Convention Grill’s Caramel Chocolate Banana sundae is a decadent way to beat the summer heat. Photos: Chris Emeott
Embark upon a tour of Edina and Linden Hills’ frozen confectionary delights.
The summer months in Edina are full of outdoor events and activities. My family loves to end our warm weather adventures with an ice cream treat. It’s the perfect way to spend time with loved ones, talking about our day, what we liked the most and what we’d hope to do again. This tradition of togetherness always takes place at an ice cream parlor. Let me take you on a tour of all the spots we adore.
Edina Creamery is known for its berrylicious summer flavors. Featured here is its Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream.
If you are out and about at 50th & France for its story times, outdoor concerts or even at a restaurant with the family, hop on over to one of the many ice cream shops in the area. Edina Creamery is a neighborhood institution. It also happens to be open on the Fourth of July almost every year, and it debuts or brings back seasonal favorites for our nation’s birthday. It changes every year, but my favorite is the Blackberry-Chocolate Chip, but it also offers Blackberry Sorbet. For those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s and crave nostalgic desserts, there’s even a Black Forest option with cherry and dark chocolate. Last year’s flavor was Raspberry-Chocolate chip. The shop is known for its innovative flavors, my husband’s favorite being Strawberry Cheesecake. When my dad visits from Canada, this is the only place in town where he will eat Pistachio ice cream. As the menu is ever-changing, keep tabs on it by checking its Facebook page, Edina Creamery.
Sweet Science Ice Cream is a woman-owned and operated business. Flavors change every month. On the menu during our photoshoot was this Pineapple Passion Fruit Fruit Mango sorbet.
Both my kids have dietary restrictions, and we find Sweet Science Ice Cream to be amazing with food allergies and sensitivities. This relative newcomer to the Edina ice cream scene is adored for its small batches and myriad of flavors. All of it is made locally, from the ground up. It offers vegan options for those who are lactose free, and most of its flavors are gluten free. My son has celiac disease, so Sweet Science employees often go the extra mile for him. They will take a brand-new scoop and open a new tub of ice cream to guarantee there is no cross-contamination. It even makes its gluten-free waffle cones in house. “You know whether it’s a cone-making day from the glorious sweet waffle smell that you encounter as soon as you open the door,” says store manager Amanda Betts. Our favorite flavors are Salted Caramel Swirl, Butter Pecan and more. Look for special summer flavors, especially sorbets. And if you’re lucky enough to be there when its more experimental summer flavors are in the case, try Sweet Corn Blueberry and Goat Cheese and Blackberry. sweetscienceicecream.com
La Michoacana’s Mangonada is a tantalizing twist of sweet and spicy.
Also at 50th & France is La Michoacana Rose. This Mexican ice cream shop can be described with one word—vibrant. We first ventured there when my husband, who grew up in Mumbai, India, was reminiscing about the delicious roadside snacks he ate while growing up. His particular favorite was a mango ice cream mixed with chili powder. A friend told us he could get something close to it but in liquid form: the Mangonada. It’s a mango sorbet mixed with chamoy and chili powder. It’s topped with fresh diced mango, a splash of lime juice and a tamarind candy stick. While that’s my husband’s go-to order, I adore La Michoacana’s paletas, because they remind me of Fudgesicles and Creamsicles. The paletas are either fruit or cream based. My favorite is mango. La Michoacana is also a traditional ice cream parlor, and my kids always opt for a cone—and my daughter loves the Tres Leches ice cream. lamichoacanarose.com
If you’re not in the mood for ice cream or a Mangonada, try La Michoacana’s Strawberry Paleta. This ice cream on a stick is also available in a variety of flavors.
On a very hot day, my family prefers our frozen treats in a more liquid form. We adore Snuffy’s Malt Shop’s malts. My favorite is Snuffy’s Butterscotch malt. (I am a child of the 1980s who used to eat butterscotch chips by the handful.) Convention Grill also has malts, which it affectionately calls “malted milks.” But, whenever we dine at Convention Grill, we end our meal with an ice cream sundae. I get the Butterscotch, my kids adore the Caramel and Chocolate-Banana and my husband likes its Homemade Hot Fudge Sundae. What’s in the hot fudge, you ask? It’s chocolate liquor mixed with butter, cream and vanilla. Convention Grill cooks it in a secret process that brings out the flavor of each ingredient. It’s served over vanilla ice cream. snuffysmaltshops.com; conventiongrillmn.com
Snuffy’s Malt Shop has a seemingly endless list of malt flavors. Pictured here is a Butterscotch malt.
Sometimes, I get homesick for kulfi, an Indian ice cream that is thick and rich. Growing up in Canada, my mother used to make it out of condensed milk. Sometimes, Pumphouse Creamery in Minneapolis has kulfi, but if I don’t want to make the trek into town, I stop at Southdale Center’s Luminous Café for its Persian ice cream. It’s almost like kulfi, and I adore the saffron and cardamom flavor. ellispastry.com
Luminous Café in Southdale Center has a tasty treat of Persian ice cream with authentic flavors of saffron and cardamom.
And if you are walking around Lake Harriet or enjoying a concert at the bandshell, end your outing at Sebastian Joe’s on Upton Avenue. Sometimes, the line goes out the door and down the block, but the wait is worth it. There is a beautiful courtyard out back with gorgeous string lights and flowers. It’s a great place to spend your summer evening enjoying a nighttime ice cream. My family loves to spend summer nights by taking a walk around the lake before the concert, then finding a spot for a picnic dinner at the bandshell during the concert. Afterward, we make the short walk to Sebastian Joe’s. It uses Kesar mangoes, which are from India and known to be the “Queen of Mangoes.” It reminds me of when my mother used to take me to Mumbai to visit my extended family. We’d walk along Marine Drive, a long road along the island city’s coastline illuminated by the tall streetlights along the edge of the road that mark the border between the ocean and the land. At night, it’s called the Queen’s Necklace because of its curve and each light mimicking the sparkle of diamonds. At the end of each walk, we’d stop for ice cream, and I’d always choose Vanilla Amul ice cream, until my cousin insisted I try mango. This ice cream always takes me back to my 7-year-old self. sebastianjoesicecream.com
Sebastian Joe’s serves up Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream in a sugar cone.
Isn’t that what summer treats are always about? We enjoy our time with our families and friends, bonding around food. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to find that one flavor that brings back a wave of nostalgia. My hope is that when my kids are adults, they’ll stumble upon an ice cream parlor wherever they end up living, and they’ll be taken on a flavorful walk down memory lane.
