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Upon checking this week’s forecast, I was delighted to see that the next five days consist of high temperatures no lower than 71 degrees. This, my Metro Detroit friends, is a beautiful thing. How should one celebrate the gorgeous weather and these near summer-like temperatures? With an ice cream cone, of course.
Not just any ‘ol chain ice cream cone, either—a concoction from a local dairy or ice cream shop. I happen to be an expert in this particular area, so I guarantee you’ll be pleased with a frozen confection from any one of the following locations:
Dairy-Go-Round, 1226 S. Main St., Plymouth, has been a favorite of mine since childhood. I mean, how can you not be fond of an establishment that includes bright and colorful carousel horses?
Whether you’re looking for a simple twist, a sundae or a mud, the Dairy-Go-Round has it all. Each time you drive by, you’ll receive a taste of Dr. Seuss-like poetry, courtesy of the sign that displays an always-changing rhyme, like “Sun is blazing, creamsicle is amazing.” There’s nothing like relaxing at one of the Dairy-Go-Round’s lounge chairs on a hot summer night while enjoying a Brownie Sundae or Oreo Mud. Yum!
Guernsey Farms Dairy, 21300 Novi Rd., Northville, has a retail store where you can enjoy a cone or malt, and as you’re probably already aware, half gallons can be found in the frozen section of your local grocery store.
Premium ice cream flavors include Birthday Cake, Butterscotch Fudge, Chocolate Marshmallow, Grandpa’s Blueberry Way, Mackinac Peanut Butter Fudge, Orange Sherbet and Strawberry Cheesecake. In all honesty, you can’t go wrong no matter what flavor you select.
Treat Dreams, 22965 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, makes hands down the most unique and unusual ice cream flavors around. Did I mention delicious, as well?
Sunday Breakfast is a delightful combination of ice cream, bacon and waffles. Yes, you read that correctly. And yes, it’s as awesome as it sounds. Choco-Mania (chocolate cake batter ice cream with malt, brownie pieces, cookie dough and Twix), Hot Jalapeno, Mango Diablo (vanilla ice cream with mangoes flambéed in tequila swirl) and Salted Caramel are just a few of the choices you might see on the week’s flavor board. A selection of vegan ice creams and sorbet are also available.
Calder Dairy, 1020 Southfield Rd., Lincoln Park, has been voted as producing downriver’s best ice cream, and has been churning frozen treats for nearly 70 years. The farm-made ice cream is produced right on the farm with milk from its dairy cows.
The dairy produces nearly three-dozen different ice cream flavors, including Black Cherry, Caramel Cappuccino, Chocolate Peanut Butter, French Vanilla, Horchata, Orange Pineapple and White House Cherry.
Ray’s Ice Cream, 4233 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak, is a 1950s-era ice cream shop with over 50 different flavors to choose from. Flavors include Black Raspberry Chip, Cinnamon, Detroit Brew House Coffee, Rum Raisin, White Russian, Dutch Chocolate Almond and Mint Cookies & Cream.
If you’ve got a birthday coming up, Ray’s now partners with Holiday Market to create ice cream cakes perfect for every occasion. Ray’s also makes ice cream cordial molds filled with a liqueur center.
Just Topped, 719 Griswold St., Detroit, is a spinoff of Just Baked, a Metro Detroit cupcake shop and bakery. The folks at Just Baked teamed up with Ray’s Ice Cream to develop exclusive ice cream flavors like Red Velvet, Birthday Cake, White Chocolate Raspberry and more. From that, Just Topped was born.
The only stand-alone Just Topped location is the one listed above, but both the Canton and Novi locations sell ice cream concoctions. Try the Red Velvet (vanilla cupcake crumble topped with red velvet ice cream, hot fudge and mini chocolate candies), Funfetti (vanilla cupcake crumble topped with birthday cake ice cream, hot fudge and sprinkles) or Salted Caramel (chocolate cupcake crumble topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate covered pretzels, caramel, dark chocolate fudge and salt). Ice cream AND cupcakes? I’m sold.
Jim’s Frostie Treats, 1528 E. 11 Mile Rd., Royal Oak, is a local favorite in the ice cream department. For starters, there are 42 different sundaes on the menu—Banana Royal, Peach, Cherry Chip, Tin Roof, Crunchy Peanut Butter and Merry Berry, to name a few.
That’s nothing compared to the shakes menu, which includes 54 different options, including Crunchy Chocolate Banana, Almond Joy, Peanut Butter Crazy and Rocky Road. You can obviously get a few scoops of plain ice cream, but with all of these options at Jim’s, why would you want to? There are flurries, too!
Before you head to Jim’s, check the Facebook page for deals. On Mondays, you’ll get a certain dollar amount off your order if you mention the Facebook ad, and on Temperature Thursdays, you’ll get a discount depending on the weather.
The temperatures are warm in Metro Detroit, so don’t let your ice cream melt too quickly!
