Jenni’s Ice Cream in Columbus specializes in many gourmet flavors–several of which use local ingredients. Two of my favorites are Butternut Squash and Ohio Sweet Corn.
Poppyseed was one of the great gelato flavors I tasted in Italy. Have any of you guys ever found poppyseed ice cream in the U.S.?
Another specialty - Friendly’s ice cream shops (or Johnny Friendly’s as I think of them) make a watermelon roll with red and green sherbert, and bit of vanilla for rind, and chocalate chips for seeds. It’s very good.
and there’s Graeter’s, a great local ice cream shop in Columbus Ohio, that makes the best chocalate chunk ice cream anywhere.
Behold the glory that is Jeni’s ice cream.
http://www.jenisicecreams.com/0500allflavors.html
This is by far an ice cream induced life-changing experience.
MeanJoe
Here in Rochester we have a regional sundae that I’ve never seen, nor head of, anywhere else: The Mexican Sundae.
Put your ice cream in dish, top with hot caramel, and then add peanuts.
The theory I’ve heard lately is that it was pioneered by a hotel/eatery in Mexico, NY.
I came in here to talk about Jeni’s! She’s spoiled me for all other ice cream.
I think a lot of the posters in this thread would be happy to hear that not only does Jeni do a spectacular Pear-Riesling Sorbet…she also ships. Check her out! You will never have better ice cream than Jeni’s.
I hate to be picky, but Graeter’s originated in Cincinnati, but the black raspberry
chip is divine.
I completely agree with you and Mean Joe. If you are serious about your ice cream, then you will follow the link provided and order yourself the best ice cream you will ever experience.
We’ve got Massey’s Frozen Custard, which is only open from March through September each year. Dense soft-serve style custard flavored or not.
I can’t wait for March.
Robin
Dammit, why did I return to this thread? Why? Because all I have been able to think about for the last hour is Jeni’s Thai Chili ice cream. Mmmm… peanut and coconut with a little bit of burn on the back of the throat from the spice… would it be bad to eat a pint for dinner?
Have you had the seasonal pumpkin 5-spice? We need a drooley-smiley. 
Technically, there are no more Steve’s Ice Cream shops around. IIRC, he sold to Joey Crugnale (of Joey’s Ice Cream in Teale Square), and signed a non-compete agreement as part of the sale. After the non-compete expired, he opened a shop in Northampton under his last name, Herrel’s. Looks like he may have opened a few since then. I know that both Steve’s and Herrell’s carried sweet cream.
Oh, and you probably remember that the original Steve’s on Elm Street was next door to the original Bertucci’s, complete with bocce court.
plynck (who used to live three blocks away in Porter Square)
Thanks for fighting my ignorance re Graeters wonderful ice cream, runninblue. Now I can’t wait to try Jeni’s.
And to the people who have just discovered Culver’s frozen custard, note that there are many great frozen custard drive-ins in Milwaukee, esp Gilles and Kopps. Milwaukee used to synonymous with frozen custard, not just beer. (God’s country, as they say)
Haven’t tried that yet, but I might make a stop tonight after reading this.
Thai Chili was the first flavor I tried at Jeni’s, and I have been hooked ever since. BTW, they have a new flavor now that is dark chocolate with even more cayenne pepper mixed in. Can’t remember the name, but it is awesome.
Geez, Plynck, you and I used to be neighbors! The original Steve’s is gone – bulldozed and replaced by what’s now a burrito place (and the neighboring original Bertucci’s is also something else now) – but Harrell’s is still around. The one in Harvard Square (don’t know if there are others) is still going strong. And even if they don’t have sweet cream ice cream, Christina’s in Inman Square does.
Another local flavor that I like is grapenut. Peculiar as this sounds, it’s actually flavored with Grape Nuts cereal. Seems to be a flavor on the decline, unfortunately, but you can still get it at old-fashioned places around New England.
I can distinctly remember getting my first mix-ins ice cream on the east coast. While at the time I was enthusiastic, I can distinctly remember that I was overcome with the sweetness and have yet to find a mix-in that I like.
The truth is that the ice cream I want does not exist. For one thing I want a peanut butter ice cream. No, not a peanut butter/chocolate ice cream though some are quite good, I want a peanut butter ice cream. Next, while raspberry cheescake icecream is fine and all, I am an extreme cheesophile. I am offended by cheescake that is not cheesy enough. Cheescake icecream is even worse. It’s always just cream and sugar. I want…NO! … I intend to make, a cheddar cheese ice cream with all the saltiness in little balls of cheddar, but all the sweetness of honey. Take THAT Ben and Jerry!
I moved in in 1997, so there you go.
AFAICT it’s available throughout the US.
You can get a peanut butter shake at Ruby’s Diner here, and they’re not exactly the height of innovative cuisine–I’m pretty sure they only make any money because they’re right next to the main AMC theater–so presumably you can get peanut butter ice cream somewhere. If not, you can probably make your own.
I’ve had peanut butter ice cream before–so it has been done.
Is it really that rare? You can find it in every national brand supermarket in this province, and I assume all of Canada. Except we call it Tiger Tiger here.