Franklin Fountain

[robertruelan]

I don't think I saw anyone else bring up Frankin Fountain (at least lately), but with the heat and all, I thought it was a good time.

I stumbled upon this place (almost literally, since my wife and I were coming out of Il Bar at Panorama ) last Friday night.

It's at 116 Market Street (between 2nd and Front, on a corner, next to Drinker's Tavern). It's an old fashioned ice cream shop that has some interesting items. Everything looked good, but we ended up getting a Stock Market Crunch Sundae, here's a description of it from their website :

"ROCKY ROAD ice cream coated in thick peanut butter sauce and paved with crumbled salt pretzels. William Dreyer and Joseph Edy concocted the first batch of rocky road ice cream in 1929 following the great stock market crash to give consumers something to SMILE about during the impending Depression."

Some other things I'd like to try sometime were the 'Phosphates' (not sure what this is), floats, milkshakes, and Egg Creams (not sure of this either). Maybe someone can help me choose for my next visit? Thanks

[Andrew Fenton]

Some other things I'd like to try sometime were the 'Phosphates' (not sure what this is), floats, milkshakes, and Egg Creams (not sure of this either).  Maybe someone can help me choose for my next visit?  Thanks 

Phosphates are syrup + soda water, I believe. Egg cream is milk + chocolate syrup + soda water. Good stuff. Why it's called "egg cream" when it contains neither is a mystery on the same scale as "who's buried in Grant's Tomb."

Anyway, thanks for the recommendation. I oughta give them a try one of these days...

[Mummer]

Some other things I'd like to try sometime were the 'Phosphates' (not sure what this is), floats, milkshakes, and Egg Creams (not sure of this either).

I made phosphates at my first job at a pharmacy soda fountain.

You'd take a dime Coke glass (not that little nickel one,) add ice and a couple of squirts of the requested flavor and fill it with selzer from the fountain tap. That's a phospahte. It was a nickel. The flavor syrups were cherry, vanilla, lemon, strawberry, etc. that we used to make cherry Cokes and ice cream sodas. We made the fruit flavors from concentrate and simple syrup, which we also made.

A flavor squirt into your nickel Coke bumped the tab to 7 cents. We couldn't sell chocolate cokes. The boss said it was because the chocolate syrup made the glasses too hard to clean, but we knew it was because chocolate syrup was more expensive than the fruit flavors.

And what did you do with the 3 penny change with your cherry Coke? Buy candy. Red Hot Dollars, my favorite, weren't cinnamon. They were that red Jujyfruits flavor. (Same company - Heide.)

Sweet!

[KatieLoeb]

When I first saw this thread, I thought you meant dancing around in the public fountains on Benjamin Franklin Parkway!

Like THIS young lad is doing...

[Andrew Fenton]

I made phosphates at my first job at a pharmacy soda fountain.

Charlie, I never woulda picked you as a soda jerk! Did you wear the little paper cap?

[MarketStEl]

You wanna read my comments on the place, go out and buy the next (July/Aug) issue of Philadelphia Style.

[robertruelan]

Wow. Thanks for the clarifications on Egg Cream and Phosphates. On Egg Creams, I was a little put off on the 'egg' part of the name, but definitely sounds like something I would like. I look forward to Sandy's review.

...A flavor squirt into your nickel Coke bumped the tab to 7 cents.  We couldn't sell chocolate cokes.  The boss said it was because the chocolate syrup made the glasses too hard to clean, but we knew it was because chocolate syrup was more expensive than the fruit flavors.

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Great story! I wonder how this place matches how you used to make it. Chocolate coke, now that would be something. I wonder if anyone's ever tried to make it?

[Mummer]

Chocolate coke, now that would be something.  I wonder if anyone's ever tried to make it?

Of course we made chocolate cokes for ourselves! Almost as tasty as the girl watching during the after school rush.

See if Franklin Fountain will make one for you. I'll have to get there for a phosphate.

[aliwaks]

When you stop in for an egg cream grab a hard pretzel to go with , thats how my grandfather served them at his candy store/soda fountain. My memories of summer in NYC in the 70's revolve around egg creams in paper cone cups with metal cup holders and a pretzel rod as ammunition agianst the oppressive heat and hideous smells.

Has anyone had Franklin Fountian's egg creams? do they use U-Bet chocolate flavored syrup, which purists will admit is the only way to make a true egg cream.

One can get fancy and use real chocolate syrup but it would not be authentic.

Then there are black & white egg creams? half vanilla syrup half chocolate, Yum.

Edited June 16, 2005 by aliwaks (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

Franklin Fountain is great. Amazing that there weren't any old-school ice cream parlors in that neighborhood, and FF really fills the niche. I had a terrific strawberry milkshake; the lemon ice is also quite good. Ice cream comes from a Delaware dairy whose name escapes me at the moment. Next time I'll get one of the sundaes, which are large and beautifully constructed.

And their phosphates, according to the menu, are syrup, soda water and citric acid. Who knew?

[shacke]

Franklin Fountain is great.  Amazing that there weren't any old-school ice cream parlors in that neighborhood, and FF really fills the niche.  I had a terrific strawberry milkshake; the lemon ice is also quite good.  Ice cream comes from a Delaware dairy whose name escapes me at the moment.  Next time I'll get one of the sundaes, which are large and beautifully constructed.

And their phosphates, according to the menu, are syrup, soda water and citric acid.  Who knew?

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Sounds like a great place to try. Thanks.

Evan

[Holly Moore]

Any idea whose ice cream they dip?

[Andrew Fenton]

I asked, but have completely blanked on the dairy's name. I'd never heard of it, but as I said: Delaware.

I tried looking for it on their website, which is well worth a visit for the discerning user of the "Inter-Net". Among other drollery, it contains am interesting treatise on the history of ice-cream in Philadelphia. Check it out.

[Holly Moore]

Made my first buy nowhere near last trip to Franklin Fountain today. They've done a first class job of recreating the soda fountain of days long gone. I asked about the ice cream - five different sources. Some are custom made by a dairy. Some are Bassett's. Not sure of the rest.

Seemed like a perfect day for a peach melba parfait - fresh peach ice cream intermixed with raspberry puree. Pistachios (the menu claimed almonds) and home made whipped cream on top.

[webhill]

You guys just HAVE to start talking about an ice cream place when I'm trying to lose those last ten pounds from the baby, huh? Thanks a LOT.

/me grumbles off to the Fountain...

[Holly Moore]

Hit the Franklin Fountain again.

One neat thing I missed before is their antique National Cash Register. Every time a sale is rung up, in the window where the prices normally show, a quotation from Ben Franklikn appears.

As part of my ongoing commitment to research, I tried the aforementioned Stock Market Crunch Sundae.

[arice]

wow folks, thanks for the tip on the franklin fountain. i stopped in there tonight -- what else should a person do on one of the hottest days of summer? eat ice cream of course!

i highly recommend the mint chip (delicious!) in an awesome waffle cone with chocolate jimmies. the gentleman (who i believe is one of the owners) told me that its made by a local dairy (but did not provide the name). if only i lived closer, i'd be there way too often. next time, i'm getting a sundae or milkshake.

-- arice

[shacke]

wow folks, thanks for the tip on the franklin fountain.  i stopped in there tonight -- what else should a person do on one of the hottest days of summer?  eat ice cream of course!

i highly recommend the mint chip (delicious!) in an awesome waffle cone with chocolate jimmies.  the gentleman (who i believe is one of the owners) told me that its made by a local dairy (but did not provide the name).  if only i lived closer, i'd be there way too often.  next time, i'm getting a sundae or milkshake.

-- arice

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I also went tonight for the first time and got the mint chip sundae - good choice. I asked, as did Arice, of the origin and was told "a local dairy farm" makes it especially for them. Although it has been some time since I lived in center city, I remember that there was a great need for a good ice cream place. Regardless of how that may have changed, this is a nice place and the premises are sharp. Next time I go, I am getting a soda. There are many interesting flavors and the exotic lavender, rose or violet seems really appealing.

My brother and his friend both got the Mt. Vesuvius sundae - the supersize equivalent of my sundae (which was no kiddie scoop mind you).

Evan

[philadining]

Couldn't resist the retro appeal of a Hungerford's Hot fudge Sundae.

Nothing unusual, just extremely good. Rich, smooth vanilla ice cream; excellent hot fudge (from the J. Hungerford Smith Company) with a dense, but not sticky, texture; whipped cream and a cherry. Delicious, in that simple way.

My only complaint is that the slightly over-filled lovely old-fashioned glass sent ice cream shooting out of a flute every time I tried to dip in with my spoon. Messy, but I'll live with it.

My friend got a cone of black raspberry ice cream, which he liked a lot, with a couple of similar functional cautions. The fresh, still warm waffle-cone was tasty, but its heat was melting the ice cream more rapidly, creating perilous pools of fluid, ready to spill out any fissures in the cone. And the cone itself was pretty hard and crisp, like a bigger, thicker sugar cone, making it pretty easy to break off unpredictable sections while biting-in. Again, not a huge problem, but I witnessed a couple of uncontrolled ice-cream floes.

In both cases, it was worth it, but we made a bit of a mess.

[MarketStEl]

i highly recommend the mint chip (delicious!) in an awesome waffle cone with chocolate jimmies.  the gentleman (who i believe is one of the owners) told me that its made by a local dairy (but did not provide the name).

←

The owners didn't give me the name of the dairy either--but they did say that it is a family-owned operation located in northern Delaware, and that it has been around for 207 years (presumably in the hands of the same family, much like E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., which is almost as old).

[shacke]

My only complaint is that the slightly over-filled lovely old-fashioned glass sent ice cream shooting out of a flute every time I tried to dip in with my spoon. Messy, but I'll live with it.

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I had the same "issue" - wouldnt call it a problem of course! If they were to serve the sundae in the larger flat metallic dish, that would be easier. I will do that next time.

Evan

[I_call_the_duck]

This is the coolest place! I loved the counter in the back with the stools that folded in. Reminded me of the old checker cabs. Anyway, I made my first foray there last weekend. My husband and I shared a scoop each of peanut-butter and black raspberry. YUM. Our friend had a rum-raisin milkshake, and he said that the raisins tasted like they were actually soaked in rum. Unfortunately, I can't verify that.

I also was unable to ascertain the name(s) of the ice cream sources, but was told that they're from small dairies in the area.

Aliwaks, yes, they use Fox's U-Bet in their egg creams, and YES, it's the ONLY kind one should use. (OK, I'm a displaced New Yorker, so I may be a bit biased. ) Egg cream got it's name from the chocolate “head” that is created, which resembles egg whites when they are whipped to that foamy point.

[katbert]

Last First Friday, dropped by Franklin Fountain. Their ice cream is now made in house according to the twirly moustached brother co-owner, and the blueberry was terrific. My waffle cone was hard, not just crisp, and I would go sugar or cake cone next time. Suggestion: send someone to order and someone else to snag a table outside.

[KatieLoeb]

The gentlemen who own Franklin Fountain were outside Amada today handing out FREE chocolate or vanilla ice cream to anyone that worked in the area.

Needless to say our entire staff lined up and everyone was happy. The chocolate was yummy...

[philadining]

Who knew that Franklin Fountain had pie?

I couldn't manage even a bite, i was still way too stuffed from brunch at Carman's, but it got a good review from the DP.

I stuck with a refreshing, fresh-tasting Limeaide