You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

Having kids gives you an excuse to do all sorts of things you secretly love: watch Scooby Doo, re-read Harry Potter (aloud), go see Brave (twice), and swing yourself hard enough at the park for your rear to lift of the seat just for a second when the chain goes slack. That goes double for food. For every healthy thing your kids eat - greek yogurt, carrot sticks, mango, salad - there is a nostalgia-triggering food that you can't say no to. Ice cream is at the top of that list. With the temperatures easily topping 100 throughout this summer, half the time it is my idea to stop for a scoop on the way home from dinner or the pool. So, where is the best place to get ice cream in Louisville?

image via www.thecomfycow.com

1. Comfy Cow - Comfy Cow is a local chain with 3 stores in Louisville (Westport Village, Frankfort Avenue, & U of L Campus). All the ice cream is made at the Frankfort Avenue location, and Comfy Cow is known for its quality ingredients, unique flavors, and cool shop space. My favorite flavor is the dulce de leche de salte (salty caramel), but there is always a long rotating flavor list worth checking out (right now, I would recommend the peppermint stick or lemon cream with blueberry). The made-from-scratch ice cream pies are divine (Reese's peanut butter is our tops at our house). Looking for something a little more healthy? A chocolate dipped frozen banana is for you.

2. Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen - This dessert shop is a Louisville institution, with seven locations spread throughout the city. Pie Kitchen buys all its dairy products from a local farm (Dean) and uses a 40% butterfat pure cream ice cream recipe (that means it's good, y'all). I'm typically a cupcake eater at Pie Kitchen, but given the heat outside, that hasn't really been an option. Chocolate is tops at Pie Kitchen. The peace, love & chocolate, made with FOUR different chocolate flavors, is a decadent treat, but it is only available for a limited time, so grab it now! I also love the chocolate almond fudge. Robert declares that Pie Kitchen has "the BEST chocolate milk shake around". Kate's a fan of the smurf ice cream (who doesn't love blue food?).

image via www.pollysfreeze.com

3. Polly's Freeze - Polly's is actually across the river, in Georgetown, Indiana, but it is the perfect place to eat before going to the Georgetown Drive-in, the only drive-in movie theater close to Louisville. Polly's Freeze, a walk up shop with picnic tables and a beautiful green space for a backyard, is celebrating its 60th anniversary season this summer. Half the menu is frozen treats, and Polly's is known for its soft serve orange sherbet. Try it swirled with soft serve vanilla. Polly's rotates a second, more exotic sherbet flavor (think wild cherry, watermelon, and green apple) and also rotates special ice cream flavors made with real fruit (black raspberry is in season right now, and Polly's will add pumpkin in the fall).

image via www.onsecondscoop.com

4. Graeter's - Cincinnati-based Graeter's has a huge following here in Louisville, and the St. Matthews location on Breckenridge Lane is always crowded in the summer. Graeter's makes its ice cream with the French Pot method, which involves small batches (2 gallons at a time) and folding the ice cream into itself so little air gets whipped into the product. As a result, Graeter's ice cream is very dense. The black raspberry chip (a/k/a chunk; see the picture to the left) is epic. My kids love that you can get ice cream with hair (sprinkles) and (sugar) eyes. For lighter fare, try the excellent tangerine sorbet.

5. Orange Leaf - I would be remiss not to mention this national frozen yogurt chain. Serve yourself frozen yogurt shops are popping up all over town this summer, but Orange Leaf - located on Bardstown Road, next door to Krispy Kreme and Assumption High School - tastes the best and has the biggest variety of flavors. We like peanut butter, cheesecake, and cake batter. Even if you have the self-restraint to only choose fresh fruit toppings, I am not convinced that it is much healthier than regular ice cream, but it is a trend that doesn't seem to be going anywhere and kids love the do-it-yourself concept.

Where do y'all get your scoops? Pin It Now!