It was bound to happen…

Marvin and I spent the morning with my brother Fred and we drove to Thomaston, a small quaint town on the northern parts of the Housatonic River. Well known for the Seth Thomas clock factory, Thomaston was the center of clock making it the 1800s.

There are three ice cream establishments in Thomaston and it seems all three are closed which left me with no option but to visit a Cumberland Farms. I had a Luigi’s mango flavored Italian ice, which was nice soft, fine grained Italian ice while my brother had a Nestle’s chocolate and vanilla drumstick.

All in all this was a beautiful day for a drive. Hopefully Marve and I can find a nice creamery for our next trip. Happy summer all!

Since 1935

We had a nice dinner tonight with our niece Lauren and her beautiful wife Pierina. Happy couple celebrating their one-year anniversary!

After dinner Maureen and I drove to North Haven to have some ice cream at Friendly’s, an old time establishment that was once popular across many towns in New England. Friendly’s was established in 1935 in Springfield, Massachusetts and there are still 177 diner style restaurants in southern New England.

I had my typical coffee milkshake with a single scoop of chocolate, while Maureen had hard chocolate ice cream with chocolate sprinkles on a sugar cone. While Mo’s cone was satisfying the milkshake was thin and lacked any real taste, which is odd since Friendly’s ice cream is a rich, creamy commercial brand.

Welcome to summer 2019!

Line out the door…

First of the season! Okay maybe second or third. Jennifer’s Ice Cream was recommended by Timmy and Debbie Henley. It’s smaller with limited seating and there is nothing really fancy about this place but the ice cream is great. They have parking for about 20 cars but people were lining up on the street. Surely this was a good sign. Owned by father and son, Frank and Franz Trinkhaus and opened in 1993. They take a short hiatus around Christmas thru early January, otherwise they are open year round.

The ice cream is a home grown product, made fresh every morning by father and son. Multiple flavors, some standard some unique. Soft serve as well and they also serve Libby’s Italian Ice, a New Haven staple. But what seems unique are the other products: ice cream sandwiches, cakes and pies! All the prices seemed very reasonable.

I had a coffee crunch, chocolate milkshake that was highlighted by the rich creamy ice cream, nice and thick and tasty. I was skeptical about the crunch part but it added a nice kick. Mo had a small chocolate soft-serve on a wafer cone with chocolate sprinkles, although the cone was a little flimsy at the bottom.

The line was long, really long out the door. The staff of three young women were efficient, patient with all the little kids…and the big kids, and you never felt like you were waiting that long.

Jennifer’s is definitely a place we will come back when we need an ice cream fix. See you next time Timmy and Debbie!

You can have anything want, chocolate or vanilla!

My good friend Rich Boardman would say to his daughter…”come on Kym, you can have any thing you want, chocolate or vanilla? After a nice dinner at Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, Maureen and I stopped at ColdStone Creamery in Clinton for dessert. Ironically Rich’s daughter Kym worked at this ColdStone when in high school.

I had a thick coffee milkshake with a scoop of this tangy chocolate that added some zip to this shake. The coffee ice cream was rich, creamy and tasty and I actually asked if the attendant used any Milk! 3 ounces to be precise but it was “thick, thick, thick” as Dan Connor on Rosanne would describe his concoctions. Maureen passed on anything but later regretted her choice when she saw a big old ice cream sunday on the counter.

ColdStone was hoping tonight for a late day in March but it won’t compare to the coming months this summer.

We went this evening with my nephew Jon and his kids Kiki and Spencer to a really cool place called Holey Scoops (@holeyscoops). Family owned and operated by a very charming brother and sister team and their 14-year-old doggie.

Had the old stand by, coffee milkshake with a single scoop of chocolate to jazz it up a bit. Kiki and Spence had cups of mint chocolate chip, while Maureen had a mint chip sugar cone and Jon had a chocolate dipped banana…yes chocolate dipped banana!

Nice location in a strip mall next to an Albertsons grocery store on CA highway 111 in Palm Desert. They serve a commercial product (sorry didn’t catch the name) ice cream, which is a good product, rich and tasty. The milkshake was well prepared thick and creamy throughout and the mint chip was tasty too. Guess I have to go back for the chocolate dipped banana!

#holeyscoops

We spent this afternoon at our good friend Mark Simon’s annual New Years Day Leftover Party and I had a chance to taste Mark’s homemade ice cream, which was better than I have heard and a great way to kickoff 2019. Thanks Mark!

After numerous trips to 26 towns around the state, here is the best of 2018. All of these trips and town visits were special, regardless of whether I was visiting with a good friend like Jae Lorenzet or a having a milkshake at my local joint in Stony Creek. Below is the best of the best for 2018!

HAPPY ICE CREAM!

BEST MILKSHAKE: Thimbleberry’s, Branford. It is all in the preparation and this was the best ice cream I had last year.

MOST NOVEL PRODUCT: Thai Ice Cream, New Haven. In the words of my generation, this is very cool. A close second as The Scoop in Ellington which make a mean Mexicali Chocolate.

BEST CREAMERY: Salem Valley Creamery, Salem. It’s all in the butterfat!

BEST COMMERCIAL ICE CREAM: Gifford’s Ice Cream, multiple locations.

Not just any quest, we’re talking Knights of the Round Table Quest!

I spent the day with my good friend Jae Lorenzet. Jae and I grew up together in Stafford and shared an apartment in college. Jae was the first follower of this blog and continues to give me constant encouragement in this quest. In fact he put out a call on Facebook for recommendations for his friend on a quest.

After a nice hike up Soapstone Mountain in Somers, we enjoyed some spectacular ice cream at “The Scoop” in Ellington. Lots of history in this beautiful farm town. The Scoop is a nice place in a small strip mall in the center of Ellington but this is not your typical ice cream place. It’s open year round and has a nice following. They sell hard ice cream and sorbet, but nothing standard in this place. Their “ice cream” product is from a place called SoCo Creamery in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and none of the flavors I saw were typical…all are somewhat exotic.

I had a Mexicali chocolate milkshake that was thick, creamy and very tasty. This is a lite cocoa ice cream with a mix of cinnamon, cayenne, mint, and espresso, which is a really nice combo. My friend Jae had three scoops…mocha chip and strawberry jam which was also insane.

I have to admit it my quest will be taking me back to Ellington…and not just to see my buddy Jae!

Ding ding ding….

A classic chain, Ben & Jerry’s is a well-oiled machine with lots of options but they are a bit on the pricier side. They have all the basics, albeit with their twist, and some exotic concoctions too. They serve ice cream and frozen yogurt with a variety of toppings, waffle cones, waffle cups, and the standards cones and cups too.

Maureen and I stopped at a Mohegan Sun on our way home from Stafford where I grew up and developed my passion for ice cream. Maureen passed on ice cream today and headed right to the slots while I must admit the attraction for me was an early winter ice cream break. I like Mohegan Sun. I find something about the architecture warm and inviting, there are some good restaurants, live music, and it’s great people watching too.

I opted for an old standby, a coffee milkshake which I must say was quite disappointing. I was hopeful as the gentlemen behind the bar seemed knowledgeable. He warned me Ben & Jerry’s coffee ice cream has chocolate bits floating in the ice cream but I went for it anyway. Not only was the coffee flavor overwhelmed by the chocolate bits, the preparation was inconsistent and poorly executed…watery in place, thick in others, overly chocolate tasty throughout, and overall very unsatisfying.

The moral of the story is if at first you don’t succeed, go back for seconds! There’s always another ice cream place around the corner.

A late entry for 2018…

My buddy Jim Fregeau, my trusty companion Marvelous Marvin and I stopped at the legendary Connecticut establishment, Guida’s in Middlefield. Guida’s opened in 1946 and is well -known for their famous 10-inch-long hotdog on a grilled bun. The restaurant has a nice counter with red vinyl stools and about ten tables.

Jim had two doggies, much to Marvin’s dismay, and a vanilla milkshake, while I went for a chocolate shake. Guida’s serves Gifford’s ice cream, a very nice, rich- tasting commercial product. They have a small ice cream bar with all the basic flavors, but it is well equipped and they weigh the ice cream going into a shake, the first time I have encountered this technique anywhere.

Both shakes were very good, rich tasting with a granular, icy texture. They were thick and very satisfying! I highly recommend Guida’s if traveling through Middlefield for a taste of nostalgia and rich creamy ice cream.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Two is better than one!

Enjoyed a nice trip to Sweet Claude’s in Chesire this afternoon and believe you me it lived up to the hype. Maureen and I were met by our friend Jacques Gauthier and his cute little pooch Pepper. Jacques and I have been friends for almost 20 years and I have always thought of him as kind of a big brother.

Sweet Claude’s is a really pretty cool place (sorry channeling my inner Jacques). A mom and pop kind of place with homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt. Very modestly priced for large servings. All the standard flavors and then some exotic specials like spiced walnut ice cream with Oreo cookies. Fantastic!

Maureen had chocolate almond fudge yogurt on a homemade wafer cone. Jacques went old school with a root beer float with a rich vanilla ice cream and Stewarts root beer. I on the other hand started with a maple walnut kiddie serving on a wafer cone, which was gigantic by-the-way, and finished off with an espresso coffee milk shake.

Jacques’ float was delicious according to my paleontologist friend while Mighty Mo was a bit underwhelmed by her chocolate fudge yogurt cone. My maple walnut cone was packed with so many walnuts you actually had to chew each bite! Okay the milk shake was over the top, two on one day…what a little piggy Mr. White is…but that too was extremely rich and tasty too.

The moral of the story…if you’re splurging head to Sweet Claude’s for some fresh, sweet ice cream and don’t stop at one treat, go for two!

A beautiful part of Connecticut!

Located in Griswold, on the far eastern border of Connecticut with Rhode Island is a well established creamery called Buttonwood Farms. Buttonwood is known for a number of things, including a spectacular corn maze in the fall, Christmas trees in the winter and the most beautiful fields of sunflowers you will ever see.

Motivated by my friend Beth Bolen, and her hubby Kenny, we drove over to Griswold to see Buttonwood. We tried once earlier in the summer, but with the sunflowers in full bloom there wasn’t a parking space for over a mile and the ice cream line was at least 100 yards long.

Today was far more manageable on a nice September Saturday afternoon. By far this place has the most creative types of ice cream and frozen yoghurt. Homemade ice cream and waffle cones and bowls. Lots of seating, a pavilion, and a scenic farm make this a special place to visit. Proceeds from the sales of sunflowers go to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Mighty Mo had chocolate almond fudge on a sugar cone and I had my old trusty coffee milkshake. Portions are large and very reasonably priced. Multiple windows are open at any given time, and there are at least a half dozen young staff working.

Maureen’s ice cream was good, tasty, and rich in butterfat! My milkshake was one of the tastiest shakes I have had but the preparation lacked consistency…parts were very thin, parts were thick and parts were almost crystalline.

All in all I would recommend a trip to Buttonwood for any number of things but number one would be that rich butterfat ice cream.

Good to the last drop!

Scoopy Do’s is a well known seasonal ice cream place near the water in Milford. A bit difficult getting there today as they were setting up for the Milford Oysterfest but we made it. Takeout window and outside seating only but a nice place with friendly goofy staff that played along with my ice cream addiction and quest.

They serve Buck’s hard ice cream and this could be the best milkshake I have had so far. Rich, thick, creamy consistent taste that I didn’t want to end. Maureen had a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich with sweet cream (very good) and our good friend Lukasz had strawberry ice cream with bundles of strawberries on a wafer cone. I have to admit, I think I found someone who loves ice cream as much as me…what a surprise.

We had lunch here today with our good friend Lukasz Bratasz, a conservation scientist at Yale’s Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage. We are celebrating Lukasz’s new position at the Polish Academy of Science where he will be the new head of the Cultural Heritage Group. Congrats Lukasz! We will miss your humor, great smile, passion but most of all your friendship.

Roses are red…

Rose Orchards and Creamery in North Branford, Connecticut is a legendary spot for people on the shoreline. This is a charming place with a grill, market and ice cream shop along with a corn maze and petting zoo in the fall.

The creamery serves soft serve ice cream, both chocolate or vanilla with a variety of toppings. I had the old stand by-chocolate milkshake and Maureen had a small chocolate ice cream with chocolate “shots” on a wafer kiddie cone. Tasty, rich and creamy and reasonably priced. Staffed by a group of young, spunky girls make Rose’s a nice attraction.

Lots of improvements in recent years make this an enjoyable place to stop for a cone or shake!

Wow! Just wow!

Rarely am I surprised but today I had my socks blown off at an ice cream place in New Haven on Whitney Avenue. I feel a little guilty not reviewing Clark’s Dairy but that will come at a later time.

My dear friend Nicole suggested we check out this Thai Ice Cream place on Whitney. I was a bit skeptical at first but wow, just wow! I was intrigued the moment I walked in and saw the crazy descriptions on the wall. Still a bit skeptical but that all vanished pretty darn quickly once they started “making” our ice cream.

They offer 13 exotic creations. All are served in a cup and all concoctions are pretty unique. Prices aren’t bad and the serving is filling and a pretty darn cool way of preparing the cup.

I had the “key lime pie” while Nicole had the “I love you a latte”. The uniqueness in this place is all in the preparation of these savory, delicious treats. See pics below to get the vibe of this cool place. Dylan is behind the bar and an ice cream artist.

A fluid concoction is poured on an ultra-cold steel surface and slowly with scraping, the liquid solidifies into ice cream. The ice cream is thinned out into a square with the consistency of sugar cookies and rolled into perfection with five of these rolls put into a cup with your choice of toppings. Wow, just wow!

Thanks Nicole!

A classic, old-time drive-in…

Harry’s has been around for generations. I may have stopped here once or twice over the years but doubt I had any ice cream. It is as much a classic American drive-in as it gets…hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and ice cream!

They serve Giffords’s hard ice cream and offer about 20 flavors in cups, wafer or sugar cones and milkshakes. I had a small coffee milkshake. The ice cream is very tasty but the shake was a bit thin. Maureen always gets something novel. She had toasted coconut on a sugar cone, which was not exactly what you would think. Vanilla ice cream with toasted coconut and mini-chocolate chips, which combined was fantastic and refreshing.

All in all a good choice for Sunday afternoon.