Ice Dreams

A while ago, on another board, Chicago Mike extolled the virtues of the gelato at Ice Dreams, a shop on Clark St, 1 block north of Diversey. I was skeptical at the time, as Chicago Mike's disdain for the Penguin had raised my hackles. Hackle-raising aside, I went to Ice Dreams last night after a passable burger at the Duke of Perth and was blown away. I tasted about half of the flavors on offer, all were good. I ended up with a little $3 cup of a scoop tiramisu gelato atop a scoop of bacio (a chocolate hazelnut flavor). Excellent ice cream, light, airy, with strong assertive flavors. The bacio had 3 or 4 whole hazelnuts floating around, the tiramisu was a little too sweet, but man oh man. It was better than the Penguin. The fruit flavors I tasted were also excellent, the mango tasted just like mangoes, the banana like a perfectly ripe banana.

The price is a little higher than I'd like to pay, but we noted that you get a lot more ice cream in a waffle cone than in the $2.95 cup, for the same price, so choose the cone. 6.95 for a hand packed pint. I'll be going back on a regular basis.

The only point of contention that I have with Ice Dreams is that sometimes its Gelato and ice cream is icy rather than smooth and creamy.

Their mocha de leche gelato is simply fabulous.

If you think light and airy is good, and you don't mind expensive, you'll love Australian Homemade. The flavors are very true and quite good. I just don't like the airy sort of ice cream or the absurd prices.

I am convinced, more each time I try it, that Scooters is making the best "ice cream" in Chicago these days. Not a lot of options, but the chocolate tastes like chocolate and the vanilla like vanilla.

PS, I don't think I ever mentioned that I had my kid's 4th B-day party at Scooters soon after it opened. The place was having some growing pains, but it was an impossibly successful event, and so cheap I felt bad for the owners. (Kids got hot dogs, pop, chips, trinkets, crayons, and custard (make your own sundae) for less than 10 bucks per kid.) This has to have changed, price-wise.

I like Scooter's too; I'm not sure I'd call it the best in Chicago, but it's very good. K and I returned to Ice Dreams last night for another couple scoops, and were impressed again. I had mocha chip, coffee gelato with white and dark chocolate chips, and dulce de leche, which come sprinkled with little toffee-esque crunchies on top. Very nice, although the dulce de leche lacked the burnt toffee edge that I like so much at the penguin.

Has anyone tried their regular "american" ice cream?

Seth, I have had ther "regular" ice cream at ice dreams. I like to be creative with the mix ins. I believe that what they serve is an 8% butterfat ice cream which is not terribly rich in this present world of 16% butterfat ice creams.

Its good. Its better quality than what you would find say in a prepcakaged Hershey's store or Baskin Robbins.

I think that Ice Dreams' mix ins are really lacking. For instance, the store sells brownies, but doesn't offer them as a mix in. I love chocolate/cherry and chocolate raspberry combinations. Ice Dreams doesn't offer raspberries and the cherries are the maraschino variety that you would find at a bar for the occasional Shirley temple that is mixed.

That said, i'll buy Ice Dreams Dulce de Leche Gelato by the pint and put it in my freezer. 12% butter fat-great flavor

Personally, I have found that if its ice cream with a mix in that I'm seeking, nearby Coldstone does a much better job. Its ice cream is probably of a slightly lesser quality than Ice Dreams. But the mix ins are far superior making for an overall more enjoyable product.

In Ice Dreams defense, the staff doesn't sing some annoying song everytime they get a tip like the Coldstone Staff does.

Seth Zurer wrote:the mango tasted just like mangoes, the banana like a perfectly ripe banana.

and the snozzberries taste just like snozzberries.

Am I the only one thinking this?

and the snozzberries taste just like snozzberries

No, Veruca Salt, you are not!