Take advantage of these late sunsets. Check out one of the Howard County joints offering variations on soft serve, frozen yogurt, or even a bowl of ice and a dozen Korean ingredients. From standard to exotic, they're all a chance to escape the heat, hang out with your people, and remember why the hottest night is still better than being trapped in your house by winter's dark and cold.
For bonus points, pair one of these joints with an easy dinner:
- Soft Stuff on Rte 40 in Ellicott City. This is the gold standard for a summer night out. Soft serve ice cream at a picnic table. Banana splits for a few dollars more. Nostalgia for free. (Pair with Korean barbecue at Honey Pig or Shin Chon Garden.)
- Seibel's in Burtonsville may have the best ice cream, although I haven't been there recently enough to crown them officially. They are the closest place that I know that makes its own ice cream. They're creamy and delicious. (Pair with Cuba de Ayer.)
- Tutti Frutti in Ellicott City is my favorite outpost of the sour frozen yogurt trend. A second franchise opened in Columbia, and there are similar spots like Iceberry and Pink Beach on Rte 40 and Yogiberry in the Columbia Mall. Last year, I asked for help sorting out the different chains. (Pair the Rte 40 joints with Korean barbecue or with Lighthouse Tofu soon doo boo.)
- Cindy's Soft Serve on U.S. 1 in Elkridge. This seasonal stand has been on my "to do" list for two years, but the Elkridge Patch echoes the recommendation that I first heard from Lanette for soft serve and other frozen treats. (Pair with pit beef from Smokey & Uncle Grube's.)
- Pepperjacks Deli in Laurel. This family-run joint just south of Rte 216 serves great sandwiches, and it also scoops ice cream and whips shakes. There is a homemade playground that looks great for young kids. (Pair with Pepperjack's own sandwiches.)
- Rita's in Columbia and Ellicott City. This is one of our favorites, although I know people see them as an invading chain. Black cherry ice layered with vanilla cream. (The absolute perfect pair with pumpkin, kabobs and bread at Maiwand Kabob or with pizza at Trattoria E Pizzeria Da Enrico.)
- Snowballs in Clarksville, the Snowball Stand on Rte 99, and KyKy's Hawaiian Ice in Elkridge for shaved ice -- along with Pete's Snowball stand at Oakland Mills Road and Old Montgomery Road in Columbia. These are super simple -- shaved ice topped with a flavor shot. They're my treat when I'm doing errands. Confirm that KyKy's and Pete's are open in 2011. I haven't been there yet this season.
- Bon Appetit Bakery in Ellicott City for bing soo. This is a Korean desert with shaved ice topped (and then mixed) with chocolate powder, condensed milk, canned fruit, mochi and more. Take a risk. It's an exotic flavor, but you're guaranteed to leave chilled -- and to enjoy Bon Appetit's other desserts. (Pair with black bean noodles from Tian.)
- (Update: Meadows Custard in Columbia, which I forgot until a commentor pointed it out. The offerings run similar to Rita's with custard and ice. Plus they have coffees and more. Lots of benches at the Hickory Ridge village center and a bunch of options to eat, including Hickory Ridge Grill, Chinese, Italian and Peruvian chicken.)
RIP: Arties in Clarksville that had been a local hangout, but closed last fall.
Can anyone recommend other places for ice cream outside? (Update: Amber tweeted about the Savage Sno Cone Shack.) Anywhere good in downtown Ellicott City? Does anyone in Howard County actually make their own ice cream?
18 comments:
Nice article, though I'm surprised there was no mention of Meadow's Frozen Custard in the Hickory Ridge Village Center. Fantastic cool treats at nice prices, plus there is plenty of outdoor bench seating available in the plaza outside.
@Anon -- You're totally right. I will update it. Lots of good places to eat in Hickory Ridge too -- Chinese, pizza, Peruvian chicken, gyros at the grill, . . .
As I've said many times in the comments, Soft Stuff cannot be beat. My fiancee and I frequent the place more than we probably should. However, be careful about pairing it up with Honey Pig. We once ate so much garlic at Honey Pig that we weren't able to taste our ice cream afterwards.
My mom and I just went to Seibel's for the first time last week. The hard scoop homemade ice cream is among the best I've had in a long time.
I'd vote - Soft Stuff for soft serve, Seibel's for the hard scoop version.
I think more research might need to be done though (GRIN), have to get some elastic-waist pants.
So, maybe it's just the foodie in me going into overdrive, but I find the vanilla at Rita's to be kind of flat - almost with a "machine" taste. On the other hand, Rita's chocolate is quite good. Very rich and chocolate tasting. Meadow's on the other hand, is almost the opposite. Their chocolate is not as rich and a little bland. But the vanilla there is quite good. I think I would have to stick with Soft Stuff for the best twist in town. They truly have great softserve for both flavors!
All of the above are really good. Rita's is a franchise owned by twin sisters. They are very community minded and support schools and local charitable organizations. Please don't view them as a chain.
Meadows has a lot of very different mixtures, many using coffee, of which they also serve. Their shakes are very good, too.
As far as a dinner pairing with Seibels, you might try their own restaurant. Not only do they serve lovely home cooking, their turkey is from Maple Farms up the road. I can't vouch for the ice cream (food allergies) but my husband loves their pies.
After nearly getting clobbered numerous times at the Snowball Stand on 99 by people flying in and out of the narrow parking lot, I've given up on it. I drive to the other side of the river to Catonsville to go to Opie's.
HoCo needs a Jason's Deli - went to the one in Timonium recently. Good food and free, unlimited soft serve ice cream.
I confirm that Pete's Snowball Stand is open -- we stopped by there this past Father's Day while riding our bikes around the neighborhood. Although I was tempted by the more exotic flavors such as "Batman" and "Titanic," I eventually settled for a humdrum watermelon ice instead.
Also, I recommend pairing Soft Stuff up with a fried chicken dinner from the Forest Diner.
From someone who used to trek to Mr. G's in Baltimore (Rt. 40/St.Agnes La.), I enjoy Soft Stuff too. Miss Arties!!!!!
Megan - you are right about the food at Seibel's. At lunch I got a turkey/grilled cheese sandwich. It was not fancy, but it contained sliced real turkey breast, not deli stuff. My mom got a fried haddock sandwich that she loved, the server said it was fish they bread themselves.
The ice cream was just the right ending. HowChow, they say it's homemade.
Opie's in Catonsville rocks!!! But of course I'm from Catonsville :)
I know, I know -- it's not a Howard County joint, but I absolutely love Opie's! Great ice cream and snowballs, and the atmosphere is great! The frequent visitor card -- free to get, just ask for one -- is my 5 year olds favorite thing.
where is Opie's?
Hey Laurie,
Opie's is on Edmondson Road in Catonsville, just outside the beltway. It rocks your socks :)
I was picking up a new rice cooker from the store near H-Mart and decided to try Opie's. Google Navigate couldn't find Opie's, but a local gave me directions and I found it with no problem (make a left from Rolling->Edmonston, Opie's will be on your right after the 7-11).
I like the ice cream. Basic soft-serve chocolate or vanilla, but it didn't have the cloying feel that Rita's can get and it was just the right amount of sweetness. I need to introduce the rest of the family to this.
Based on all the positive comments about Seibel's, I went over to pick up some of their homemade ice cream. Maybe its just the flavor I chose, but I was monumentally disappointed. I bought the coconut and, although it had a lovely, creamy texture, it didn't have the slightest coconut flavor whatsoever. Even the flakes of toasted coconut in the ice cream were flavorless and only served to give it some texture. Since this was my first visit, I will definitely go back and try other flavors, but my experience did not bode well.
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