H says, First off, I love ice cream. If I could, I would eat nothing but it. This is a short list of ice cream eateries that we tried while on vacation. I might be biased but trust me, the ratings are accurate. C says, I love ice cream, too--who doesn’t? But Henry is crazy for the stuff. He didn’t want to go a single day without it while we were on vacay.
Emack & Bolio's
http://www.emackandbolios.com/C and I arrived on Cape Cod late in the evening and I decided that I would introduce her to the amazing market up the street that had its own ice cream place. It used to be a Ben and Jerry’s but had changed to Emack and Bolio’s. One word for it: Horrendous. Absolutely the worst ice cream I have ever had. Not creamy, not tasty. It wasn’t even that sweet. I honestly don’t understand how they could make ice cream so bland and tasteless. I even tried a milkshake much later in the trip and even it was not very good. My dad went there a couple of nights ago and he asked for a sundae with hot fudge...at 8pm on a weekend on Cape Cod...they said they were out. Seriously!? How is that even possible? The next night he tried again and they were still out. Take my advice and avoid this ice cream chain like the plague, just awful. C says, I had seen an outlet of E&B’s in Boston, so I was interested to try it. It really wasn’t very good--not completely inedible, but not enjoyable. Don’t waste the calories.Katie's Ice Creamhttp://www.katiesicecreamcapecod.com/To be fair, this location is owned by my aunt, but it is by far the best ice cream you will ever have. It is made on site every day and is amazing. Smooth, creamy and delicious best describe the ice cream here. The Cape Cod Sand is their special recipe they don’t tell anyone what is in it. (C says, they won’t even describe it--they just offer you a taste if you ask about it.) I highly recommend it. My favorite is normally the cookie dough, but this year they had a cake batter ice cream that was to die for. Just the best, I had it in sundaes, milkshakes and as a quart I bought and brought home to eat. C says, Henry is definitely biased, but the ice cream is honestly superb. I tried at least 10 different flavors, and they were all good. I’d especially recommend the Cape Cod Mud, Cape Cod Sand, and Harminty.Smitty’s Homemade Ice Creamhttps://www.facebook.com/smittysicThere was another place on the Mashpee rotary that we tried, it was ok but nothing to write home about. My suggestion is if you are ever on Cape Cod drive out to Katies and have a scoop, or 5. You will not be disappointed. C says, I thought this place was pretty good. H didn’t like it as much because they didn’t have rainbow sprinkles. But I had a scoop of the coffee oreo flavor and it was creamy and delicious, and H had soft serve which was also good. So if you are stopping at the seafood shop next door to get some lobsters, you might as well grab some ice cream, too. Sea Swirlhttp://www.seaswirlofmystic.com/The good news was that back in Connecticut my favorite place for soft serve had not changed at all. Sea Swirl is located in Mystic, CT, right near the coast and a small stream. It is a lovely place to get some fried seafood and have soft serve. I got chocolate and vanilla with rainbow sprinkles in a large waffle cone--the perfect way to have soft serve. So if you are ever in or driving by Mystic stop over at Sea Swirl and give it a go. It is wonderful. C says, The soft serve at Sea Swirl was quite yummy. The corn fritters were ok, too, but much more fritter than corn.Just an FYI for people not from New England, all of these ice cream stores are closed in the off season.
C says, I have been fortunate enough to be in Boston for a few days, unfortunately without H. So, I am diverting from our usual format to give a short run-down of where I’ve eaten. H says, not that she stopped telling me about all the delicious food she was eating while I was at work. It’s like water torture for me. I love Boston.
Legal seafoods: http://www.legalseafoods.com/ (various locations)
You can’t throw a rock in Boston without hitting Legal Seafoods, but this is an iconic, quality chain. It was my first stop in Boston. I had a cup of clam chowder and the mussels, and on the subsequent visit, the lobster bisque. The bisque was divine--it edges out the chowder for yumminess--but is extremely rich. The mussels were nothing short of AMAZING. Nicely spicy, perfectly sauced, and some nice, crusty rolls to go with. The appetizer portion is quite generous, and the combo of that and the chowder had me stuffed. I was tempted to try the lobster roll, but when lobster is $3-$5/lb up here, the cheapest in years, your “market price” of $23.95 does not seem like a good deal! That price was not completely out of line with other places, though you can even get a lobster roll at chains like Panera and Au Bon Pain up here. H says, much like a BMW, you are paying a bit of a premium to eat at Legal Seafood, but there is no denying the quality.
Boston Chowda Co: http://www.bostonchowda.com/
Voted the best clam chowda in Boston, so I had to try them out. The chowder was absolutely delish, very affordable, and narrowly edges out Legal for tastiness. I got the lobster roll combo, which was a lobster roll, chowder, and a drink for $16.95. The lobster roll is the mayo-style lobster salad on a traditional top-split bun that has been grilled. Tasty, but again, very rich.
Sweet Cupcakes: http://www.sweetcupcakes.com/
I stopped in for a small cupcake (about $1.75). I got the chocolate with chocolate frosting. The frosting was not overly sweet, but there was so much of it--probably as much frosting as cake, which is not my ideal ratio. Not bad, but n ot mind-blowing. Sucre at home in NOLA is my benchmark for cupcakes, and they didn‘t make the grade. An affordable sweet treat, though. i ,will say that the cupcake I had at a conference function at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel was better.
Towne: http://towneboston.com/
I went to Towne for a conference-related function, so I didn’t order off of the menu, but the food they catered for the event was delicious (mostly antipasto, and a really tasty Israeli cous cous and calamari salad, thin crust Margherita pizza, etc.)
Teuscher Chocolates: http://www.teuscherboston.com/
Two pieces cost me almost $4. I had the caramel truffle and some sort of nougat concoction. They were tasty, but did not live up to the 3 pieces I picked up from the Lindt store, which were also cheaper. It was an interesting little shop, but I’d recommend heading to Lindt instead!
Skipjack’s: https://www.skipjacks.com/
I had the cioppino, which was delish! Shrimp,calamari, mussels, and scallops in a lobster-tomato broth with a piece of garlic toast. I would have liked more bread, but it was very good. My friend had the seafood Cobb salad, which was huge, with shrimp, smoked salmon, and lobster salad on it. He said it was great. H says, Oh, god why aren’t I in Boston too :(...most fantastic city on the East Coast.
House of Siam: http://houseofsiamboston.com/
I was excited to go eat some Thai because I love it and H never wants to go with me. I stumbled upon this place, so I decided to go in, since they were prominently advertising multiple awards for being the best Thai in Boston. The restaurant was cute and each table had a vase with 3 fresh roses, which was a sweet touch. I got the pad thai, because I usually like to test out a Thai place on that basic, popular dish. It was a big portion, came quickly,and was pretty tasty.Not the best I’ve ever had, but I was satisfied. However, shortly after leaving the restaurant I broke out in hives all over my face and shoulders! I don’t have any food allergies that I know of, so it was very strange. I have to assume it was the food , though because I don’t think I encountered anything else in the meantime. So, I don’t think I’d go back, just to be safe. H says, ok might leave that off my list...
