**Sorry this took so long to get out. I know we are way past the Scooper Bowl, although I’m sure this ice cream advice still applies to sweltering August in Boston.
Ahh my beloved Scooper Bowl.
Time and time again I attend this mad house of ice cream splendor, and each time I leave sick to my stomach.
But who cares!? It’s ice cream!
If you are going to make yourself physically ill from over-eating, what better culprit than cold, creamy deliciousness?
This year at the Boston Scooper Bowl 2012, I tried to be a bit more selective with my ice cream choices and completely turn a blind eye to anything in the Neapolitan range.
Most creameries used this event as a chance to showcase their best and most outrageous flavors.
- Breyer’s was the exception, offering boring flavors like Vanilla and Coffee. Really, that’s your A-Game Breyer’s? That’s what you bring the Scooper Bowl? Lame.
- Edy’s selection was decent enough, with Chocolate Chip, Espresso Chip (I’ll admit, this was quite good), Dulche de Leche, and Sherbert.
- Baskin-Robbins had some interesting selections like Lunar Cheesecake and Icing on the Cake, but they weren’t exceptional.
- Ben & Jerry’s was great as usual, with Chocolate Therapy and my personal favorite B&J flavor, Americone Dream.
- Brigham’s had a nice variety with Peppermint Stick, Blueberry and Sweet Cream Frozen Yogurt, Creek Caramel, and the Big Dig, vanilla ice cream with some fudgy cookies bits.
Ugh. Cotton Candy flavor.
- Bryne Dairy had Mint Chocolate Chip, Cookie Dough, Holy Cow, and Cotton Candy, which I consider a vile attack on the dignity of ice cream. The cookie dough certainly delivered on the dough chunks, and the Holy Cow was a scoop of peanut butter wonder.
- Next was Friendly’s with my long-time love Hunka Chunka PB Fudge. Friendly’s really wowed us though this year with their new Graham Central Station. Graham Central was graham ice cream packed with graham cracker. It tasted great, the texture of the graham cracker was perfect coupled with the smooth ice cream.
- Ciao Bella Gelato had a number of fantastic scoops, with the bittersweet Passion Fuit Sorbet, Mango Sorbet, and the Malted Milk Ball Gelato, which captured the great malty taste leaving out the chalky, filmy aftertaste present in other Malted candies and products.
- SoCo Creamery goes home as champion though for their delicious Lemon Poppy Seed, which gets my vote as #1 scoop. SoCo Creamery also had other unique flavors like Cake Batter, Salted Caramel, and Mission Fig.
Top 5 Champion Flavors of the Scooper Bowl:
1. Lemon Poppy Seed from SoCo Creamery: Soft and creamy lemon poppy ice cream. Tastes just like the muffin!
2. Malt Ball from Ciao Bella: Real malt, cream, and malted milk ball pieces
3. Graham Central Station from Friendly’s: Graham flavored ice cream with chocolate candy pieces & a sweet graham cracker swirl.
4. Passion Fruit Sorbet from Ciao Bella: Tangy and sweet tropical passio fruit
5. Holy Cow from Byrne Fairy (vanilla ice cream with peanut butter swirl and peanut butter cups)
A delicious day as always! Can’t wait till next year.
Did you attend the Scooper Bowl? What was your favorite flavor?
The scooper bowl is so awesome. I totally agree on your winner, I loooved the lemon poppy seed flavor as well
Isn’t it the best? My only suggestion is that they should have vendors bring in new toppings/syrups they are testing so we can have toppings too!
My friends and I were saying the same thing, there should be a giant topping buffet right down the center of city hall plaza
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