The Big Muddy Ice Cream Blog

Kyle and I have gone to Royal Orchid Thai several times. It's just north of Northeast Minneapolis, so maybe a bit out of the way, but definitely worth the trip. On our first trip, I somehow missed the inclusion of HOMEMADE ICE CREAM on the dessert menu. That's right, homemade ice cream. On our second trip, I got a scoop of mango and a scoop of coconut, the two flavors available that day. I'm going to say right off the bat that you KNOW homemade ice cream is going to be fantastic and rated 🍦🍦🍦🍦/4 no matter what. Now that that's out of the way, it's on to the review! Each scoop was on the small side of medium, and I think I paid about $4, which seems pretty fair for dessert at a restaurant. The mango ice cream was really interesting. It definitely had a pure, sweet mango flavor, but it was softer or less intense than other mango ice creams I've had, letting the fresh milk and cream of the base stand out. It might seem like a less strong flavor would make ...

Alright, Iowa, if you haven't made it over to Capanna Coffee and Gelato over in Coralville and North Liberty yet, you need to fix that ASAP. Colin and I went there a couple of days ago, since he lives over in Coralville not far from Capanna. I really don't go there enough since it is way over heck on the other side of town from me. When we got there the fruity flavors looked very appetizing, so I picked up mango. The other flavor I got was "Scotcheroo" because like what the heck is that? Apparently scotcheroos are kind of like rice krispies with peanut butter and butter scotch topped with chocolate. Cool. I feel like I've probably had one before, but I didn't know they were named scotcheroos. What a goofy name. I feel ridiculous typing that word. I'll start with the mango. Ermagersh. This was some tasty gelato. The mango flavor was very strong. It tasted like perfectly ripe mangos. Interesting, there wasn't too much dairy flavor, like it almost...

Oh Americans. We come up with a "destination series" ice cream and Chicago gets put in the same category as South America? One is a city, the other is a continent. Oh well, mangos are tasty, so I'll set aside the anthropology less and just stick to what I do best, reviewing ice cream. This flavor is described as Our ode to the tropical flavors of South America combines sweet mango ice cream and slices of juicy mango for a simply perfect treat.  Okay, I flipping love mangos. If it were nutritionally sound, I would probably live on mangos and ice cream. But it's not so occasionally I eat a vegetable. And while I love mangos, I honestly was a little skeptical of this ice cream. I just wasn't sure mangos and cream would be a good mix. Oh boy was I wrong. The base of this flavor was honestly a bit mild when it comes to mangos. Mangos have an inherently strong flavor; super sweet and some good tangyness. I think what made the mango plus cream work  as well a...

I have a love-hate relationship with mangoes.  When they are good they are amazing; sweet, juicy, rich, and smooth.  Unfortunately, I've had many more bad mangoes than good mangoes in my life (maybe I am bad at choosing mangoes, or maybe I should just move to India), and when a mango is bad it is really bad.  It is a sickening, cloying, pulpy mush. Blerck. Mango ice creams and sorbets are similar. They're either really good or really bad, and Talenti's Alphonso Mango is solidly in the 'really good' camp.  Talenti says We make this exotic sorbetto simply with ripe Indian mangos, pure sugar and fresh lemon. It's free of milk, though your mouth might have trouble believing it at first. Just keep eating it until your mouth admits it was wrong and apologizes. I have to give credit where credit is due to the amazing Talenti flavor description writer. Simply sublime. If you're making an ice cream/gelato/sorbet end-of-the-world bunker, let Talenti Alphon...

Runner's World recently ranked  Minneapolis as the 7th best running city in the nation, and I would venture to guess that it would rank pretty highly on a list of best ice cream cities as well.  What's better than combining these two things and some great friends on a beautiful late-summer day? Nothing, that's what! Beautiful day, wonderful humans! Lizzy and I organized an ice cream run  in late May where we ran about 5 miles and visited 4 ice cream shops in Uptown and south Minneapolis and it was a huge success! The general consesus was that we should do another one before the summer was over. (Sadly, Lizzy couldn't make it up from Iowa City for the weekend as her classes have already started - lame.)  This time we ran 4 miles and visited 3 ice cream shops -  Sonny's Ice Cream , Ben and Jerry's, and Tin Fish - on or near Lake Calhoun - one of the best running spots in one of the best running cities in the country! And we had, if I do say so myself, one...

I've officially tried all of the Haagen-Dazs Destination Series flavors!! Hooray! I love completing lists, it's just so satisfying.  My last (but not least!) flavor in this line is Mango, described as Our ode to the tropical flavors of South America combines sweet mango ice cream and slices of juicy mango for a simply perfect treat. Mangos are very sweet, often to the point that I think they are too sweet.  They also have a bit of a sharpness or acidity that really amplifies the sweetness.  I was expecting to be able to eat only a small amount of this ice cream before it got too sweet, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The base of this ice cream was to mangos what orange dreamsicles are to oranges.  It was light and sweet, but the sweetness wasn't overwhelming because the dairy element balanced it out.  Also, the mango flavor was prevalent but not in-your-face. The mango pieces were a bit smaller than a dime and I got one every other bite or so...

A few months ago when I reviewed Haagen-Dazs Orchard Peach sorbet, two events occurred. First, I was reminded that the frozen-sugar-water creation that is sorbet is wonderful. Second, a bunch of you readers told me I should try and review more Haagen-Dazs sorbet products. I reviewed, and loved the lemon, but hadn't, until now, obviously, been able to find the mango flavor my friend, Christy, recommended. This description of this flavor reads We blended juicy, tropical mangos into a smooth puree to create a refreshing treat with sweet fruit intensity . The first bite of this sorbet was fantastic. It tasted like the kind of mango you eat while standing over the sink because no amount of napkins could or should control the juice dribbling all over your face and hands. So perfect. Mangos, when perfectly ripe like, this are the most carefree fruit. You can't eat a juice dribbling mango in your lunch at work or school. You can't eat a juice dribbling mango in a rush to ge...

Oh what can I say about Cherokee street, a street where hipster culture and hispanic culture mash lovingly into one another with taquerias next to discount furniture stores next to an employee-owned anarchist bakery.  That's just St. Louis for you.  The street's vibe is more down and dirty than the curated hipster experience shown whenever NBC Nightly News showcases the latest artisanal mayonnaise craze exploding out of Brooklyn. I Scream Cakes is definitely on the hipster end of this spectrum.  They make custom cakes as well as functioning as an ice cream scoop shop.  The first thing I noticed when I entered the shop was that these ice cream makers were not kidding around with their flavors.  I think mint-chocolate chip and vanilla bean were the only 'ordinary' flavors on offer that day.  You can see why I put ordinary in quotation marks by reading Lizzy's review of mint chocolate chip ice cream  here. When Lizzy and I walked in the woman worki...