Your ice cream life is about to change, Food Biker fans.
One of my dreams came true the other weekend, when I went into the local supermarket to grab a few dinner ingredients for “arroz con pollo.”
“Well,” I thought to myself…”It’s Saturday evening and I shouldn’t come home without some sort of dessert. Maybe some ice cream might be nice.”
I nearly fainted on the spot, when I got to the freezer case. I randomly spotted Graeter’s. What the heck is Graeter’s?
Graeter’s is unequivocally the best ice cream in the world. Period.
Back in medical school in Cincinnati, I learned about the joys of Graeter’s. It was a locally made, French “pot style” ice cream, that includes dark chocolate chunks (sometimes the size of your finger), in some of the cleanest tasting (particularly vanilla) ice cream you can find out there. Fine. I gained a few pounds during medical school. I’ll be quick to admit that Graeter’s is one of those reasons why.
Celebrities, such as Oprah and Madonna, have been known to have this ice cream shipped to them, and it’s been written up in Vanity Fair magazine a few times as the best ice cream out there (let alone other places). You don’t have to be a celebrity to have it shipped to you, as you can have it shipped to you directly from the Graeter’s website. (It’s a bit pricey, as it comes shipped on dry ice.) If you’re really lucky, you may even have a local supermarket that now carries it. I brought a few pints back from Western MA, and sure enough – some melted in transit. The good news is that it’s apparently now available locally in a few spots in Boston.
A good friend of mine from medical school and native Cincinnatian, Dr. Debbie Brant-Dietch, contacted me last week to let me know that her local Stop & Shop supermarket out in Long Island, NY, now carries it. Talk about synchronicity.
Apparently, Graeter’s has been slowly increasing their distributorship around the USA, while not sacrificing quality. Let’s just hope that they can keep their quality up while making it available to the masses. Here’s a bit more about it the story back in 2010, in the NY Times.
Cincinnatians have also been known to ship Cincinnati chili to far-flung destinations, in addition to Graeter’s ice cream. I’m not surprised, as I’m hooked on Cincinnati chili as well. But that’s another story.
Again, you really won’t go wrong if you try any of the chip flavors Graeter’s has to offer. At five bucks a pint, it’s squarely in the boutique ice cream market. But if you ask me, I will happily pay more for an ice cream with minimal overrun (the amount of air that is whipped into the ice cream) as opposed to large half gallons of ice cream that, when melted, look like a congealed foamy mess. I’d rather have less ice cream, made with pure sugar, as opposed to crap with high fructose corn syrup and tons of stabilizers. Again I’m shooting for something that isn’t made in the lab. And with Graeter’s, the care and the love shows.
What about hot fudge?. You really don’t need it. It’s gilding the lily. I had Graeter’s hot fudge sundaes Sunday’s before, out in Cincinnati, and they were just too rich.
Keep it simple. If you can get your hands on some Graeter’s, grab a pint of any of the chip flavors. Trust me. You’ll like it.
Disclaimer: If at Food Biker, I’m the guy responsible for getting you hooked on Graeter’s, I’m happy to share with you one of my favorite things on the planet — but please eat responsibly. It’s so incredible, that one can pack on the pounds quickly, and it’s a true test of willpower not to knock off a full pint in one sitting. Consider yourself forewarned, as this isn’t health food. Knowing that Graeter’s is available in the neighborhood is going to truly test my own willpower on a regular basis..
Again, Graeter’s is not paying me (or giving me ice cream) to write about this, as I rave about things that I’m genuinely crazy about. As I said, I think that your ice cream life is about to change and I’d be proud to bring such culinary happiness into your life.
Want to see if you can buy Graeter’s locally? Check it out here. (Also, I think the checkout person at the supermarket will give you a funny look if you tell them that “Food Biker sent you.”)
(Now if anyone wants to order me one of Cincinnati’s Busken Bakery’s double butter coffee cakes, I won’t refuse. Looks like I’ll be ordering mine online soon.)