NEXT WEEK: JUNETEENTH: A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM AROUND THE METRO EAST
lifestyles
contact the editor: lifestyles@alestlelive.com 650-3527 Wednesday, 06.14.23
alestlelive.com
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With summer in full swing and temperatures rising, The Alestle staff took it upon themselves to find the best ice cream or frozen custard to beat the heat. Following a few simple guidelines of taste, appearance and price, we rated eight local spots. Here’s to enjoying a sweet treat this summer.
Clementine’s vegan options are solid, though pricey EMILY STERZINGER former editor-in-chief
I Emily Sterzinger / The Alestle
Clementine’s Creamery, known for their alcoholic ice cream, has worthwhile dairy-free and non-alcoholic options as well. Originally I was going to go to Clementine’s with a friend, and was tempted to try the alcoholic ice cream. However, I ended up going alone, and since I wasn’t sure how much alcohol the alcoholic ice cream had, I opted for non-alcoholic ice cream. I also went dairy-free, since I’m lactose intolerant.
I settled on the vegan tahini chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone, which was not a bad choice. It tasted good to an extent, but the best way I could sum up the flavor would be slightly over-salted cookie dough. I enjoyed the chocolate chips scattered throughout the ice cream, they had a nice rich flavor to them. The cone itself was a sweet, classic waffle cone. However, at a price of $7.10 for a single scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone, I’m not sure if I got enough bang for my buck.
CLEMENTINE’s TAST E APPEARANCE PRICE
TOTAL 10/15
Northside Dairy Haven serves up low-cost sweetness NORTHSIDE ELIZABETH DONALD former copy editor
I Elizabeth Donald / The Alestle
In a region where frozen custard is king, there are still a few places to get good old-fashioned ice cream in bizarre combinations, and Northside Dairy Haven has a long tradition of serving it up. At the north end of Edwardsville’s Main Street – thus the name – you can find the roadside food stand that goes back to 1961 with a snarky comment on the message board and a lot of cars lined up for the small drivethrough. While the diner-type charco-burgers and pulled pork get a lot of attention, the ice cream is what makes it special. Northside Dairy Haven makes its ice cream fresh every day, including the orange sherbet that made them famous. Concretes, shakes, sundaes and twisted cones are just part of the offerings, and they have a wide variety of combinations for the weirdest tastes. While I’m always partial to the turtle sundae with extra hot fudge and pecans, for
the purposes of Metro-East Eats I opted for their newest experiment: the Cherry Bomb, a twisted ice cream cone dipped in chocolate shell and then in cherry shell. A word to the wise: order small. My husband’s large cone is close to the size of his head. I ordered the small and it still took me a while to scarf it down. The chocolate-cherry dip mix worked well, but the chocolate kind of overpowers the cherry, more than you might expect. For a cherry aficionado, you might order it alone, or perhaps get the more bland vanilla ice cream instead of my preferred chocolate. The prices make them very college-student friendly: my small cone was a grand $1.95 plus 60 cents for the dip. The large is $2.95 and the concretes are $4.45, so you won’t need to break the bank here. Food is made to order, so don’t mistake it for fast food; it was a good 25 minutes from order to eating when we were there on a Friday. It was absolutely worth it.
TAST E
APPEARANCE
PRICE
TOTAL
14.5/15
Annie’s is perfectly close to campus, with a discount too CHLOE WOLFE opinion editor
I Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle
Annie’s frozen custard is perfect to sit inside or just get drive-through ice cream. The fact that they also offer a discount to SIUE students is another perk. Annie’s is one of the first food experiences I had in Edwardsville and every single time I’ve gone has been great. This time I ordered one of their featured sundaes: the brownie supreme, which has fudge, crushed nuts and obviously brown-
ie bits. After the discount, I only paid $6.78, which is a pretty decent price for how much I got. My favorite part about Annie’s is how quick they are no matter how busy the shop is. Before I could even finish paying, my ice cream was ready. The first bite made me skeptical because it was basically just a bite of peanuts, but once I mixed it myself, it tasted better. Overall, the sundae was great as was the experience. I definitely recommend this to other students in search of a sweet treat.
ANNIE’s TAST E
APPEARANCE PRICE
TOTAL
11/15