New England Trip - Any must visits?

Sorry, I didn't join here sooner, I could have thrown in my two cents worth before your trip.

JP Licks does a very good super premium product, but most of their flavors fall far short of true greatness.  The following story explains why...

Not long after I moved here in the late 80's, I walked into a JP Licks parlor and ordered their version of chocolate chip cookie dough.  I remarked to the guy behind the counter and told him that it isn't quite as sweet as Ben & Jerry's version.  He said that he used to work for Ben & Jerry's and was one of the developers who came up with B&J's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  He said that when they decided to do their own version of the flavor at JP Licks, they aimed to create a version with a less-sweet ice cream base and less-sweet cookie dough.

Nothing about JP Licks is the "best."  It's not the richest, most dense base you've had...the flavors aren't the strongest, loudest, most vibrant that you've had...the flavor combinations aren't the most original that you've had.

That said, it's decent enough, but I wouldn't go out of my way to try JP Licks if I was in town for a few days.

Christina's is an exercise in frustration.

I'd rather hate everything about an ice cream parlor, restaurant, or pizzeria, than have mixed feelings about it.  It's easier to walk away from a completely bad experience than feel like they fell short of something that could have been amazing.

There are two basic aspects to ice cream.  The flavor ingredients and the ice cream base.  For me, more than most people, the quality of the ice cream base is every bit as important as the flavor of the ice cream.  I like it rich and dense, with very little air mixed in and high butterfat content.  Part and parcel of an enjoyable ice cream experience is the ability of the scoop shop to keep the freezers at just the right temperature to keep it as creamy as possible.

Unfortunately, Christina's seems to lack some essential knowledge which most scoop shops and parlors have, in terms of ice cream storage.  I've been there around 10 times over the years, and every dish of ice cream contained ice crystals or frost in it.

Which is an absolute shame, because they use the best flavor ingredients of any ice cream I've every tried.  Their fresh mint tastes exactly like a newly-picked leaf off the plant.  Their Chocolate Chinese 5 Spice is one of the most unique and special ice cream flavors I've ever tried. 

It's tremendously disappointing that they get half of the equation correct in a way that no one else is able to do, but completely fail at the other half of the equation (again, in a way that no one else is able to do).

Toscanini's?  They're very well thought of around here, and they do some nice flavors.  I find their base to be a bit gummy and gelatinous, but a lot of folks rave about them.

It's not native to Boston -- actually, it's native to my hometown of Rochester, NY -- but there's an Abbott's Frozen Custard in Boston (and another one out in the 'burbs).  There are franchises in a number of states and definitely worth trying if you enjoy frozen custard.

There's a restaurant in the Washington Square neighborhood of Brookline called The Fireplace.  Some of their desserts are topped with a scoop of ice cream. Tried a dessert there once and the ice cream is incredible.  I asked who made it, and it's a homemade ice cream, unavailable in groceries or scoop shops.

Truthfully, I'm more often buying pints of Ben & Jerry's, Graeter's (those few flavors available around here), Ciao Bella, Haagen Dazs, or Jeni's, than visiting a scoop shop.

There are two Massachusetts ice cream makers worth a mention here.  Both have scoop shops in Western MA, and one is available in some Boston area Whole Foods.

Steve Herrell, the man who founded the original Steve's Ice Cream in Somerville, MA and invented the concept of the mix-in, has a Herrell's scoop shop in Western MA.  I believe there are a couple of other shops in downstate NY, not far from NYC.

There used to be a few Herrell's scoop shops in the Boston area and it's my favorite ice cream base of all time.  Very rich and dense, with a certain milky deliciousness in your mouth as each spoonful melts on your tongue that doesn't happen with other ice creams.  With the right flavor, eating Herrell's can be a religious experience. 

Unfortunately, all four Boston/Cambridge stores closed, but those in Western MA and downstate NY can live the magic.

SoCo Creamery is another Western MA ice cream manufacturer who operates a scoop shop or two in that part of the state, as well as selling packaged pints in some of the Whole Foods around the area.  It's a must-try, great base and ingredients, with some really original flavors.  At an annual ice cream fair here a few years ago, I tried their Lemon Poppy, Mission Fig, and Cake Batter ice creams.  Definitely the best Cake Batter I've ever had.

Unfortunately for me, anyway, the SoCo flavors I see at WFM always seem to be the ones I'm unlikely to buy, like Mexican Chocolate and Salted Caramel.

A couple of local brands not worth trying if you're in the area...

There's a local manufacturer named Batch who does a premium or super premium supermarket pint.  Nothing really wrong with it, but absolutely nothing which would make me choose them over anything else in a store's freezer.

The Chilly Cow, an Arlington, MA-based ice cream/custard/yogurt parlor, has found their way into many New England supermarkets.  They're not big on truth in labeling, and what's sold in store shelf pints is their frozen custard.  It's not horrible or anything like that, like most frozen custards, it's pleasantly dense.  The problem with their custard is that the flavors generally taste artificial.  Nothing tastes exactly like it's supposed to, and that's not something you encounter often with anything premium or super premium.

Their ice cream is high-air, low-butterfat.  Perfect for kids, but if you care enough about ice cream to be on this site, you never need to try their ice cream.

TW