The best way to beat the heat also happens to be the tastiest. It’s ice cream season again and Local iQ has already done the tasting for you.

 

What’s surprising is the fact that since Creamland Dairy took their ice cream production out of the state, there are no Albuquerque companies (small or large) producing ice cream. If that’s not opportunity knocking on your entrepreneurial door, then your not much of an entrepreneur.

Thankfully, there are a couple of companies up North — Tara’s Organic Ice Cream and Taos Cow — that are cranking out some of the best ice cream we’ve ever had the privilege of tasting.

 

Wanna beat the heat? Keep reading.

 

 

Albuquerque Ice Cream

 

BY RANAE FORD

I Scream Ice Cream
2000 Carlisle NE, 888.9420
I Scream Ice Cream is a kid’s haven of Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots, Rubik’s Cubes, and the ISIC’s Sound Wall soon to be the Sound Ceiling in their new location just down the street. Made by Creamland especially for the shop, the flavors have a very creamy, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth feel with unusual flavors like Cinnamon, and classics like their really authentic Chocolate (making a non-chocolate fan into a fan). I give them a standing ovation for their White and Black shake ($3.49) made with Vanilla Bean ice cream and chocolate syrup or any way you like it, including any of their 31 flavors and countless toppings. And you have to love the quirky owner Bill Warren’s sense of style and knowledge of what children and adults want. The new location will not only feature shakes, malts, cones, and banana splits but a mix of coffees, teas and a light lunch.

Pop Pop’s Italian Ice
11200 Montgomery NE, 293.8446
After visiting Pop Pop’s Italian Ice, I must say standing in a very long line behind hand-holding El Dorado High School  couples was well worth it. This father and son team from Philly have it right. The IceQuakes ($3.50-$4.00) can be made with a variety of Italian Ice flavors, 42 to be exact, and Creamland’s custard vanilla ice cream (French-style), blended with finesse. Per owner Pete Kropf’s recommendation, I boldly tried the young at heart Cotton Candy and was not disappointed. It was almost like the real thing. The Gelati ($3.00-$3.50) is mixed with up to two flavors of your choice, I picked tartly Tangerine and turn-your-tongue-blue Blue Raspberry ices with vanilla gelati layered in, it was extremely good and reasonably priced. Pop Pop’s sell-out week after week going on 10 years is the Strawberry-Lemonade available only on Fridays and Saturdays.

Red Rock Café & Ice Creamery

308 San Felipe NW, 247.0066

The Red Rock Café and Ice Creamery features Creamland  favorites like Butter Pecan and Rocky Road served any way you like them. While you are there, enjoy a Philly Steak or Chicago-style Kosher hot dog complete with a dill pickle ($4.25), add a sugary treat and enjoy on the quaint patio or tiny café that has a french flair. Their speciality, and my personal favorite, is a double whammy of sugar and caffeine: the Affogato Italian Espresso ($4.75) swirled over a choice of ice cream. Choose from flavors like Cookies and Cream or Coffee, which come with  whip cream and can be an overdose of everything that’s good in the world. Find it all at this hidden gem located in Old Town.

 

Route 66 Malt Shop and Grill

1720 Central SW, 242.RT66

Not to be confused with the 66 Diner, the Malt Shop is also located on Central and is the epitome of historic Route 66. The walls are lined with mementos from the past; posters of greats like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. You’ll also find a neon picture of the old road itself. Not only do they have the best green chile cheeseburger ($4.49) made “your way” with an abundance of green chile, but I think they also have one of the best Root Beer Floats ($3.50) in the United States, (they have been ranked in the top five in national surveys). The Malt Shop has been making their original recipes since they opened 10 years ago. If you like a powerful tasting sassafras, this is the Root Beer for you, served with a large scoop of Dreyer’s ice cream. They also make malts, shakes, and hard to find original Depression era New York-style Egg Creams, Black and Brown Cows, Phosphates, and a Sunset Float with Very Berry Sherbert and Orange Soda ($2.95).

 

Romero Street
Ice Cream and Grill
205 Romero NW, 247.0221
A long standing establishment in the heart of Old Town, this tiny shop is full of spunk, and is one of the only places in town that caters to diabetics, offering a wide selection of sugar-free Dreyer’s ice cream and sherbets served with seltzer or diet 7-Up. They also serve favorites loaded with sugar, like the amazingly rich and lusciously creamy Dulce de Leche along with 15 other flavors. A little known secret, and my take on the best deal in town, is the fact that Romero’s single scoop ($1.89) is actually two heaping scoops, and a double scoop ($2.99) is four heaping scoops served in a choice of cones or a cup. Try a seasonal favorite like Pumpkin and Peppermint.

Chocolate Café & Bakery
2933 Monte Vista NE, 254.0493
Deemed doomed in 1990 by the Albuquerque Tribune for its “bad location” in the historic Del Castillo building, this bakery has  become a popular place with the college crowd as well as families with children. They pack the café that sports multi-colored blue walls that feature art by the Arts Alliance’s all-women’s group “The Rainbow Artists.”  Looking around at the shop’s pastry displays, it is clear that chocolate is the central theme which  includes the can’t-fit-on-your-plate Chocolate Raspberry Pancakes ($5.59) and cakes like the Heart of Darkness chocolate genoise cake with raspberry truffle filling ($3.99/slice). The desserts are beautifully crafted by owner Gary Cline and the chocolate and vanilla bean gelatos don’t taste like gelatos at all. They are delightfully rich and are the best I’ve had to date, they made a tremendous accompaniment to the Miniature Cream Horn ($1.19) served with light and fluffy chocolate cream filling and the Chocolate-Almond Croissant, a chocolate bread pastry filled with layers of almond paste and chocolate cream. The gelatos are provided by local coffee vendors, which is a good thing.

Model Pharmacy
Lomas at Carlisle, 255.8686
Tightly tucked away at the corner of Lomas and Carlisle for more than 20 years, Model Pharmacy does not appear to be more than a simple pharmacy. Indeed, it is that as well as  a restaurant and an old-fashioned pink and blue pastel soda fountain shop known for serving the best fruit cobblers in town.
The ceiling is decorated with brightly colored mobiles and the walls are adorned with original Dreyer’s advertisements. Their banana split is big enough to make your pants split: three different ice creams of your choice, three toppings, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry ($7.50). Sodas created the old fashioned way with your choice of ice cream and flavoring ($4.25) are made in glass soda glasses and served with ice cream spoons and a straw. I enjoyed my take on the classic with a refreshing vanilla soda and intense chunky strawberry ice cream.

Crave
323 Romero NW #16, 242.8445
This former location of Rio Grande Cow, and under the same ownership for more than 16 years, Crave is more than appealing with its neon green walls and enticing displays. The shop serves Dreyer’s yogurt, sugar-free and regular ice cream that come in all the colors and flavors of the rainbow including Blue Bubble Gum. It’s clear that the staff  feed off the environment and are addicted to ice cream. They tease with locals and tourists and oblige anyone wishing to taste test their flavors. I can’t decide whether the Lemon Sorbet or Strawberry Cheesecake ($2.15-$3.51) is better. The sorbet is just tart enough to be satisfying without the pucker factor and the cheesecake has equal hearty pieces of strawberry and New York cheesecake. The shop plus the tantalizing-of-the-taste buds equal a fun experience.

Flying Star
Various Locations
Just reading the Frozen Desserts menu at any Flying Star does not do them justice. Flying star offers a half dozen sticky, gooey and rich flavors from  Häagen Dazs. The only place in town I am aware of that excels in a Banana Foster ($5.99), the “Star” also offers a sundae that should be shared and never eaten alone. The Turtle Sundae has hot fudge and caramel graciously drizzled over vanilla ice cream, it comes with whipped cream, pralines and is opped with a cherry ($5.99).

Vitality Juice Bar
102 Gold SW, 224.9040
A stark contrast to the Cold Stone Creamery directly across the street, Vitality Juice Bar is a not just a smoothie and soy based sugar-free soft-serve ice cream store, but a complete mecca of health. The addition on Gold is the eighth location for the founder Dr. Catherine Wilbert and includes a co-op of food supplies, supplements, and made-to-order food. The large menu counts the calories for you, including a rather thick, protein packed, low carb smoothie called the Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Banana ($5.95) made with organic peanut butter and bananas. It has such a high quality taste that I became a believer in this health stuff. The Avalanche Chocolate Malt ($4.25) is also thick. Not creamy, but it certainly has an extra chocolate kick. With dozens of options from fruity to super sweet, add ins, and boosters like immune defense and fat burners, you’ll feel better about your body just by walking through the door.

 

 

Santa Fe Ice Cream

 

BY STEVEN J. WESTMAN 

Does anyone remember Hippo Ice Cream near UNM, where you could walk in and get scoops of fresh innovative flavors of frozen homemade goodness? Or how about Notes Cafe in Nob Hill, where provincial hipsters got their first real taste of real gelato?

Over the years, the influx of chain business have pushed out most of the locally owned shops. It occurred to us that you just can’t find anything like this in Albuquerque anymore (and we’d welcome input if you  know of something hidden). However, just about an hour north, in the City Different, there are a handful of notable places where you can lick up some delicious glacial treats.

Plaza Bakery—Häagen Dazs
56 E. San Francisco, 505.988.3858
Perhaps the best known (and before you balk — read on), is the Plaza Bakery — Häagen Dazs in the heart of downtown Santa Fe. While they serve up a well-known “corporate” ice cream, they are a staple at the Plaza and have been subject to the phenomenon of once being touted the “Busiest Häagen Dazs in the United States.” I met with Fred Libby, who with his wife Patti, open this institution in 1981. The Libbys have expanded their enterprise by having one of the busiest bakeries in town  and they do offer a few divine housemade ice cream items like the Adobe Pie, the Mud Pie, and oversized chocolate-covered bananas

Ecco Expresso & Gelato
105 E. Marcy, 505.986.9778
Across the plaza over on Marcy Street is Ecco Expresso & Gelato, the brainchild of a young local, Matt Durkovich, who mastered his craft in gelato making from Luciano Ferrari, at Carpigiani’s Frozen Dessert University which is the world’s leading provider of hands-on instruction for making gourmet frozen desserts. He has a cool, open space where you can sip an espresso and taste the many zesty flavors he makes. The blood orange mixed with the stracciatella can make you shiver in a good way. This place is always busy with neighbors and visiting folk.

Gelato Benissimo
328 Montezuma, 505.984.9104
A bit off the beaten path in the Guadalupe District, hidden behind WilLee’s Blues Club, is Gelato Benissimo, run by Hernandez siblings Ben and Barbara. It’s an eclectic locale, where one can enjoy a great cup of coffee with a crêpe and peruse the gelato case to decide how to top of the visit. I like to mix the apricot with the caramel, but the sundaes are the things that get you. Order the Sophia Loren and enjoy two scoops of gelato drenched with a shot of espresso, delivered in a martini glass. To beat the  summer heat try the Zsa Zsa Gabor served with three types of sobetti and sparkling water. Tthey have a great outdoor patio where you can soak up the sun as well.

Tara’s Organic Ice Cream Shop

1807 Second, 505.216.9759

So, on top of all of this is the Santa Fe  goddess Tara Esperanza of Tara’s Organic Ice Cream. A woman with a penchant for homemade ice cream and turned it into a booming business marketing her palate (from Adzuki Bean w/Black Sesame to Black Truffle With Caramelized Pear to Green Chile Pistachio to Sweet Corn to White Pepper Chocolate Chip), this isn’t your ordinary “31 Flavors.” 

 

While you can purchase a handful of her package products at places like La Montañita Co-op and Whole Foods Market, the best way to get your fill is by visiting her ice cream shop  in the Second Street Artist District. It has a tiny warehouse feel, but what is found there is enormous in so many ways. It can be crowded at any time of the day with loyal aficionados, so maybe you can see why Esperanza was awarded New Mexico’s Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2006. There is something for everyone here: a scoop or two or three, try the smoothies and shakes (the Mangolicious sent me over the edge just last week). It’s not your grandma’s ice cream made in the back yard all those years ago; grandma never thought about mixing in sage, saffron or garam masala (okay, at least mine didn’t). Man, this stuff is good, and Tara is awfully sweet.

This summer is gonna be hot and dry; these places offer a way to cool down, get a fix of scrumptious gelid remedies, and keep your money in our community, always a good thing. Isn’t this what we all scream for?

 

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