I’ve written before about New England’s love affair with ice cream. And now that the weather here is unseasonably but wonderfully warm—summer seems to have arrived, and it’s only May!—the Boston Globe has published this guide to New England’s best.
Supposedly, anyway. What’s Ben and Jerry’s doing there? It’s okay, but you can get it almost anywhere, in a supermarket. Maybe the Globe felt it had to be included because it’s so PC.
I like the flavor variety at Christina’s of Cambridge. Feast your eyes, and then feast your mouth and stomach if you ever happen to be in the neighborhood.
Friendly’s originated in New England. Now that it’s a chain, it doesn’t taste like much. But when I was a child going to camp in the Berkshires, Friendly’s was a wonderful and special treat.
Same for HoJo’s, another New England innovation (see this for my reminiscence). Brigham’s has more or less bitten the dust, but it was the first place I ever heard the New England term “jimmies” used instead of New York’s “sprinkles.” Herrell’s invented (or at the very least, popularized) the mix-in. So noble New England has done its bit for the development and advancement of ice cream.
And I’ve done my time at New England’s ice cream stands over the years. I’m proud to report that I’ve sampled a great many—perhaps more than my share—of the Globe’s recommendations, and can attest to the fact that for the most part they offer a fine selection. Those of you who have been around the New England ice cream circuit might want to vote for your favorite in the Globe’s poll.
Previously a lifelong Democrat, born in New York and living in New England, surrounded by liberals on all sides, I've found myself slowly but surely 
May 26th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Kimball’s, far and away.
I grew up a few miles from Kimball’s Farm. My grandparents used to take my brother and me there every summer. We went to many other local ice cream stands as well, but none of them matched Kimball’s.
May 26th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Christina’s had me until “Adzuki Bean.”
May 26th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
If you ever come to my part of the woods, my wife and i would love to take you to Serendipity III…
(i get gift cards)
i have wonderful photos of people eating the $1000 icecream treat… (has gold leaf).
May 26th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Considering your post a few days back, I wonder how well the SW border states Ice Cream stacks up to New England’s mexican fare. Nobody can be good at everything, I suppose.
May 26th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Colin:
I can speak only for TX. Blue Bell Ice Cream is fine and dandy, from contented cows in Brenham. I won’t get into a pissing match over whether Blue Bell is better or worse than NE ice cream. Both areas of the country have good ice cream.
Here are some recipes for chipotle ice cream. (chipotles= dried smoked jalapeños) How good are they? Don’t know. I have used chipotles mostly for soups and stews.
May 26th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
I too went to camp in the Berkshires (Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, in Lenox), in my case in the late ’60s, and a trip to Friendly’s for a Fribble was frequently the prize in various camp contests. The highlight of the summer was the Carnival — Friendly’s would send a machine to the camp that day, and every camper would get a Fribble.
May 26th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I should add that my own kids went to camp in Maine (youngest one still goes, actually), and there’s a local brand there — Gifford’s — that is not too shabby. It’s a highlight of our visiting day every summer (you can take your kids out of camp for the afternoon).
May 26th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
I don’t think i’ve ever met anyone who didn’t like ice cream. Quite possibly the most widely loved food of humans.
May 26th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Steve:
Camp Mah-Kee-Nac? I know it well. I went to several girls’ camps in the area.
May 26th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Gingo: if it’s flavors you want (and mighty good ice cream, too) this is the mother ship (read this, too, for examples of the wild flavors).
May 26th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Dr Mike’s. Bethel CT!
May 26th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Used to vacation in the Springfield, MA area–to see family–half a century ago. There was a Friendly’s down the block.
Loved the awful-awful, but the huge sundae was hard to beat.
I understand they’re a full-menu restaurant now?
Got a client a good deal like Friendly’s, except, in addition to ice cream, she has all kinds of dessert pastries. Even though being in the middle of a medium sized rustbelt city, she’s doing extraordinarily well.
Must be something in the food.
May 26th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
SteveH,
I really don’t like Ice Cream. I have never liked it, even when I was a very young. People used to ask me if I was feeling OK. But I just don’t care for it.
About once a year, in the height of summer, I’ll give it a try again (I’ll eat some of my wife’s cone or something)to see if I’ve changed my mind. And…nope. Still don’t like it.
And I don’t like cake either.
May 26th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Haha I was going to say Gifford’s too. That list, despite claiming to represent “new england” was about as Boston-centric of a list as any list could have been. Oh well it was from the Globe, what should I expect.
May 26th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
I can speak only for TX. Blue Bell Ice Cream is fine and dandy, from contented cows in Brenham.
Yes. Back in the day, one of the Ag departments at A&M had an ice cream parlor. I don’t know if they still do it, but that was fine, fine ice cream.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Peaches & Cream in Torrington, CT.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Anna: That list, despite claiming to represent “new england” was about as Boston-centric of a list as any list could have been.
So I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Or at least as eastern Mass-centric as it could have been.
May 26th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Gringo says “I can speak only for TX. Blue Bell Ice Cream is fine and dandy, from contented cows in Brenham.”
The advertisement used to say “The cows think Brenham is Heaven”, then they had that tragic gas explosion( 3 on the richter scale, killed 3 people I think) that was felt north of Houston (Conroe) and College Station and people were saying something else about what the cows thought…..
May 26th, 2010 at 11:43 pm
Used to vacation in the Springfield, MA area–to see family–half a century ago. There was a Friendly’s down the block.
Loved the awful-awful, but the huge sundae was hard to beat
Umm, the awful-awful was a Newport Creamery thing. (They’ve kind of imploded as well.)
May 27th, 2010 at 12:05 am
daved: I don’t know Newport Creamery, but the awful-awful was definitely a specialty of Friendly’s in the 50s.
May 27th, 2010 at 12:35 am
I don’t know Newport Creamery, but the awful-awful was definitely a specialty of Friendly’s in the 50s.
I can’t comment on that but I can say today you get the awful-awful from Newport Creamery (Which are only in Rhode Island and very southern Massachusetts.) and not Friendy’s. (Which does the Fribble.)
May 27th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Hmm, googling it I see that they changed the name to the Fribble but I don’t see when that change happened. (But now Newport does the Awful-Awful.) Oh and for all the non-NewEnglanders it’s a frappe, not a milk shake.
May 27th, 2010 at 5:08 am
The Penn State Creamery in central Pennsylvania. They make the real stuff there. That’s where Ben and Jerry learned how to make ice cream.
May 27th, 2010 at 9:47 am
My dad grew up in Boston and we spent summer vacations there. Many childhood memories revolve around New England ice cream: Friendly’s of course, and Brigham’s (where my cousin once won a month’s supply of ice cream sundaes just before our visit. Jackpot!). When we went down to the Cape we always made a pilgrimage to the Four Seas near Hyannis.
When I was high school age and visited Boston, it was a very big deal to drop into Steve’s, which was famous at the time for inventing mix-ins. It was the forerunner to Herrell’s, I think. When I returned to Boston for grad school, I loved Toscanini’s in Cambridge.
Here in Pittsburgh we have Dave and Andy’s and Bruster’s, so it’s easy to get a fix when I’m craving the good stuff. There’s also Handel’s, which is based in Ohio, I think.
Clearly, I am way too familiar with ice cream.
May 27th, 2010 at 10:10 am
God bless Toscanini’s. I put on about 20 pounds one summer when they still had their location in the student center at MIT.
May 27th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Granval Scoops just south of Granville, MA. During the winter, buy it on the honor system, grabbing it out of the freezer in their barn.
May 27th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla from Brenham, Texas is mighty hard to beat.
May 27th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
The creamery at Penn State is the world’s best ice cream, the 2nd best, lossing by a tiny, tiny margin is Blue Bell in Brenham, TX! Boy, that will aggravate a lot of folks.
May 27th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Heh. I used the term “jimmies” as a kid. I thought it was a Philly thing.
With summer here, ice cream preferences give way to Italian Ice.
May 27th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Emack and Bolio’s is very good, and Richardson’s can be used to make a fantastic frappe.
Penn State Creamery ice cream was reasonably good twenty years ago, but everybody else has improved while they changed their recipes to use corn syrup, guar gum, carrageenan, and other stablilizers. It is junk, worse than many supermarket brands. Turkey Hill is far, far better than Penn State Creamery.
Ben & Jerry’s has always been too sweet, with all those candy and cookie dough flavors. Haagen-Dazs is actually finer ice cream, despite its stodgier reputation.
Now, for the best gelato listings…
May 27th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
I am not going to say it was the best- who knows- but my grandmother’s homemade grape ice cream was pretty good.
I second Dan D’s disparging of candy and cookie dough ice cream flavors. Yucch!
May 27th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Erikson’s in Stow, MA (on MA 117 right on the Maynard town line) is maybe the best I’ve ever had. Been there for ever, too.
May 27th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
SteveH,
I really don’t like Ice Cream. I have never liked it, even when I was a very young. People used to ask me if I was feeling OK. But I just don’t care for it.
About once a year, in the height of summer, I’ll give it a try again (I’ll eat some of my wife’s cone or something)to see if I’ve changed my mind. And…nope. Still don’t like it.
And I don’t like cake either.
Next thing SteveH is gonna tell us is that he doesn’t like Hershey Kisses either.
May 27th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
TexExec,
Actually, that was me, not SteveH.
And, no, I don’t like Hershey Kisses. The only candy I like: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and then only occassionally.
I just don’t have much of a sweet tooth.
May 28th, 2010 at 11:47 am
Gray’s in Tiverton, R.I. it’s well worth the ride down.
May 28th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Hodgies, in Amesbury, Mass. Amesbury is located right where 95 and 495 cross [but is much more quaint than that sounds!]. Hodgie’s gives gargantuan portions of awesome ice cream. It cannot be beat.
May 29th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
I’m with will regarding Gray’s. Bad news about Newport Creamery. You ought to be able to make a business based on the name alone.
I read somewhere once that New England’s ice cream consumption is 10X that of the South.
I will raise the question with Mrs. Oblio, who is an expert on these matters.