The “going out for ice cream” experience is pretty standard these days: you wait in a brief line while browsing frozen vats of available flavors, you order, you pay, and before you know it you’re licking your way to dairy heaven. But, at Milkcraft, the newly opened ice cream shop in Fairfield, the experience has completely changed . . . and for good reason. Continue reading
Caramel Swirl Cone at Longford’s Ice Cream (both pics from a press release)
Summer with no ice cream is like peanut butter with no jelly, like Milli without Vanilli, like black without white, like dogs without bones, like fish without water, even like Om without Nom. Yeah, look…it just doesn’t work. All summer long is ice cream weather, and in our case it’s really just a year round activity…we’re not seasonally biased at all. But, at the newly reopened and retooled Longford’s Own-Made Ice Cream in Old Greenwich, you just might need to stop by all year round, too. We’re talking about ice cream, sorbet, gelato, LoYo, and their brand new addition: a sweet shop.
Isn’t Google AWESOME?
We haven’t even entered the dog days of summer yet and it’s already redonkulously hot. 90 degrees and we’re not even in June yet? Psshaww. Well, look any good Nutmegger, you’ve learned how to deal with the heat. You get to the pool, you hang out where the air-conditioning is so pumped up you see various meats hanging up and icicles forming on people’s noses, and you, of course, hit up your local ice cream shops. Yes, it’s pretty easy just to buy the little (or HUGE) containers of ice cream at the grocery store, but there’s something so much more satisfying about heading out to the shop, picking out your flavors, then getting your cone, cup, sundae, shake, or whatever frozen concoction you’re in the mood for.
One ice cream shop in Cos Cob has an even sweeter deal for you, though. Every Wednesday in June (and possibly all summer if it’s well received), Bliss Ice Cream will donate 30% of its profits to two local organizations helping animals. They have done this before with singular events, but this is quite the effort with a whole month of fundraising. The two organizations they are helping are PAWS (rescuing homeless dogs and cats and finding them loving homes) and Adopt a Dog, both important organizations that can really use the money to help protect dogs and cats in the community.
Ahhh, om nom nom nom (photos by Paul Johnson)
A local artisan ice cream maker, Tea•riffic! Ice Cream, recently took home some major awards at the 2013 CT Specialty Food Association‘s Product Awards Competition. They took home first place for their Chunky London Mist and Masala Chai flavors, took second for their Ginger Matcha, and placed third with London Mist. The judges (food writers, chefs, and local media personalities) evaluated food based on taste, flavor, texture, aroma, appearance, and color. So, to get recognized for all of these qualities was great, but it’s also more impressive when you consider that there were over 30 different products in various categories in the competition.
But, these aren’t the only awards that Norwalk based Tea•riffic! have won. They were also named Best New Product in the “Edibles Category” at the 2012 World Tea Expo East in Philly. Trying to understand why they have been recognized for great ice cream isn’t very difficult, though. It all began with Mario Leite (co-owner with his wife) wanting to put out ice cream using his two favorite teas: Thai Iced Tea and Earl Grey. From the start of production in October 2012, he saw the importance of using local ingredients whenever possible (Connecticut doesn’t exactly have too many exotic spices and teas that grow here). In addition, he believes that the more simple the ingredients, the better. No need for preservatives or other added junk. Keep it real, keep it pure, keep it yummy.
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Dan has fond memories of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. When he was a kid, his parents took the family to the factory in Vermont where they tasted Cherry Garcia and Cookie Dough then had some sundaes at the attached shop. Even though it looked amazing, Dan skipped The Vermonster: 20 scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, banana, cookies, brownies, and lots of toppings. But, taking down a regular sized sundae wasn’t difficult at all.
That was years ago (won’t mention how many, though) and now Ben & Jerry’s has become a worldwide phenomena. And, it’s pretty clear why when you can’t help yourself when it comes to flavors like Liz Lemon, Cannoli, Americone Dream, Chubby Hubby, Coffee Heath Bar Crunch and our favorite of all time…Chunky Monkey. Just as a reminder and to thank everybody on their birthday this year, Ben & Jerry’s is offering up a free cone at their stores all across the country and world. Last year, alone, they gave away over 1,000,000 cones!
So, you’ll want to keep April 9, 2013 open! What? You already have plans? Cancel them! Here are some of the flavors you can expect in the scoop shops:
Americone Dream, Bonnaroo Buzz, Butter Pecan, Candy Bar Pie, Cherry Garcia, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Nougat Crunch, Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl, Chocolate Therapy, Chunky Monkey, Coconut Seven Layer Bar, Coffee, Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz!, Late Night Snack, Milk & Cookies, and Mint Chocolate Chunk.
And here are the nearby scoop shops in the NY/CT area:
Connecticut Ben & Jerry’s Participating
Ben & Jerry’s Branford (Tips and donations will go directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Connecticut)
978 Main Street,
Branford, CT 06405
203-488-9666
Ben & Jerry’s Canton
110 Albany Turnpike, Suite 703, Shoppes at Farmington Valley
Canton, CT 06019
860-693-3202
Ben & Jerry’s West Hartford
5 1/2 South Main,
West Hartford, CT 06107
860-233-2697
Ben & Jerry’s Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun Casino Complex, Unit C130, Mohegan Sun Blvd.
Uncasville, CT 06382
860-862-9780
Ben & Jerry’s Foxwoods Casino
39 Norwich-Westerly Road,
Mashantucket, CT 06338
New York Ben & Jerry’s Participating
Ben & Jerry’s Westchester Mall
125 Westchester Ave.,
White Plains, NY 10601
914-761-1210
Ben & Jerry’s Huntington Village
298 Main Street,
Huntington Village, NY 11743
631-470-0635
Ben & Jerry’s Mount Kisco
639 E. Main Street,
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
914-666-2555
Ben & Jerry’s 104th and Broadway
2722 Broadway,
New York, NY 10025
212-866-6237
Ben & Jerry’s Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Plaza, Concourse Level
New York, NY 10020
212-218-7843
Macys Herald Square
151 West 34th Street, Macys – 4th Floor
New York, NY 10001
212-594-0018
Don’t you dare think about not stopping by Bliss to help PAWS. There will be a massive licking if you don’t comply! -Maynard Del Ferraro
Can’t stand the heat, can ya? Well, we’ve got a way for you and even your doggy to cool off and help the animals of PAWS. Just stop by Bliss Ice Cream at 551 East Putnam Avenue in Greenwich from today until this Sunday, 7/23, order some goodies, and they’ll donate 20% of their sales to PAWS. This is all you have to do: go to the PAWS homepage, print it out, then take it with you. Order your ice cream, doggy ice cream, gelato, sorbet, froyo, sundaes, shakes, or even Dippin’ Dots, present the coupon and you’ve done your good deed for the week.
When PAWS told us about this, we knew that we’d have to find out more info, especially about the offerings at Bliss. Lucky for us, we were able to talk with the owner, Ed Fonseca. He opened Bliss back in September of 2011 and has been doing quite well. Here’s why: fresh gelato, sorbet, and froyo that’s made by them just for you. They also have ice cream that’s made for them in small batches by a local farm in Connecticut. Keeping it real, keeping it local. Love that.
First off, have your dog try one of the special ice cream flavors put together by Ed himself that are just 3 for $1. They are in the shape of little doggy bones for easy noming.
• Biscuits and cream
• Peanut butter and banana smoothie
They are also offering 5 different ice cream flavors on a rotating daily basis with anywhere from 15-16 other flavors in the take home freezer. One of their most popular flavors is…
• Black raspberry truffle (with nice big chocolate chunks, om nom nom nom)
Like their ice cream, their gelato is also given on a rotating basis. Some of the flavors that you can expect to love:
• Nutella
• Amaretto
• Banana cream
• Hazelnut
They also have a great selection of sorbets to chill down to. Just two of the flavors
• Blood orange raspberry
• Lemon
And, for those of you who are watching your petite waists, they’ve got some great nonfat frozen yogurt selections, too:
• Peanut butter swirl
• Peach
A bacon wrapped hot dog with guacamole, pico de gallo, and jalapeno (Tijuana Dog) can soon be yours in Stamford!
Directions: read the following question then choose the best answer.
1) Add one part Mr. Frosty’s in Norwalk, mix in a second part The Beach Burger, then dash in some Harbor Point Stamford and guess what you get?
A) A ridiculously, magically delicious restaurant that rivals the awesomeness of unicorns.
B) Another reason to visit Stamford.
C) Another reason to be alive.
D) All of the above.
If you are any good at these kinds of questions, you picked D. Let’s show you why D is correct. Restaurant owner, Anthony Luciani gave us the exclusive scoop:
Anthony Luciani has the magic touch. Mr. Frosty’s, on 6 1st Street in Norwalk, has a devoted following and we’ve never seen it empty. Maybe it’s the 3o or so hard ice cream, sherbert, and sorbert flavors, or maybe it’s their soft serve and froyo options, their bountiful sundaes, or their thick whipped razzles? Nah, couldn’t be.
But even more magical is his other joint, The Beach Burger, right next door. They are the 2011 OmNomy Winner for Best Burger. It’s hard to go wrong here: from the Bynum Burger, to the classic Beach Burger, to an oyster-laden Surf & Turf Burger. But, they also have some killer hot dogs, such as the Tijuana dog that has a bacon wrapped wiener, guacamole, jalapenos, and pico de gallo. Our other favorite thing to order are their killer milkshakes. Apple Pie, PB&J, and Nut Crusher are our great loves that we dream of as we go to sleep. Plus, they’ve got some really great seafood dishes Kristien raves about like lobster, oyster and clam rolls.
So, why have I told you so much about both spots?
Well, if the title and the first question didn’t already give it away, both will come together in Anthony’s new spot on 100 Washington Boulevard in the Harbor Point part of Stamford. It’s a very similar set up to Mr. Frosty’s in Norwalk: you’ll walk up to the window, place your order, then take your food and take a seat at one of the picnic benches outside. Don’t limit yourself, though. Just walk about a block and you’ll be right on the docks and can stroll along and chomp on a burger, sip on a shake, or tackle a monster sundae.
You’ll be able to enjoy the beautiful spring, summer, and fall with them because they’ll be open from March through November, too. Anthony is still tweaking the menu a bit, but you’ll have nearly all the same options from The Beach Burger in your gluttonous arsenal as well as pretty much all the ice creams from Mr. Frosty’s.
Mr. Frosty’s/The Beach Burger
Monday – Thursday 8:30 am – 10:00pm
Friday – Saturday 8:30 am to 11:00pm
Sunday 11:00 am-10:00pm
Making Cooking Monster Ice Cream at Longford’s Ice Cream (from press release)
What you doing May 20-June 20? We know what we’re doing. We’re heading to Longford’s Own-Made Ice Cream in Old Greenwich, we’re ordering some ice cream, and we’re getting a free extra scoop of their flavor of the month. We have been to Longford’s many, many times and we really love the ice cream there. Believe it or not, we’ve never been to the Old Greenwich spot, but we’ve been to the Rye spot because we lived just a few minutes away in Rye Brook.
Caramel Swirl Cone at Longford’s Ice Cream (from press release)
Their ice cream is great because they make them in small batches and because it’s all-natural. What it comes down to is using quality ingredients such as real cocoa, real fruit, and actual Girl Scout Cookies and Oreos. None of those fake Oreo wannabe cookies, the real stuff! Yes, they have killer ice cream, but you can also get sorbet, frozen yogurt, gelato, and other frozen goodies from them, too. Even if you’re not at one of their stores, you might be able to sneak in some of their goodies. For example, one of our favorite BBQ spots is Q in Port Chester is serving up Longford’s Ice Cream with their q-riffic meals. Speaking of ice cream, they actually have over 60 varieties, and that doesn’t include the more than 30 flavors of their other frozen goodies.
According to a press release sent to us, owners Patricia and Nolan West even help craft speciality flavors for local chefs. They have been asked to create garlic, bacon, and cilantro ice cream flavors, and they experiment constantly with flavors. We like that kind of edginess. You can’t possibly hope to do anything great or find the next best new flavor if you stick with the same old boring chocolate and vanilla. Woooooohh! Settle down, we’re not insulting the vanilla and chocolate ice cream purists, just saying that some people like different flavors. We can all live side by side, chocolate, vanilla, rocky road, cotton candy, Cookie Monster, and more. Yes, we can.
So, be sure to check out Longford’s May 20-June 20 to get that free extra scoop. They have three locations, so make sure to stop by. Also, they’ve got more spots that will be popping up later this year, so get ready people! Chances are you’ll be addicted and will need to head back once a week, or once a day, or, well…maybe a few times a day. Depends how hot it is. ;)
This just in:
Longford’s Ice Cream Eating Contest!!!! Contact the store of the contest you’d like to be in. :)
Larchmont, NY: Saturday, May 19, 12:30 PM
Old Greenwich, CT: Friday, June 1, 5:30 PM
Rye, NY: Sunday, June 10, 1:30 PM
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4 Elm Place
Rye, New York 10580
914.967.3797
1941 Palmer Avenue
Larchmont, New York 10538
914.834.0207
146 Sound Beach Avenue
Old Greenwich, Connecticut
203-637-0480
What it’s all about
Let’s just cut to the chase: we freaking love ice cream. Gopher Ice Cream is our fave, and we’ve been known to haunt Dairy Inn in search of some frozen nirvana from time to time. So, when The Headbanging Hostess told us about TropiGlace right behind Cove Pizza, we knew that we had a job to do. As always, we are your culinary ambassadors and need to tell you about this brand new spot, opened this past Saturday, May 28.
Pineapple ice cream. Look at those chunks!
Paola, the owner, was on hand and gave us some background info about her ice cream shop. The recipe they use goes back to her grandfather who perfected ice cream in South America. So, this is a treasured family recipe, and that comes through in the flavors because–chances are–you’ve never tasted anything like it. That’s a good thing, yup. You can have ice cream on a cone or in a cup, have a stickglace, or drink it up with either the coolglace or fruitglace.
Flavor break down
Chocolate, vanilla, lucama, rum raisin, cotton candy, blackberry, passion fruit, strawberry, pineapple, peach, coconut, mango.
What we had
On Saturday, I had a scoop of lucama and a scoop of rum raisin on a cone. The lucama is a Peruvian fruit that was incredibly complex and had a deep, rich flavor. It’s hard to describe it, but it wasn’t overly sweet and we really liked it. The rum raisin was also good, though I agree with The Headbanging Hostess that the rum doesn’t come through as much. Raisins, though, ran throughout the ice cream in nice little moist bits.
What would you like? All of the above, por favor.
The flavors are definitely there, but what really separates the ice cream here is the style. You have an incredibly smooth, silky, and creamy flavor, almost like you’re eating gelato. Overwhelmingly, the flavors that come through are tropical and you sometimes feel like you’re having a sorbet. We’re not ice cream experts, but we are experts in eating it and we can tell you that it’s great stuff.
Today we soaked in the hot sun for Memorial Day at Cove Island Beach and lost all of our energy, so we just had to go to TropiGlace again. You know, just to support local business. So, we had pineapple and blackberry cones, a scoop each, for just $4.80. Not too shabby. The pineapple was killer, not overly sweet, and had nice chunks of pineapple in the ice cream. Very good and refreshing for a hot hot day. Kristien had the blackberry and said that it was fantastic, and full of fruity taste. Once again, refreshing, not as heavy as ice cream, and just the right portion. Well, that’s her talking. I’m always the one at Gopher who finishes my two scoops and the rest of her cone.
The final scoop
TropiGlace is a cool little ice cream stand in the Cove section of Stamford. It’s right on Cove Road and just right down the road from Cove Island Park. We doubt you’ve ever had ice cream like this, so it’s definitely worth stopping by, and stopping by often. We hope that they do super well because it’s a real killer spot with a killer taste with a killer family history. So, we’ve gotta give TropiGlace a standing cone-vation. Until we’ve tried their other goodies, we can’t fairlygive a Nom rating. But, we’re talking the real deal here. Check it yo’self.
Noms: TBD
Cost: $
TropiGlace
Address: 864 Cove Road
Stamford, CT 06902
Phone: (203) 570-5670
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002525880418
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Dan and Kristien Del Ferraro
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