Thu, July 23, 2009
Desperately Seeking Ice Cream: Finding New England’s Finest
When I moved to Boston, I was surprised to discover that despite the severity of New England winters, ice cream is a regional obsession. Here’s a useful resource for finding the area’s finest ice creameries as you travel this summer.
In the late 1970’s, Jane and Michael Stern wrote Roadfood, a chronicle of their quest to identify the best regional eateries in America. The book immediately caught my attention, not because Michael Stern bears a striking resemblance to my college quantum mechanics professor (though he does), but because even in my youth I knew that a good blue-plate special is a joy to behold. The Sterns, now divorced, have continued to update and rewrite their book as restaurants have come and gone over the last thirty years.
Recently I discovered that their web site, Roadfood.com, has a section that rates New England ice cream. Two staff members took on the task of visiting and rating 50 creameries over the course of two weekends – a labor of love. The results of their New England ice cream and fudge sauce pilgrimage are summarized on the site. “Not recommended” venues rated a single ice cream cone, while four “world-class, highly memorable” ice cream sources received five cones. The four-cone rating was given to vendors whose “nearly flawless” creations were deemed to be worth traveling across state lines to experience.
Three ice cream proprietors in Our Fair City copped four cones or better: Toscanini’s, Christina’s, and Herrell’s (the listing shows the Allston location, but if you click on the Herrell’s link you’ll also see the Cambridge location mentioned). Among Boston-area vendors, Runcatore’s in Belmont also made the four-cone cut.
Now that the hot weather of summer has finally arrived, there’s no excuse not to get out and experience an authentic New England treat: fresh creamery ice cream. If you’re feeling adventurous, see how many fudge sundaes from different creameries you can eat in two weekends. If you’re not up for that, you can at least sample the nearest top-rated ice cream in your neck of the woods.