I love Drumsticks, Sundae Cones, whatever you want to call them.  So, I couldn’t believe my luck when I found Edy’s Sundae Cone ice cream at Shoppers.  Unfortunately, Sundae Cone wasn’t all I thought it would be.  There just weren’t enough chunks of nuts, chocolate, cone—all the things that make a Drumstick so good.  It wasn’t terrible, but it was in no way a substitute for a Drumstick / Sundae Cone.

• Flavor: 3.5
• Flavor Intensity: 3
• Texture: 3.5
• Originality: 4.5
• Overall: 3.5
• Cost: $4.29 at Shoppers

I’ve wanted to try this brand of ice cream since I found out it is locally produced in Baltimore. Today, I finally discovered Lee’s Ice Cream at Shopper’s Food Warehouse in Alexandria. For only $2.50 for a quart this ice cream is a steal. You can’t even get a scoop at a shop for that price. I was amazed at how intensely caramel flavored this ice cream is. I was surprised to find the caramel filled chocolate truffles even richer than the ice cream, as the ice cream is (by itself) is so rich. However, I was a little disappointed in the texture. It’s a little icy and grainy. But, the strong flavor makes up for what it lacks in texture. I’m looking forward to the chance to try Lee’s at one of their shops.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 5
• Texture: 3
• Originality: 3.5
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $2.50 at Shoppers

As I mentioned in one of my Breyers reviews, the slow churned low fat ice cream is taking over America’s ice cream.  Soon, there will be no full-fat ice creams left.  Well, maybe not; but there are just as many (if not more) flavors of Edy’s Slow Churned in Safeway’s freezer as there are of regular Edy’s ice creams.  Since I was pretty impressed with the French Vanilla I had yesterday, I decided to give Edy’s Slow Churned French Silk a try.  I tasted this ice cream and was a little taken aback.  It tastes like coffee.   No French silk pie I have ever had tastes like coffee, but apparently that doesn’t matter.  Had I read the carton I would have noticed that it says “Mocha Mousse.”  The flavor of this ice cream is excellent.  And the texture is better than that of the vanilla.  It’s still kind of fluffy, but I’d expect that from something French Silk flavored.  At 140 calories and 4.5 grams of fat, Edy’s French Silk isn’t quite as good for you as Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla, but it tastes much better.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 4.5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 4
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $5.79 at Safeway

I actually said “wow” when I tasted this ice cream.  Not because it’s the greatest vanilla ice cream out there, but because there are only 100 calories and 3.5 grams of fat in a half a cup of it.  Seeing as I’ve been eating Ben and Jerry’s and Haagen Dazs with 300 calories and 20 grams of fat in a half a cup, this is unbelievably better for me.  Now this ice cream doesn’t even begin to compare with full fat ice creams, but if you were adding hot fudge or putting Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla on apple pie, it wouldn’t really matter.  The Edy’s vanilla that I’m reviewing today is French vanilla with specks of real vanilla bean.  I can’t remember a time I’ve had French vanilla ice cream that has vanilla beans in it.  The flavor is pretty good, but not amazingly vanillay.  It isn’t rich, instead it’s light and fluffy.  Thus, it doesn’t melt in your mouth quite the same way regular hard ice cream does.  Edy’s Slow Churned French Vanilla tastes remarkably better than any low fat ice cream I’ve ever had.

• Flavor: 4
• Flavor Intensity: 2.5
• Texture: 3.5
• Originality: 2
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $5.79 at Safeway

I’m a huge fan of frozen custard.  It is so much creamier and richer than regular ice cream; and it’s better for you too.  Growing up in Minnesota, we were lucky to be neighbors with the frozen custard capitol of the world (aka Wisconsin).  So, I was pleased to discover that there are a number of places to get frozen custard in the DC area.  Tonight I had the pleasure of trying out The Dairy Godmother (formally Del Ray Dreamery) in Alexandria.  After Mexican food and margaritas, a friend and I headed over to the local custard shop and tried the flavor of the day: Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookie.  For a weeknight at 9pm, I would never have expected such a long line.  Apparently the place is extremely popular.  After I tasted the custard I understood why.  It is smoother and creamier than any ice cream you can imagine.  The flavor was very cinnamony and I enjoyed the large chunks of crispy oatmeal cookie.  The cone was even amazing.  I can’t wait to go back and try more flavors, as The Diary Godmother offers a different one every few days.

As a side note, I also bought a “squirrel” for my dog.  These are homemade dog treats and my dog seemed to like it as much as I liked my frozen custard.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 5
• Texture: 5
• Originality: 4
• Cone: 4.5
• Overall: 5

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.  Can’t you just hear that screechy voice playing over and over in your head?  Maybe that’s just me.  I’m really not sure what Marsha Brady has to do with marshmallows or s’mores.  Honestly, the folks at Ben and Jerry’s are getting a little desperate with this one.  Does she really deserve an ice cream flavor named after her?

Well, it’s not one I would want named after me.  It’s not all that impressive.  It reminds me a lot of the chocolate ice cream I had at Larry’s—a lot of flair, but not that much different than plain chocolate ice cream.  The chocolate ice cream is so rich it overpowers everything else.  The marshmallow only dulls the chocolate flavor a little and adds an interesting texture.  The graham cracker isn’t bad, it’s just scarce.  And the chocolate fudge chunks.  Seriously, what is wrong with those people at B&J’s???  They put fudge chunks in everything these days.  I’m really sick of the fudge chunks.  Put them in Cherry Garcia, but let’s leave it at that.  To sum it up, if you want some good chocolate ice cream, with a variety of textures (in a good way), then you’d like Marsha Marsha Marshamallow.  But if you’re looking for something that tastes like marshmallows or s’mores then you’re on your own.

• Flavor: 4
• Flavor Intensity: 4.5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 4
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $2.50 on special at Safeway

Max’s Best Ice Cream is known to be one of the best ice cream shops in DC.  I’ve only been a few times and each time I’ve been impressed.  I’ve never been totally wowed by the ice cream; it’s the atmosphere that’s so enjoyable.  Today was no different, the ice cream was excellent and the atmosphere was even better. I had Double Dutch Chocolate ice cream, which had amazing flavor.  It was intensely rich and tasty and chocolatey.  Even the cone was good.  The only thing that struck me as bizarre was the texture.  It was very smooth, with an ice chunk here and there, but left an almost powdery after-texture.  Can you have an after-texture?  I’m not sure.  But Double Dutch chocolate did.  After each bite my mouth felt a little powdery and dry.  I’m really not sure what it was.  Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t anything major or terrible, just puzzling.  I’d like to know what it was.  Despite the fact that it’s a little difficult to get to (i.e., not right across the street from my house or the Metro) I will definitely make a point to go back to Max’s soon.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 2.5
• Cone: 4.5
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $3.25

The first time I had Ben and Jerry’s Pistachio Pistachio was during public speaking class in high school. One of the girls in our class did a “demonstration speech” which involved mixing Jelly Bellys and Pistachio Pistachio. I haven’t had Jelly Bellys in my ice cream since then, but I still enjoy Pistachio Pistachio on an occasional basis. In fact, it is the standard I hold all other pistachio ice creams to. Pistachio Pistachio is pistachio flavored, without being overwhelming. It’s sweet without being intensely nutty. It’s creamy and there is always at least one whole nut in every bite. When it comes to pistachio ice cream, this is without a doubt my favorite.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 4
• Texture: 5
• Originality: 3.5
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $2.50 on special at Safeway

Sweet cream with walnuts, cherries, and brownies.  Mmm.  I saw someone walk out the door with an ice cream cone with giant chunks of brownie I knew I had to have it.  When I looked at the flavors I knew it was Black Forest.  It has a flavor with a hint of cherry with chunks of walnut and brownie and a few pieces of cherry.  Unfortunately, there were no giant chunks of brownie like I wanted.  I guess it was just an unlucky scoop.  But, it really was amazing.  It was subtle and sweet, but not sugary.  The ice cream had a god mix of flavors and textures with none being overpower.  Very very impressive.

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 3
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 4
• Cone: 4
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $3.50

The chocolate fudge in Ben and Jerry’s Fudge Central is just like hot fudge. Except it’s not hot. But it is this awesome “core” in the middle of the ice creams that is rich and gooey and fudgey. The chocolate ice cream with white fudge chunks and the the vanilla bean with chocolate fudge chunks surround the fudge core. I preferred the chocolate ice cream to the vanilla though. The vanilla ice cream was overpowered by all the chocolate. While the vanilla may not have been the best part, it was still good. And I couldn’t have been happier with all of the textures and flavors. Honestly, I could have just eaten the fudge core; though mixing it with the ice cream made it even better.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 4
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 4
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $3.00 on special at Safeway

I told you I’d be trying the other half of my Skinny Cow Variety Pack soon. Unfortunately, at some point the ice cream sandwiches got melted a little and thus, any smooth texture was ruined.  However, the flavor was still pretty decent.  I still wouldn’t choose this ice cream over regular ice cream, but if I was really trying to watch my weight, I might be able to fool my palate with a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich.

• Flavor: 3
• Flavor Intensity: 2
• Texture: 1.5
• Originality: 1.5
• Overall: 3
• Cost: $2.99 for a box of 6

The dreadful heat and humidity of DC in the summer brings lines to whichever ice cream shop you go to. Tonight I went to Sweet Licks and even had to wait in a long line there. I’ve never had to wait behind more than two people! One woman in front of me ordered a cone that looked particularly good: mocha fudge brownie. I also ordered one and was quite pleased. It had a subtle hint of mocha, not overpowering at all and the brownies were amazing. They were fudgey in the severely-undercooked-brownie sort of way. Unfortunately, like my previous experiences at Sweet Licks, the cone was stale. If you ask me, ending your ice cream with bites of stale cone is not the best way to keep your store’s lines long.

• Flavor: 4.5
• Flavor Intensity: 3
• Texture: 5
• Originality: 3.5
• Cone: 1.5
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $3.12

Wow. That’s what I have to say about Ben and Jerry’s new American Pie Ice Cream. I was very skeptical about trying this. Apple pie flavored ice cream? Not your typical flavor. It’s not even something that sounds good. But I thought I’d give it a try since I read about their American Pie Program. I did the online “allocation pie” and couldn’t even believe how different my pie looked than the federal government’s. But no need to go there.

I went to the Ben and Jerry’s store south of Dupont Circle last night where it was extremely crowded. While I was there I learned something new and interesting: they don’t seem to have all of the prices listed on the board. On the wall behind the counter it is listed that a regular cone costs $4.25 and a large costs $5.25. It also says that an extra scoop costs $1.50. Anyhow, I noticed that everyone seemed to get two scoops on their regular cone. When I ordered mine I unintentionally said, “I’ll have a scoop of American Pie on a cone.” Well, the woman only gave me one scoop, not two like everyone else. I didn’t want to raise a ruckus about this, since I did only say a scoop. But, it turned out that they charged me a price that isn’t listed on the board! My cone only cost $3.58 (which is $3.25 plus the outrageous 10% DC tax). Now, it seems like a little false advertising to me since they don’t list a small on their price board. Or I guess it could be called good marketing. Either way, not one of the approximately 11 people in line ahead of me got only 1 scoop. Amazing.

Back to the ice cream. It tasted just like apple pie. There were small bits of apples and crust throughout the smooth creamy ice cream. It was fruity and creamy and not at all sour (a lot of apple flavored things are sour). I’m going to say it again because I am still in such shock: Ben and Jerry’s American Pie ice cream tastes just like the real thing. I may have to try to make something like this at home. Maybe pureeing some homemade apple sauce with cream? I’m not a food scientist, but I might be able to make it. The trick is being able to come up with these ideas…

• Flavor: 5
• Flavor Intensity: 4.5
• Texture: 4.5
• Originality: 5
• Cone: 4
• Overall: 4.5
• Cost: $3.58

If you like your green tea “green” then you will like this ice cream. If you like to add lots of sugar to your tea (like me) then you may hate this ice cream. This ice cream tastes like green tea. It’s that simple. It doesn’t taste sugary and is incredibly strong in flavor. I had no more than 3 bites of this ice cream (and the last two were from me looking for the white chocolate). In my opinion the white chocolate chunks were the only good part of this gelato. But, as I said before, this Ciao Bella Green Tea gelato does have potential, if you like strong, pure, green tea.

• Flavor: 1
• Flavor Intensity: 5
• Texture: 4
• Originality: 4
• Overall: 2
• Cost: $3.99 at Whole Foods

“The cupcake you eat with a spoon.” That’s the slogan for MaggieMoo’s new ice cream creations. The one described on their website is not the same as the one I got… The only option left at the Adam’s Morgan location tonight was “Better Batter.” At only $2.99 these things are a steal (compared to their $4.94 cones). The “cupcake” had a very thin chocolate cake layer at the bottom and whipped cream on top. In the middle there was Better Batter ice cream. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor of the ice cream on the first bite, but by the last bite the ice cream tasted way too sweet. This is sugary ice cream. It does taste a lot like batter though. The chocolate cake on the bottom was good, as was the whipped cream. Overall, a tasty-treat that’s just too sweet. I look forward to trying the chocolate.

• Flavor: 4
• Flavor Intensity: 5
• Texture: 4.5
• Originality: 4.5
• Overall: 4
• Cost: $2.99