Ice Cream in CO?

[rlm]

Okay, now that it's summer and the dozen gloomy days in a row seem to be over, I'd like some tips on good places for ice cream in CO (other than the usual suspects such as Marble Slab, Cold Stone, Baskin Robbins, or Dairy Queen).

There is one new place in Louisville I've tried that is independently owned--Sweet Buddy Roo's--and I had a fantastic chocolate and marshmallow sundae there. It is unfortunately hidden back in the shopping center on McCaslin near the Home Depot and the old movie theatre. I really hope they make a go of it. I only found out about them from reading an article in the "hometown" newspaper. They were mentioned in the Daily Camera too:

Sweet Buddy Roo's Specialty Chocolates and Ice Cream, 1156 W. Dillon Road, Suite 4, Louisville, opened last month offering East Coast-style wicked-good ice cream sundaes, shakes and malts.

[colestove]

The three I like in Denver are Liks on 13th ave in the capital hill area, Bonnie Brae on so University (about Exposition) and Michelles on south Clinton in Centennial (across from Country Dinner Playhouse). Liks and Bonnie Brae are both locally owned, not fancy but make good ice cream in lots of flavors. Michelles is "fancier" out of Colorado Springs and I think has more "pizazz" in some of there sundaes etc. They make there own hot fudge, and hot caramel toppings and the toffee ice cream with hot caramel topping sundae is to die for IMHO. Now I remember one more, the Soda Rocks (I think) on Mississippi just east of the Old So. Gaylord shopping block. (Hemmingways on so Gaylord has really good fish and chips BTW) Hope some of this helps.

colestove

[rlm]

Wow. Thank you, Colestove. Are any of these "old fashioned" soda counters with stools? I have a few good small-town memories that I occasionally like to revisit.

[fredbram]

Bonnie Brae and Soda Rocks are my local ice creameries--both within walking distance of my house on a hot summer night (and on a cold winter evening, for that matter). Soda Rocks does have stools and a counter you can belly up to. It isn't exactly the soda fountain in the front (or back) of the drugstore, but it's the closest that I know of in Denver.

Our policy is that because Bonnie Brae is further away than Soda Rocks, we go to BB, because the walk helps with the guilt, if not the calories, of the ice cream cone. BB is a great scene in the summer--always a line out the door, almost everyone walks to it, tons of dogs and kids running around outside. All that being said, IMHO the ice cream is just OK, they concentrate more on lots of flavor combos rather than a really great base product. Which doesn't keep me away.

There is a Gelateria in Cherry Creek (Gelato D'Italia?) on Detroit between 2nd and 3rd that has some pretty yummy gelato. Pistachio-yeah!

[TheMatt]

As for me, I really like Glacier Ice Cream here in Boulder. I had Chocolate Orange there once, and it was soooo good. And even though it's not as "fancy", I do happen to like the frozen custard at Good Times and the stuff at Bova's isn't bad either.

rlm, for soda fountains, I always think of the Lyons Soda Fountain, which I haven't been to since last year. Since I haven't heard the hue-and-cry I imagine its closing would cause, it's probably still open. That place is sort of a time warp, but in a good way. Hmm...I need to go back up to Lyons for some soda fountain and pinball. Especially since Lyons Classic Pinball got a bastion of my childhood arcade life, the Joust head-to-head pinball machine.

The only other soda-fountain-ish place around here I can think of is that place in Heritage Square, but it's been a long time since I've been there.

[rlm]

Finally made it to Lyons Soda Fountain after a drive in the mountains. They do indeed have the "old-school" counter with stools, but I was a bit disappointed that they only serve your order in plastic cups and their whipped cream comes out of a can. I had a good chocolate soda (even though they used vanilla ice cream instead of the requested brownie fudge), and my SO had an excellent Mango Blast.

Matt, have you ever ordered any of their lunch items or baked goods? Curious if they're known for anything besides ice cream.

Edited to ask: Do they buy ALL of their ice cream from Dreyer's?

Edited July 20, 2004 by rlm (log)

[rlm]

Article on ice cream in today's Denver Post by Ellen Sweets:

Once upon a simpler time, there were only three kinds of ice cream - vanilla, strawberry and chocolate - plus peach, if you lived in the South.

Edited July 21, 2004 by rlm (log)