Second Helpings: Ice Cream, Part II
Austin's often overlooked ice cream shops
Fri., Aug. 17, 2001
Koffee n' Ice Kream
6700 Middle Fiskville Road, #408, 453-9415Mon-Fri, 4-10pm; Sat-Sun noon-10pm
This little mom n' pop shop with the kitchsy spelling notified us on their rather unconventional letterhead that we'd somehow managed to overlook them in both years of listings. They aren't the victims of some vast corporate conspiracy; we honestly didn't know they existed. Now we know the shop is located behind Highland Mall, right next to Taj Palace. Drop in for koffee drinks, sandwiches, and a variety of ice kream flavors, made fresh by Maggie Nowlin.
Dr. Chocolate
4001 N. Lamar in Central Park, 454-0555Mon-Sat, 10am-9pm; Sun, noon-6pm
Ben White and South Lamar Blvd., 891-6800
Mon-Tue, 12-8pm; Wed-Sat, 11am-9pm; Sun, 1-6pm
The ice creams designed by the talented culinary alchemists at Dr. Chocolate were voted "Best Ice Cream" by Chronicle readers one year, and we still managed to leave them out of the ice cream parlor listings two years in a row. The delectable chocolate ice creams are all at the original North Lamar outlet in unforgettable flavors such as Infinity Double Chocolate, chocolate chip cookie dough, Orange Starburst Chocolate, Snowberry (white chocolate with chocolate-covered strawberries), and Bumpy Road (chocolate with marshmallows and chocolate-covered almonds).
Paradise Ice Cream
900 S. RR 620, 263-0363Daily, noon-10pm
Mark Alsup says he changed careers from engineering to ice cream making because he "wanted to be around happy people all day." What could make people happier than fresh, homemade ice creams in a wealth of inviting flavors? Try the Double Fudge Brownie, the Hill Country Peach, or the Butterfinger Chip on your next excursion to Lake Travis, and you'll be happy, too.
Smoothies Paradise
Barton Creek Mall, 306-0590Daily, 10am-9pm
This little mall outlet serves up frothy smoothies in your choice of variations, and they also scoop several flavors of Texas' favorite Blue Bell ice cream in cups to cool you off during shopping sprees.
Kevin's Cookies & Deli
816 Congress, 472-2388Mon-Fri, 7am-5pm
Kevin's is a bustling deli tucked into a downtown high-rise, serving up breakfast pastries, sandwiches, soups, and salads. They're also known for a signature line of gourmet cookies and scoops of Blue Bell ice cream's greatest hits such as cookies 'n' cream, pralines 'n' cream, chocolate mint, and triple chocolate.
Slicer's
3616 Far West Blvd., 345-9466Daily, 10am-3pm
Slicer's has been one of Northwest Hill's favorite sandwich shops for years. Part of their popularity has to be because they're scooping eight different flavors of Blue Bell ice cream every day. There's chocolate and vanilla for purists and Strawberry Cheesecake if you're feeling adventurous.
Jegimajo!
2400 E. Oltorf, 12-A, 443-2062Tue-Sat, 10am-8pm; Sun, noon-6pm
While this friendly little store is building a reputation for its bubble teas, gifts, and food items imported from the Philippines and Japan, it also boasts the most exotic selection of ice creams we've found in Austin. They don't sell it in cones or bowls, but you can buy pints or quarts of mango, coconut, jackfruit with cashew nuts, Corn and Cheese, Purple Yam, or avocado. Or they'll add a scoop to your refreshing bubble tea or "halo-halo" drinks.
