Photo by Eileen Mellon
1. Oaxacan
$14 at Coco & Hazel
Do you need a milkshake sporting a Cinnamon Toast Crunch rim that's overflowing with a house-made churro and Mexican chocolate ice cream cookie sandwich? Probably not. Does all self-restraint disappear after you step into this new Tuckahoe outpost that gets you high on sugar from the first whiff? Absolutely.
Photo courtesy Spotty Dog Ice Cream Co.
2. NeaTaco
$6.50 at Spotty Dog Ice Cream Co.
The mystery of pop-ups makes them all the more alluring. But when the name NeaTaco — a homemade waffle-taco-ice cream hybrid featuring a trifecta of New England-style ice cream flavors dipped in a chocolate shell and finished with a dusting of pistachios — is whispered, be there, or be square. (Check @spottydogrva for upcoming locations.)
Photo by Lauren Baldwin
3. Profiterole Sundae
$6.25 at Scoop, mini macaron 95¢
Anytime a profiterole — one from the mind of a classically trained baker at that — can serve as the base of a sundae, order up. The rainbow sprinkles and hot fudge are reminiscent of childhood, but it’s years of adulthood that help you realize this is how you live your best life.
Photo by Eileen Mellon
4. Gelato
Prices vary, Stoplight Gelato Cafe
Sorry, Ben & Jerry’s, but there’s a silkier, smoother treat churning in Jackson Ward. It may not be ice cream, but banana-flavored gelato packed with gratifying chunks of chocolate and walnuts is equally, if not more, satisfying. Opt for a few scoops, like birthday cake, because go big or go home.
Photo courtesy Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches
5. Peaches & Cinnamon
$4.50 from Nightingale Ice Cream at local markets
The only way this creation from the minds of two ex-chefs — fresh peach ice cream sandwiched between two decadent brown-sugar cookies — could get any better is if the jingle from the neighborhood ice cream truck cruising down the block meant I could order it then and there.
