Ice cream, downtown Shelton style

French Mud ice cream in a chocolate-dipped cone and a strawberry sundae ~ this was our Thursday afternoon treat.

SHELTON - There are many reasons why it has taken me this long to launch another series of ice cream blog posts, but no need to go into them here.

On Thursday daughter Allegra and I "braved the heat" in search of a frozen treat and made our way to Dave & Dave's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor, 507 Howe Ave.

The shop, filled with old black and white photos of the Valley and memorabilia from a simpler time, is owned by David Grant, owner of David M. Grant Caterers, and his son, also named David Grant.

I have written about the new parlor before, when it opened in April and when the Grants held their  grand opening in June.

So I was familiar with the French style Buck's ice cream they serve. Did someone say high calorie? Whoops.

 

The friendly server gave me a sample of Praline ice cream. It was delightful. 
I almost chose that for my cone but opted for something involving plenty of chocolate: French mud ice cream.

The shop features seating for about 20 inside, as well as several tables on the sidewalk.

A CD playing classic Motown hits was just the thing to get my mind off of the oppressive heat.  

My daughter took the above photo with her phone, and for some reason it looks like I have a severe sunburn. Thankfully I don't.
I've been trying to hide from the sun as best as I can. Summer is not my favorite season. I guess that's why I started the Ice Cream 101 series last year.

And I've yet to try the gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches available at Dave & Dave's, but that's on my list for another time.  

Please stay tuned for the next ice cream installment. 

Stay cool. 

Tasting ice cream in the Valley and beyond

It's time to revive Ice Cream 101 

 

Now that most of the Independence Day fireworks displays and other festivities are over it's time to focus on a summer tradition: eating ice cream.

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? It is; follow the link and you can read about how it got started in 1984.

National Ice Cream Day this year is July 21. That's cause for celebration, I'd say.

Last summer I taste-tested ice cream, gelato and Italian ice and wrote about my experiences. Needless to say I liked them all.

It's time to start finding other ice cream places, after which I'll report back here on the blog.

Do you have a favorite place to enjoy frozen confection (in southern Connecticut) on a hot day?

If so, just let me know in the comments and I'll try to get there.

Visiting The Sundae House in Milford

Ice Cream 101: Series continues into September

Ice cream, shakes, frozen yogurt, and more can be found at 499 New Haven Ave., Milford.

No, we didn't have sundaes on Saturday.
My husband, daughter, and I each decided on simply a small cup of ice cream. We're so boring!

Ralph enjoyed good ol' Cookies and Cream, Allegra devoured Quicksand, a concoction that combines caramel swirl with pieces of Butterfinger chocolate candy, and I chose Buck's Tracks, their version of Moose Tracks.

Buck's Tracks features peanut butter cups, chocolate swirl and all good things.

The stand sells premium Buck's Ice Cream, thus the name of the frozen treat.
My daughter and I had enjoyed the same brand back in July when we had cones at Field View Farm in Orange.

There's no seating at The Sundae House, which is a minor drawback. A few picnic tables off to the side of the parking lot would be a nice addition.

We originally headed out to a more "gourmet" ice cream shop in Milford, but as soon as we pulled up a group of 12 children and three or four adults walked up to the place ahead of us.

We got out of the vehicle anyway but soon learned there were more customers waiting inside, with just one employee scooping ice cream, making shakes, and whipping up sundaes. A long wait was in store, so we departed.

But we'll give that place a whirl another day. Who says one can only eat ice cream in the hot weather?
Not moi.

As an aside, this cow flag flying above the sign caught my eye. I guess it indicates the ice cream sold here is made from real dairy products!

The Sundae House satisfied our collective sweet tooth. And next time we'll have to try a sundae.

Time for some time off in the Valley

I'm thinking about unplugging for the weekend.
I admit I face this challenge with some trepidation, but I'd like to try to go back to a simpler lifestyle for a few days. Emphasis on try!

On the other hand it's still summer and I may have to seek out another ice cream shop for my ongoing series ~  in which case I'll need to sign back on and write a post about my experience.


Meanwhile I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday! 

Eating ice cream while working makes for a good day

Ice cream 101: The series continues

On Thursday I was invited to yet another ice cream social... this time at the Doyle Senior Center in Ansonia.
I covered the third annual Ice Cream Social and Games Day hosted by the Ansonia High School Human Relations Club.
It looked like everyone had a fun summer afternoon, as did I.  

Both the young and young-at-heart played bocci, Wii games, line danced and chatted before digging into ice cream sundaes, such as the one pictured below.

Another sundae!

The photo is blurry because I took it while holding the video camera with one hand. Oh the things we go through to get a photo.

Thanks to Human Relations Club advisor Nick Collicelli for inviting me, and for insisting I join in the sundae party.

I've decided to swear off eating ice cream for a few days. But I'll be back next week with more ice cream stories.

Dip-Top's treats get thumbs up

Ice Cream 101: The series continues

Life can get crazy and complicated, and that pretty much is why I started this series.

I simply wanted to have some fun: finding ice cream spots; consuming frozen treats; spending some time with my two grown children; and writing about my experiences.  

But I've not posted about ice cream in almost two weeks, and thought it was about time to do just that.
So Monday afternoon son Cameron and I headed to Dip-Top at 263 Boston Post Road, at the corner of Old Tavern Road in Orange. That corner at the five-way intersection has been home to delicious ice cream and other frozen treats since 1956.

If I said I remember when the location was once the home of Tastee Freez, I'd be dating myself.

Well I guess I just did.

I wonder when it became Dip-Top? I remember the building was devastated by a fire in 1999, but I don't think it was still Tastee Freez when that occurred.

Does anyone else remember the old Tastee Freez? 

I chose classic chocolate soft serve, but of course I had to have it topped with strawberry sauce and whipped cream to make it even more sinfully good.

Cameron was fine with just getting a cup of cake batter ice cream. It was even richer than the cake batter ice cream he has had in the past because it was full of chocolate chips.
He gave it two thumbs up.


As you can see from the photos we sat on a bench facing the busy Boston Post Road, not the quietest location. But we enjoyed anyway.

I guess we should have ordered ice cream cones with a dip top, to put the house specialty to the test.

Next time!

Ice cream social in the Valley? I'm there

Some of you may have seen my Ice Cream 101 posts in recent weeks that I've been writing just for fun. This is another in a series.


On Thursday I attended an ice cream social with members of our Circle of Friends breast cancer support group at Griffin Hospital in Derby.

Our support group treated several Ansonia Girl Scout Troop 60500 and their leaders to an ice cream social to thank them for their support of our group and of breast cancer awareness in general.
Only five of the 12 Scouts in the Troop were able to attend along with their three leaders.

My daughter and I took part in the ice cream fun. At least we had fresh strawberries and blueberries to make the sundaes slightly nutritious. 

 

There were chocolate chip cookies and brownies as well. Yum.

I commend the Girl Scouts and their leaders on their caring and compassion. 
At right is one of the hundreds of ornaments they made last year to honor breast cancer survivors.

Those who were able to join us for ice cream were: Rebecca Cafaro, 12, Allie Ricci, 13, Jessica Palmer, 12, Kaitlyn Sarandrea, 13, and Shelley Hopkins, 13. All five are going into eighth grade.

Leaders Carole Cafaro, Heather Ricci and Carol Palmer were there as well. Cafaro said many of the girls have been together in the same Troop since they were in kindergarten, which is quite a feat. 

I'd like to thank you all again, and thanks to the other members of Troop 60500. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Sundae on Wednesday at the Ansonia Riverwalk

Ice Cream 101: The series continues 
 

If you're low on cash, you can always get an inexpensive frozen treat on a hot day at your local McDonald's.

That's what I did yesterday. Daughter Allegra and I were in the mood for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up and we opted for ice cream instead of iced tea or coffee.
We got hot fudge sundaes and went over to the new pavilion at the Ansonia Riverwalk to enjoy them. We put them down on a bench to take the photo.

I checked the McDonald's website to find out how many calories we consumed. The sundaes are small but they pack 330 calories. Many more than I thought.

But we did consume eight grams of protein, and 25 percent of our daily value of calcium so that made me feel better.

I'll be back soon with another ice cream report. Stay tuned.

Finding frozen delight in Shelton

Ice cream 101: An occasional series just for fun

SHELTON - Friday afternoon was so hot my son and I opted for some Italian ice instead of ice cream.
Yes, I finally made it to Addeo’s Italian Ice at 97 Center St. in Shelton.

In keeping with the theme I can sum up our visit it one word: delicioso.

A perfect treat to beat the heat

I chose the almond flavor (the white on the right)  and it was wonderful, but not before I took a sample of the cheesecake-flavored ice. It was equally tasty.


Cameron enjoyed a combo cup of blackberry and watermelon. Refreshing was how he described them both. 


We sat outside at one of two tables in front of the shop and enjoyed. There is also indoor seating in air-conditioned comfort.


My colleague Jean Falbo-Sosnovich and I mentioned Addeo's in our recent story about summer fun in the Valley. A Shelton resident she interviewed raved about Addeo's, and I knew that I just had to go there.


For information visit Addeo's Facebook page.  


I urge you to take a trip to downtown Shelton and get an ice. You won’t be disappointed.