Ted and Wally's, Omaha, NE

One thing that I think Big Muddy's does better than other ice cream bloggers is bring you info about scoop shops in interesting corner's of the country. We love hidden gems. Yeah, yeah other ice cream bloggers can go on for days about the myriad of scoop shops in NYC and LA, but who knew Utah had such a hip ice cream scene until Madeline visited? Probably no one outside of Utah, that's who. And who knew that some of the most innovative ice cream flavors are being thought up in Omaha, NE? Probably no one outside of Omaha.

When Madeline and I recently visited Omaha to watch our cousin compete in the US Triathlon Age Group Championships we stopped by Ted and Wally's to grab some tasty frozen treats. The line was out the door and around the corner, so we were hopeful that we were about to have some tasty ice cream. When we saw the flavor list, it wasn't the longest we'd ever seen, but I would go so far as to say it was THE most unique flavor list I've ever seen at an ice cream shop. And our Dad told us the flavor list was even quite different from earlier that evening when he went with our cousin and his parents. (Madeline and I didn't arrive in Omaha until past the star athlete's bed time.)

After much discussion with Madeline, I decided on the Cantaloupe flavor and Inca Cola. Cantaloupe didn't have, and honestly didn't need a description. Inca Cola was described as Lemon Verbena Vanilla Cream Soda.

Cantaloupe on top, Inca Kola on bottom!

I'll start with the Inca Kola. Inca Kola is a Peruvian soda (that my friend Katy raves about after traveling to Peru twice). It is made with lemon verbena leaves (which are also used to make a lemony tea). I have never had Inca Kola before, but it supposedly tastes similar to cream soda, hence the description of this ice cream flavor. Although, I have had lemon verbena ice cream before. So while I can't speak to the authenticity of this flavor, I loved it. It had an interestingly fruity flavor, from the lemon verbena, while also tasting like cream soda. In addition, this cream soda flavor was distinctly vanilla cream soda. It appears that Ted & Wally's used vanilla bean, because I saw bean flecks throughout my scoop. Because lemon verbena produces a mild, fruity lemon flavor, this worked nicely with the vanilla and dairy flavors. Overall, I'm giving this flavor 🍦🍦🍦/4 cones!

The Cantaloupe again. It looks very different in a different lighting. 

Next is the cantaloupe. Cantaloupe is not the first fruit on my list to be turned into an ice cream flavor. Frankly, it might not even make the top ten. Cantaloupe just does not seem like it would go well with dairy, but I was ready to be proven wrong. And boy I was. First, this flavor did taste quite like cantaloupe, and it was a strong flavor, too. However, it was almost a bit more tart than an actual cantaloupe. I've never had cantaloupe gummy candy, but I would imagine this ice cream is what cantaloupe gummy candy would taste like. This extra tartness, and maybe even extra sweetness, is what made this cantaloupe ice cream successful. Just like a super tart raspberry ice cream is superb, this cantaloupe flavor was out of this world. I should never doubt a fruit ice cream again. I'm giving this flavor 🍦🍦🍦.5/4 cones. (The extra half of a cone comes from just proving me wrong!)

I, Madeline, do origami, so I was pumped when I saw the interior decorated
with paper cranes as part of the Omaha Peace Project!

Lizzy went with a couple fruity flavors and I decided on a chocolate flavor and a ~weird~ flavor: Triathlete Carbo Load and Ginger Blue Cheese. I think I'll start with Ginger Peach Blue Cheese.  The name is pretty self-explanatory, so there's no additional description provided and none necessary!  Lizzy and I once attempted to make ginger-peach ice cream, but failed somewhere along the way (our hand-crank ice cream maker wasn't working) so we made ginger peach ice cream popsicles instead. This is to say, I know I like the ginger peach combo, but I'm not a huge fan of blue cheese, so I wasn't sure I would like this flavor.

Old school ice cream making

The ginger flavor was quite strong, but wasn't spicy.  I typically like a spicy ginger, but I think that would have overwhelmed the peach flavor, so non-spicy was definitely the right choice.  The peach flavor was more subtle and delicate.  It was almost more of a floral flavor than a fruity, juicy flavor.  Again, a different and unique choice, but I think the right one.

Now for the big question I'm sure everyone is salivating to know the answer to: how was the blue cheese? Well, it was ok.  I think someone who loved blue cheese would be absolutely over the moon about this ice cream, but as someone who basically dislikes blue cheese I thought the flavor was still pretty good.  The ginger and peach are definitely at the front of the flavor profile, and the blue cheese gives a rush of intense saltiness at the end.  Also, I think the addition of blue cheese gave this flavor some creaminess that a plain ginger peach would lack.

I'll give Ginger Peach Blue Cheese 🍦🍦🍦/4 stars, but I think it would be a 4-coner for die-hard blue cheese fans.

So, I only got one picture of my ice cream.  Fail.

Since we were in Omaha to watch our cousin compete in a triathlon, I obviously had to get the flavor specially created for the event.  Triathlete Carbo Load is

Mocha & Peanut Butter & Chips Ahoy Cookie & Maple Syrup Eggo Waffles.

Whoa. That's a lot of stuff. Will it all go together? If you asked me before I tried this ice cream I would say absolutely not, but my past self is so, so wrong.  The base was an even combination of mocha and peanut butter.  Imagine a milk chocolate peanut butter combo with just a hint of coffee to darken things up.  The base was absolute perfection.

Interestingly, this wasn't a mix-in heavy flavor.  I think the Chips Ahoy cookies and Eggo waffles dissolved into the base either completely or so much that they were not at all crunchy.  This was a tad bit disappointing, but I still got the best parts of mix-ins.  Huh? Well, the chocolate chips from the Chips Ahoy cookies didn't dissolve.  If you've had the cookies you know these are small, crunchy chips which were the perfect injection of a bit of extra chocolate. The maple syrup gave the flavor a light sweetness you don't usually find in a decadent chocolate or peanut butter flavor.

I'm giving this a rare 🍦🍦🍦🍦/4 cones despite the dissolved cookies and waffles. It might have been a 4-cone scale breaker had these mix-ins not dissolved.