Baseball Musings: I Scream, You Scream

April 17, 2004

I Scream, You Scream

I'm a bit of an ice cream snob. When I was in college, we were lucky to have about 1 ice cream parlor for every 10 students (okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it sure seemed like that). If you started at the southern end of Harvard Square, there was the traditional Baskin Robbins (whose flavor of the month happens to be Baseball Nut). As you walked up Massachusetts Avenue north, you came to Belgium Fudge, which later became Emac and Bollios (that may not be the right spelling). Both were specialty ice cream stores that served unusual flavors.

Continuing up the the street, as you came to the square proper (where the subway station stands), was Brigham's. Brigham's was a Boston version of Friendly's. The ice cream was the poorest in the square, but still pretty good. If you turned left at Harvard Coop instead, you'd head up Brattle Street to Bailey's. Bailey's was an old fashioned ice cream palor, with small marble tables, food and ice cream on one side of the store, and chocolates on the other. It was a perfect place to go after a movie for a frozen treat.

If you were in good shape, you could continue up Massachusetts avenue to Somerville (the subway didn't go there yet) to Steve's. Steve's was a blast. The line wound around inside the store, out the door and down the block. I don't think I ever went to Steve's when there wasn't a line. It was always a half hour wait. You were rewarded with ice cream that was made in the window (he seldom had more than three flavors on hand). And Steve would mix in up to three items; nuts, candies, dried fruit. The staff would grab giant scoops from the freezer with a pair of flat spatulas, form a depression in the middle, add your mixins, then fold until the ice cream and candy were blended. It was heaven.

Eventually, Steve expanded and opened a store in Harvard Square. He sold out to a large corporation, and later opened Herrell's. The corporate Steve's is gone, but the Herrell's still thrives in the square, and lucky for me, Northampton, MA. The Herrell's in Cambridge is located in an old bank. You can sit in the vault to eat your ice cream. Herrell's had the best ice cream I ever tasted. Until now.

I've been working out of the home office in Bethlehem, PA this week. Downtown Bethlehem is neat. There are a number of specialty shops, resturants and historic sites. I've been exploring when I've had the chance, and today I stopped by The Heavenly Hedgehog Ice Cream Company for a bit of frozen fun. I ordered a raspberry sundae with banana cream ice cream, whipped cream, almonds and a cherry. The second the spoon brought the first bite to my tongue I knew I had found something special. The ice cream was smooth, the flavors subtle and the raspberry sauce was to die for. It is simply the best ice cream dessert I've ever tried. Barbara Garrison, the owner was there, and I started asking her questions about the store and her confection. She supplies a number of resturants in the area, and is thinking of selling via the internet (although that is going to be very expensive). Next time I'm down, I'm going to bring a cooler and stock up.

If you are anywhere near Bethlehem, stop by. Drive up from Philly. If you are in western NJ, make the trip. If you are five or six hours away, and are looking for something to do, make the trip. If you love ice cream like I do, you won't be disappointed.

Correction I did misspell Emack and Bolio's. They still exist, just not in Harvard Square.

Posted by David Pinto at 11:29 PM | Ice Cream • | Other | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Thanks for the memories of Herrell's. My Harvard Square favorite was "Scoops & Beans" which served a flavor called "Nietzsche's Chocolate - for supermen only."

If you ever visit New York, you must try Cones in Greenwich Village.

Or better yet, get an ice cream maker! Here's my (unpatented) formula for awesome ice cream: (1) Get Parmalat gelato mix. (2) Follow the recipe for chocolate gelato on the box, EXCEPT (3) Instead of cocoa powder, use grated Scharfenberger semi-sweet chocolate, and (4) Use triple the amount of chocolate called for by the recipe.

Posted by: Keith L. at April 18, 2004 02:27 AM

Don't forget JP Licks - though it troubles me there is better ice cream than in our fair Bean Town. I must verify these claims next time I'm in Jersey...

Posted by: Jamie at April 18, 2004 08:50 AM

The hot fugde sundae at Bailey's, served in the tin (I think it's tin) is the best I've ever had. It's not so much the sundae itself as the atmosphere.

Did you know per capita New Englander's eat more ice cream than anyone else? (Sorry no link. Just one of those jumbled bit of trivia stuck in my noggin.)

It's no surprise Ben & Jerry's came out of Vermont.

Posted by: Edw. at April 18, 2004 09:29 AM

I've been in LA for 17 years now, and your column brought back great memories of "boston" ice cream. Steve's! And like you, I didn't mind Brighams. There are NO great ice cream places, here in the land of pilates.

Posted by: Dan at April 18, 2004 01:47 PM

Cambridge may be the best ice cream city in the country. Toscanini's (near MIT) and Christina's (Inman Square) are also excellent. Nothing in NYC, my current home, compares.

Posted by: Pete at April 18, 2004 06:48 PM

Hmm... I sent a message about this last night, but it didn't get posted. Anyway, I've never tried any ice cream in Boston, so I don't have a point of comparison, but my favorite place for ice cream in L.A. is Fosselman's in Alhambra. They've been around since the early part of the 20th century, and nowadays they have a bunch of Asian flavors in addition to the traditional ones.

I also like getting sundaes at the Ghirardelli shops. I've been to ones in San Francisco (OB baseball: Dodgers sweep!), Pasadena, and South Coast Plaza.

Posted by: Adam Villani at April 19, 2004 10:52 AM

From my student days, I remember a place in Newton, I think, with a red and white color scheme and good homemade Grapenuts Custard. Not much to go on, but does that ring a bell for anyone? What is that place called?

Posted by: KP at April 19, 2004 01:03 PM

just went to a wedding over the weekend, but they had ice cream called Dr. Bob's, dont know where its made, but just tasted extremely good

gnats got swept!

Posted by: Brandon at April 20, 2004 03:36 AM

just went to a wedding over the weekend, but they had ice cream called Dr. Bob's, dont know where its made, but just tasted extremely good

gnats got swept!

Posted by: Brandon at April 20, 2004 03:36 AM

Heavenly Hedgehog is OK, but Bethlehem's best is Nuts About Ice Cream on Linden St. All the ice creams are made by hand on the premises. I had raspberry cabernet sorbet this weekend. Amazing. When you watch them sit and peel a large bag of ginger, you know that ginger ice cream is around the corner. Not a good vehicle for hot fudge, but really tasty.

Posted by: Lynne at April 20, 2004 12:59 PM

Re: Steve's Ice Cream

Dave, I graduated Harvard 1981 originally class of 1980.

Going to Steve's was a holy pilgrimmage. Many a study break/date/friday night dorm treak was taken to Steve's Ice Cream.

Isn't it funny to recall that we had gourmet coffee and gourmet ice cream in the 1970s when the rest of the country had nothing, and now there's nothing but gourmet cofee and gourmet ice cream in nearly every small town in America?

By the way, I live in Swarthmore, PA, and my wife is from Wilkes-Barre, home of the AAA Red Barons.

I'm about 10 minutes from the rubble of the Vet and the new Citizens Bank Park. My wife's old company used to have corporate box seats at the Vet and I started going to games when I was 12, in 1970, Larry Bowa's rookie year, he teamed up with Denny Doyle at 2d.

Thanks for remembering Steve's.

Art Kyriazis
Harvard 1980(2)
Patent Consultant, biostatistician

Posted by: Art Kyriazis at April 29, 2004 04:46 PM

Steve's in Somerville was a trek from MIT that generally required a car, but we got there regularly. The hot fudge was to die for, and somewhere I acquired a recipe that claimed to be from Steve's Ice Cream---but I've now lost it. If anybody has that recipe, please send it along.

Posted by: Alice, MIT 1978 at August 11, 2004 04:59 PM