What’s your favorite indulgence from a local ice cream or custard shop? —Edward D., St. Louis
The bad news: Both the temperature outside and heat index will be oppressive for the near future.
The good news: According to FOX2 meteorologist Glenn Zimmerman, July and August are slated to be cooler than normal, and the next 10 days may be the hottest days of the summer…which means it’s prime season for frozen treats.
Personally, my tastes run from simple (a chocolate custard cone) to nostalgic (a Buster Bar from DQ) to “Sure, why not?” (as in Black Cherry Ash, a special dark-as-night ice cream from Clementine’s, which contained activated charcoal).
One novelty that checks all three boxes is Ronnie’s Rocky Mountain, a proverbial “Drumstick on steroids” from Ronnie’s Ice Cream. Owner Ron Ryan, the OG of local ice cream makers, packs a sugar cone with vanilla ice cream, dips it in thick chocolate, rolls in a handful of peanuts, and sends it out to select grocery stores, as well as Mac’s Local Eats, select Sugarfire Smoke House locations, and the recently opened 4 Hands at Peacemaker at Kirkwood. It’s also available at The Muny, where it’s been offered since 1981. (Ryan also supplies the product line to Half Pint at the Annex in Webster Groves, where he’s especially proud of the mango sorbet with a chamoy sauce ripple, containing hibiscus flower, plums, Tajin, and guajillo peppers.)
We also asked a handful of local chefs/restaurant owners to weigh in with their favorites:
Brant Baldanza, OG Hospitality Group: “My daughter’s boyfriend’s summer job has been at Silky’s Frozen Custard. Call him an ass-kisser, call him nice, or call him generous…but he brings me a frozen strawberry concrete, so call me happy when he does.”
Natasha Kwan, Frida’s/Bonito Bar, Diego’s Cantina, Station No. 3: “Oh goodness, can it be from my place? I love the See ya Latte at Station No. 3. It’s vanilla vegan soft-serve with Baileys [Irish Cream], Kahlua, marshmallows, and cinnamon. I am a sucker for anything with Baileys!”
Christy Augustin, Pint Size Bakery: “Absolutely anything from Sugarwitch! The waffle tacos are always so delish, and my fave ice cream sandwich is the Tara. They use miso in the ice cream, which produces a nuanced flavor that I crave.”
Kevin Willmann, Farmhaus: “A Heath Bar concrete is my go-to. Our local shop in Collinsville is Dairy Freeze on Saint Louis Road. We get a six-pack of ice cream sammies for later, too!”
Frank Romano, The Parkmoor, Madrina: “I’m a sucker for the salty malty from Serendipity: salted caramel ice cream made into a malt… Ohhhh, baby!”
Adam Altnether, Side Project Brewing: “If I’m doing a traditional concrete like we grew up with, it’s a triple Heath from Ted Drewes. I recently had a classic root beer float from Half Pint in Webster Groves and really enjoyed that, too.”
Simone Faure, La Patisserie Chouquette: “Easy! The Korean Shaved Ice called bingsu at Spoonful Desserts. The Mango or the Injeolmi are both sublime!”
Chris LaRocca, Crushed Red: It would be a tossup between a concrete from Culver’s with brownie and salted caramel or a pint of Jamoca Almond Fudge from Baskin-Robbins.… It’s arguably the best ice cream flavor on Earth!”
Matt McGuire: Louie, Wright’s Tavern: “Easy: the concrete at Ted Drewes with Dad’s oatmeal cookies. They call it the ‘TeDad.'”
Adam Tilford, Mission Taco Joint: “I don’t eat a ton of sweets, but my go-to would be a chocolate shake at Carl’s Drive-In with a double cheeseburger and fries. I think I know where I’m going to lunch now.”
Carlos Hernandez: El Milagro Azteca, Carnivore, PitStop, Collina Eatery: “My favorite place to go and take the family for ice cream is Baskin-Robbins. I enjoy getting several flavors in one cone, while my kids pick out their favorite flavors.”
Members of SLM‘s dining team also shared their faves:
Amy De La Hunt, SLM contributor: “My new favorite this summer is the non-dairy Aztec Chocolate at A Spoonful of Sugar, a new spot in Benton Park. It’s especially good with a scoop of black cherry if they have it.”
Cheryl Baehr, SLM contributor: “People give me grief about loving simple vanilla ice cream or custard—they call me boring, basic, you name it. I really don’t care. As I always retort, it’s the little black dress of ice cream. There’s nothing plain about subtle. Vanilla can’t hide behind anything, so it has to be perfect, or you can see the flaws. Right now, I’ve been indulging way too much in Silky’s vanilla custard. If I really want to get wild, I’ll put it in a waffle cone. And if I really really want to go all out (and if the place has them), I’ll put real strawberries on it. Not the god-awful strawberry goo but actual strawberries.”
Dave Lowry, SLM dining critic: “Silky’s Frozen Custard’s concrete with hot fudge and crumbled Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is a transcendental experience. One should not operate heavy machinery after ingesting it.”
Collin Preciado, SLM contributor: “It’s nothing fancy, but the M&M vanilla concrete from Ted Drewes is ice cream perfection. It’s got that extra crunch factor missing from regular old chocolate chip, and the colored candy shells create a pretty rainbow swirl as they bleed during the mixing process. It’s been my go-to order since I was a kid, and the few times I’ve tried something else I’ve always regretted it.”
Holly Fann, SLM contributor: “That freaking sundae at Wright’s Tavern.”
Abby Wuellner, SLM contributor: “Cardinal Sin at Ted drewes… A scoop of chocolate peanut butter at Oberweis… Ice cream/custard is my very favorite food group, but it seems I’m a relative purist!”
Bill Burge SLM contributor: “Living in Shaw, our kids beg for Ice’s Plain & Fancy all the time. We don’t usually have time for the madness of the weekend lines, but we walk over for an occasional midweek treat and the sleeper on that menu is the Sump Coffee Ice Cream.”
Lynn Venhaus, SLM contributor: “While I could debate Fox Treat or Cardinal Sin at Ted Drewes, the answer for a true special indulgence is the Orange Twist cone at Dairy Haven in Caseyville, Illinois. They make their own orange ‘sherbert,’ and it is divine. It’s a burst of fresh citrus flavor paired with creamy vanilla soft-serve—the classic Dreamsicle combination. You can get it in a cup or a cone. It’s the best cone from anywhere around. The family-run operation is only open seasonally, from spring through fall, and it’s cash only, noon–9 p.m.”
Pat Eby, SLM contributor: “It’s hard to pin down a favorite ice cream indulgence with so many great choices in our town, local and otherwise, but I generally stay local when I’m spending money on food and drink. In addition, my favorite part of going out for ice cream is sitting in an ice cream parlor like Clementine’s, Ices Plain & Fancy, Baileys’ Range, Serendipity, and Rollup Ice Cream & Eatery. The serve-up makes for a good show and the people watching is first rate. That said, although it’s hard to pick a favorite, I would choose Cherry Cordial from Ices Plain & Fancy.”
Follow George on X, Instagram, his Arch Eats podcast, or send him an “Ask George” email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe, sign up for the newsletters, or follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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