northwest, stop in at Carvel for some classic ice cream!

Golly Gosh…The Goshen Fair!

I have always wanted to check out the Goshen Fair in northwest Connecticut and we got our chance today. Maureen and I traveled north to the Fair and enjoyed a morning in the warm sun. The Goshen Fair is an agricultural fair that highlights the rich history of farming in the western hills of Connecticut.

There were about four or five places selling “ice cream products.” I stopped at the first place we saw, much to the chagrin of Maureen, and had a root beer float with soft vanilla ice cream. The drink was refreshing on a warm day although the vanilla soft serve was nothing special according to my “soft serve specialist.”

The Goshen Fair has been going strong since 1910. If your looking for something fun to do on Labor Day weekend go west!

…and don’t forget to weigh your ice cream!

On our way home from Holyoke we took a diversion through northwestern Connecticut and ended up in one my favorite places with lots of memories, the village of Riverton in the town of Barkhamsted. Riverton is situated on the headwaters of the Farmington River and is a popular spot for fly fishing. The centerpiece of this village is the historic Hitchcock Chair Factory and the local general store.

The Riverton General Store has all the basics for those living in the northwest hills and they sell Buck’s Ice Cream in cups, cones, sundaes and ice cream sandwiches. They offer about a dozen or so flavors, some standard and some unique like swamp, mud and buck tracks!

Maureen tried the exotic swamp while I stuck with basics, a coffee milk shake with a scoop of chocolate. Swamp is good, an intriguing concoction of vanilla ice cream with M&Ms, Oreo cookies, caramel, malted milk balls and chocolate chips. All combined this was pretty delish!

My milkshake lacked any pizzazz. It was thick, so thick I needed a spoon and needed to stir it for a good five mins before I could use a straw. To be honest it tasted more like a chocolate milk shake with a scoop of coffee. Buck’s is a pretty popular brand in western Connecticut and in general a very rich flavor, although has a somewhat crystalline texture.

If you’re out for a Sunday drive I heartily recommend a trip through northwest part of the State and a stop at the Riverton General Store and don’t forget to weigh your ice cream!

A refreshing dessert.

After golf today we went to dinner at Rocky’s Aqua, a quaint, charming place on the shore in the town of Clinton. Rocky’s has been around for years but recently they added a takeout window for their home made ice cream that is made on site.

After dinner our waiter asked about dessert and after some playful ribbing from my “brother” Jim about my ice cream obsession, we tried two flavors. I had maple pecan that has a nice sweet cream base with whole pecans and maple syrup ribbons throughout. Jim had toasted coconut which has a nice sweet cream base with crunchy coconut throughout. Both were fantastic and I suppose we will agree to disagree on which was better but both were fantastic.

If your looking for a nice seaside dinner place, check out Rocky’s Aqua in Clinton but stay for the ice cream! I think you will be pleasantly surprised with The Scoop.