Ask George: What’s your favorite indulgence from a local ice cream or custard shop? (2024)

What’s your favorite indulgence from a local ice cream or custard shop?—Edward D., St. Louis

The bad news: Both the temperature outsideand heat indexwill be oppressive for the nearfuture.

The good news: According to FOX2 meteorologistGlenn 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 inBlack Cherry Ash, a special dark-as-nightice cream from Clementine's, which containedactivated charcoal).

One novelty that checks all three boxes is Ronnie's Rocky Mountain, aproverbial "Drumstick on steroids" from Ronnie's Ice Cream. Owner Ron Ryan, the OG of local icecream makers, packs asugar cone with vanilla ice cream, dips it in thick chocolate, rolls in a handful of peanuts, andsends it out to select grocery stores, as well asMac's Local Eats, select Sugarfire Smoke Houselocations, and the recently opened4 Hands at Peacemaker atKirkwood. It's also available at TheMuny, where it's been offeredsince 1981. (Ryan also supplies the product line to Half Pint at the Annex in Webster Groves, where he's especially proud ofthe mango sorbet with a chamoy sauce ripple, containinghibiscus 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 producesa 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'sa triple Heath from Ted Drewes.I recently had a classic root beer float from Half Pintin Webster Groves and really enjoyed that,too."

Simone Faure, La Patisserie Chouquette: "Easy! The Korean ShavedIce called bingsuat 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 JamocaAlmond 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: "Myfavorite 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,SLMcontributor:"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,SLMcontributor: "People give me grief about loving simple vanillaice 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 reallyreallywant 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,SLMdining critic: "Silky's FrozenCustard'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,SLMcontributor: "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,SLMcontributor:"That freaking sundae at Wright's Tavern."

Abby Wuellner, SLMcontributor: "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 BurgeSLMcontributor:"Living in Shaw, our kids beg for Ice's Plain &Fancy all the time. We don't usually havetime for themadness 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,SLMcontributor: "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,localand otherwise, butI 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 creamparlor like Clementine's, Ices Plain &Fancy, Baileys' Range, Serendipity, and Rollup Ice Cream & Eatery.Theserve-up makesfor 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."

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George Mahe

Mahe is St. Louis Magazine's dining editor. Like this story? Want to share other feedback? Send Mahe an email at gmahe@stlmag.com.

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