From the category archives:

Brand: Other ice cream

Helado in Buenos Aires, Argentina

by Ice Cream Maker Reviews on October 12, 2008

All the guidebooks touted Argentine ice cream as being the finest in the world. So, for the past few months while planning our trip to Argentina I’ve been anxiously awaiting the chance to try this deliciousness. Well, I’ve been in Buenos Aires for one week and sampled 5 different ice cream flavors at 2 ice cream shops and so far I’m a little disappointed.

I’ve had Argentine ice cream before, but in the U.S. Specifically, countless times at Dolcezza in Georgetown, Washington DC. At Dolcezza the ice cream was delicious. The flavors rich and fresh and the ice cream creamy. So, I expected it to be even better than this in Argentina itself.

Both the places I have tried ice cream in Argentina so far have been good, but not great. The helado consistency is bizarre. It’s creamy and icy at the same time. The taste is a little icy but the consistency on the spoon is creamy. Elastically is probably the best way to describe it. When I try to take a bite with the little gelato spoons the ice cream doesn’t break free but instead stretches out — much like cheese on a pizza. This in and of itself makes ice cream a little frustrating.

The flavors are good, but I haven’t had any that I would highly recommend. I’ll likely post some specific reviews in the near future.

One of the biggest disappointments is the price. Almost everything in Argentina is far cheaper than you would find in the States. You can get an amazing steak for $7-10 US dollars. An entire pizza (quite popular with the Italian influence here) is $4-7 US dollars. An empanadas — small cheese and meat filled pastries, 3-4 would equal an entire meal — are $1 each. So image my surprise when ice cream is the the same price, if not more than what you would pay in the US. One cone/cup is about $4 US dollars!

Now, I’m not exactly complaining. The ice cream could be terrible. Or worse yet could be non-existent. I guess I just had my hopes up.

{ 9 comments }

Potbelly Chocolate Malt Review

by Ice Cream Maker Reviews on November 13, 2007

Recently I have become semi-addicted to Potbelly Chocolate Malts.  (Is it possible to become semi-addicted?  That’s beside the point…).  Potbelly chocolate malts are just the right thickness and have just the right amount of malt powder.  There’s something about the taste of malt powder where you can easily have too little or too much; and the Potbelly malt lands right in between.
The thickness of the malt is also excellent.  It takes some effort to suck it up through a straw, but not too much effort.  Again, they’ve achieved that critical balance.
Oh, and who can forget the cookies?  Two minature shortbread cookies on the straw, mmm tasty.
My only complaint is the size.  It’s a smaller size cup, but it’s still too much.  After finishing an entire malt I feel like I’ve eaten way too much.  I need about three-quarters of the current size.  That would be the right amount.  I realize I could throw it away after I’ve eaten 3/4; but wouldn’t that be a waste??

  • Flavor: 5
  • Texture: 4
  • Originality: 2
  • Overall: 4
  • Cost: $2.86 at Potbelly

{ 5 comments }

Bailey’s Irish Cream as an Ice Cream Topping

by Ice Cream Maker Reviews on February 20, 2007

Last night I had a phenomenal topping on my vanilla ice cream—Bailey’s Irish Cream.   I wanted ice cream but wanted something more than just vanilla.  We had some Bailey’s in our fridge and I went for it.  It was amazing.  Just a few tablespoons full and you’ve got yourself an adult dessert.  I let the ice cream melt a little bit and mixed the two together; I suppose I could have blended it into a shake.  Maybe next time…

{ 10 comments }

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Cake Review

by Ice Cream Maker Reviews on January 18, 2007

When it’s someone’s birthday you get them the kind of birthday cake they want. But, if they ever request an ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins I recommend that you flat-out refuse. I don’t remember the last time I had such bad cake. The ice cream itself, which is rolled up into the cake was good, but the cake just made it not worth eating. We got a mini-roll cake with mint-chocolate-chip ice cream. The fudge covering the cake was the only thing worth salvaging.

  • Flavor: 3
  • Flavor Intensity: 3
  • Texture: 1
  • Originality: 4
  • Overall: 2.5
  • Cost: $7.95

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Cake

{ 1 comment }

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream at Maggie Moo’s

by Ice Cream Maker Reviews on January 2, 2007

Wow.  That’s about all there is to say about pumpkin spice ice cream at Maggie Moos.  Generally, I’m not a huge fan of Maggie Moos.  They’re hit or miss and very overpriced.  But, Pumpkin Spice was amazing.  It was intensely spiced and the pumpkin flavor was present but not overwhelming.  And Graham crackers mixed in proved to be a great combination.  This is a seasonal flavor so go out and get some before it’s gone.

  • Flavor: 5
  • Flavor Intensity: 5
  • Texture: 4
  • Originality: 4
  • Overall: 5
  • Cost: $5.05

{ 0 comments }

McDonald’s Ice Cream Review (17th and R NW, DC)

by Ice Cream Maker Reviews on October 16, 2006

I realized that I have never posted a review of McDonald’s Soft Serve Ice Cream before. Considering there is a McDonald’s right down the street from me (on 17th and R) it’s kind of surprising. So, today I’m reviewing McDonald’s Ice Cream.

McDonald’s seems to be pushing their ice cream more and more. Besides the relatively recent addition of McFlurrys, they also now have Oreo Sundaes, cookie sundaes and a few others. I went for the plain hot fudge sundae on their dollar menu. So, for $1.10, I got a hot fudge sundae and a small bag of peanuts. I found the bag of peanuts particularly interesting. I don’t remember ever getting this before.

The soft serve ice cream at McDonald’s is something I’ve always loved. It’s pretty smooth, it’s creamy, and it’s cheap. The hot fudge is also excellent. I was surprised as sometimes hot fudge really isn’t that good. Overall, it was well worth the trip down the block.

  • Flavor: 4
  • Flavor Intensity: 3
  • Texture: 4
  • Originality: 2.5
  • Overall: 4
  • Price: $1.10

McDonald's McDonald's Peanuts

{ 0 comments }

Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Review

by Ice Cream Maker Reviews on October 14, 2006

Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean comes out of Lancaster County, PA. I discovered it at Shopper’s and bought it specifically because it didn’t have any gums or artificial ingredients. I’m glad I bought it. It is spectacular. It’s much lighter and fluffier than most vanilla ice cream (especially compared to Haagen Dazs) but that also means it’s lighter in calories. It’s extremely creamy and I’m their new biggest fan.

  • Flavor: 4.5
  • Flavor Intensity: 4
  • Texture: 4.5
  • Originality: 1
  • Overall: 4.5

Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

{ 3 comments }

Scoop 89: Kemps Premium Toasted Almond Fudge Ice Cream Review

by Ice Cream Maker Reviews on August 23, 2006

I never realized that Kemps was a Midwest brand until I moved away from MN.  It’s always been decent ice cream, never amazing, never terrible.  Today’s Toasted Almond Fudge was about what I expected: not spectacular, but not all that bad.  The ice cream was just plain chocolate ice cream with toasted slivers of almonds in it.  The texture reminds me of the chocolate malt cups you can buy at baseball games.  It’s not a flavor that I would buy again if I wanted really good ice cream, but for the price it’s decent.

  • Flavor: 4
  • Flavor Intensity: 3.5
  • Texture: 3
  • Originality: 2.5
  • Overall: 3.5
  • Cost: $2.50 at Byerly’s in MN

{ 0 comments }

Scoop 87: Dove Miniature Ice Cream Bars Review

by Ice Cream Maker Reviews on August 21, 2006

I flew into Minneapolis today and will be here through the end of the week.  I intend to go out exploring the Minneapolis ice cream shops, but with the flights today and a two hour layover I resigned myself to staying in and having a couple of Dove Miniature bars.  For only 60 calories these really are amazing.  I taste-tested both the original with dark chocolate coating French vanilla ice cream and the cherry cordial which has dark chocolate covering cherry ice cream.  Both were quite good, though I preferred the original.  The dark chocolate on both is more intensely chocolate and thus combines perfectly with the extra sweet ice cream.  One of these satisfies my craving for both high quality chocolate (well- high quality for a mass produced ice cream bar ) and creamy ice cream.

  • Flavor: 4
  • Flavor Intensity: 3.5
  • Texture: 4
  • Originality: 3.5
  • Overall: 4

{ 0 comments }

Scoop 76: Godiva Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Praline

August 10, 2006

Talk about rich.  I can honestly say that I don’t think I have ever had a chocolate ice cream as rich and velvety as Godiva’s Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Praline.  But, I wouldn’t buy it again.  You know how you can’t eat an entire box of Godiva Truffles without feeling sick?  It’s the same way with [...]

Read the full article →

Scoop 68: Nestle Drumstick

August 2, 2006

Since Edy’s Sundae Crunch didn’t satisfy my craving for a Drumstick, I thought I should get the real thing.  So, on my drive up to Cape Cod I stopped at a 711 to pick one up.  They had a ton of ice cream options, including my Drumstick.  But, only came in King Size.  Do [...]

Read the full article →

Scoop 65: Lee’s Caramel Truffle Swirl

July 30, 2006

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 [...]

Read the full article →

Scoop 56: Skinny Cow Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich

July 21, 2006

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 [...]

Read the full article →

Scoop 53: Ciao Bella Green Tea with White Chocolate

July 18, 2006

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 [...]

Read the full article →