In 1984 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream month. Known for having a sweet tooth (a jar of jellybeans was ever present in the oval office), with the stroke of a pen, our 40th president put the cherry on top of a great American pastime …eating ice cream. We Americans love it. According to the International Dairy Food Association we consume an average of 23 pounds of ice cream every year. While the Chinese are credited with introducing flavored ice as far back as 3000 BC, ice cream as we know it today originated in Italy in the 17th century. Bravissimo Italia!
The most popular flavors of ice cream in descending order are: Chocolate followed closely by vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, butter pecan, chocolate chip cookie dough and cookies n crème… yum! These tasty classics plus a bonanza of other scrumptious flavors await you in the village of Osterville. Ice cream afficionados rejoice! Whatever your pleasure, you’ll easily satisfy your craving for this sweet, luscious, creamy, heavenly concoction at any one of these three distinctive, delectable and delightful establishments. Hope you’re hungry!
Begin your ice cream crawl at the Salty Cow on lower Main Street. Here you’ll find scrumptious soft serve also known as soft ice. It’s a frozen dairy dessert similar to ice cream but softer and equally delicious. Owner Andrea Meagher opened Salty Cow in 2019 to rave reviews. Try traditional
flavors like vanilla and chocolate or perhaps you’re hungry and
a peanut butter, caramel or marshmallow sundae would hit the
spot. Toppings run the gamut from traditional sprinkles to
not so traditional gummy bears. Looking for something
a bit unusual, a Frozen Cowpuccino or a Brainfreeze
might satisfy your craving. Servings are generous so
bring your appetite!
On the same side of Main Street, tucked down a walkway next to the local hardware store, awaits the tantalizing Gone Chocolate, an Osterville fixture for 30 years. Open year round, Gone Chocolate offers more than 30 flavors of sweet, creamy ice cream, all served in homemade waffle, cake or sugar cones. In addition, they offer frozen yogurt, ice cream cakes, acai bowls or shakes (a delicious berry in the superfood family) and yummy, doughnut like churros in plain, dulce de leche or with Nutella. Step into Gone Chocolate and you’re a kid again with too many choices to decide. Candy, lollipops and of course ice cream surround your senses and the smell of chocolate permeates the air. You’ll want to try them all!
A short drive or a leisurely walk out of town, stop by Amie Bakery. Here you’ll discover artisan gelato in a rainbow of flavors. How is gelato different from ice cream? An Italian creation, gelato has more milk and less cream than ice cream and traditionally no egg yolks. No matter how you scoop it, it’s crazy delicious. Oh decisions, decisions.
There is sea salt caramel, mango, Amarena cherry, blood orange, raspberry and more! Flavors change periodically, but the number one choice is always vanilla according to owner Amie who mentions another warm day treat. “We also offer frozen hot chocolate. Or perhaps you’d like to take some cookie dough to go.” Of course, Amie also offers cakes, cookies, scones, a bevy of irresistible pastries, pies, even breakfast croissant sandwiches served all day and a lunch menu that might make you forget to save room for gelato. You might even want to have dessert first!
This year, July 21 is National Ice Cream Day. Don’t wait until then. Any day is a good day for that wonderful
confection we all scream for…ice cream.
article by Lisa Sheehy
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