JULY 2019 // CHARLOTTE 45
PETER TA
YL
OR
Ice Cream Sandwiches
NINETY’S ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
With its name, Ninety’s Ice Cream promises familiar snacks for ’90s kids—namely
sugary cereal like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Reese’s Pus—but there’s plenty for ice
cream fans of all generations.
Try one of its sandwiches made of macarons, brownies, or what they call “yum-ee
buns”—hot, glazed doughnuts with a scoop of ice cream in the middle. The University
City shop recently launched a food truck, too. Follow its social media pages to
nd
the truck’s location for the day. 9009 J. M. Keynes Dr., Ste. 4; 704-547-1856; ninetys-
sandwiches-ice-cream.business.siteUnique Flavors
GOLDEN COW CREAMERY
At Golden Cow’s South End location, a blackboard message asks guests to suggest
new ice cream avors. Ideas are scribbled in chalk: passion fruit, key lime pie, s’mores,
blueberry cheesecake. Then the suggestions start getting weird: A1 steak sauce,
shrimp taco, beer.
Owners and husband-and-wife team Alex and Liz Hannah aren’t intimidated by
unusual avors. The small-batch ice cream shop opened in 2016 and quickly earned
a reputation for its creativity. Six classic avors are always available at both locations
(Golden Cow also opened in SouthPark in 2018), plus at least three new avors based
on guests’ suggestions.
In April, for North Carolina Cra Beer month, Golden Cow collaborated with local
breweries to create a series of beer ice cream: Sycamore Brewing’s Rainbow Dust
IPA inspired a tropical ice cream with a hint of jalapeño. NoDa Brewing’s Coco Loco, a
chocolate coconut ice cream topped with toasted coconut. The beer avor suggestion
may have landed, but I’m still not too sure about shrimp taco ice cream. Various
locations, goldencowcreamery.comIce Cream Panini
THE LOCAL SCOOP
“It’s a little gooey,” Ralph Parkman says as he hands me a panini
with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream in the middle, “but it’s
awesome.”
With his wife, Janel, Parkman owns The Local Scoop, an ice
cream shop in Promenade on Providence in Ballantyne. The
parlor has garnered attention for its use of North Carolina-
sourced ingredients (cream from Jackson Dairy in Dunn, for
example) and for its name-of-the-day giveaways. Every day,
the shop gives a free scoop to customers with certain names—
for example, customers named Ava and Andrew on Monday,
customers named Billy and Brianna on Tuesday, and so on.
The shop is also known for its ice cream panini. Parkman
slices a Hawaiian roll in half,
lls it with ice cream, and toasts
the sandwich on a panini press. Then he adds whipped
cream, chocolate or caramel sauce, and a topping of your
choice. “Gooey” is an understatement ... but it’s awesome.
5355 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Ste. 100; 704-443-7812;
thelocalscoopcharlotte.comMexican Ice Cream
COCOS LOCOS
Walls painted in bright pink, purple, and lime green give this strip
mall heladería a tropical vibe—and the ice cream oerings don’t
hurt. Located on the edge of the Hidden Valley neighborhood,
Cocos Locos has a menu of traditional Mexican desserts,
including piña loca, a pineapple stued with your choice of
toppings (fresh fruit, coconut, chili powder, lime juice, and a
sweet-and-spicy chili sauce called chamoy); bionico, a fruit
cocktail with sweet cream; and paleta, a popsicle.
Be sure to try Cocos Locos’ unique ice cream avors, too,
like tequila, nuez (vanilla ice cream with pecans), and limón
(lemon). The shop’s menu is in Spanish, but pictures of the
dessert items on the wall will help guide you in the right
direction. 4801 N. Tryon St., 980-318-0310Rolled Ice Cream
NOM NOM HIBACHI ICE CREAM
Every order at the Nom Nom kiosk in SouthPark Mall starts
the same way. An employee pours cream over the frost top—
basically a skillet, but the surface freezes the cream instead of
cooking it. While the cream is still runny, it’s topped with sauce
and toppings like Oreos and hazelnuts.
To mix the ingredients and create the smooth consistency
of ice cream, an employee grabs two spatula scrapers and
whacks them on the cream, just like at a hibachi grill. The
scrapers clang together and draw a crowd for the big reveal.
Very slowly, an employee pushes the attened ice cream up
into rolls about the width of a ping pong ball. The result is
u¦er than your traditional scoop of ice cream. 4400 Sharon
Rd., 704-981-1197, nomnomclt.business.siteDESSERTA SCOOP OF THE
UNEXPECTED
Ditch your traditional cup or cone for these
five unusual ice cream varieties
BY EMMA WAY