Izzy's

We visited Izzy's on the 4th of July so that Todd could participate in our ice cream adventures. Izzy's is located on Marshall Ave in St. Paul, not far from the campus of St. Thomas. It opened in 2000, too late for me to enjoy as a Tommy freshman, and has won awards ever since. Driving up to the shop among another old street car corner business district, you could tell word has gotten out. Izzy's was doing a solid business in the middle of the Sunday afternoon, with a long line and full tables out front.

We entered the shop which is set up like most we have been to now. A long counter with ice cream freezers along one wall and the line of patrons along the other wall. Izzy's lists their ice creams by color dots on the wall, with everything from the basics to the exotic. There truly is a flavor for everyone. We ordered three kiddy cones which cost $2.70 without an Izzy scoop on top ($3.20 with an Izzy), one peppermint bon bon, one cotton candy, and one cookie dough. The kiddy cone was basically a single scoop of ice cream and an Izzy is a cookie scoop of ice cream. Mom and Dad split a single scoop, for $4.00 which includes an Izzy, of Bananas Foster and an Izzy of Midnight Snack. We were able to enjoy our ice cream at tables which line the sidewalk outside with all the other patrons.

Izzy's is truly a neighborhood ice cream shop. It had the cozy feeling of an established neighborhood shop as well as the regular patrons who order like experts. The kids were impressed they had a water fountain with cups for them to easily get water. A malted milk ball comes on the top of the kiddy cone if you want it, which of course mine did! These are the details my kids now appreciate in an ice cream shop. I appreciated the amount of tables outside as well as a few inside, in case of bad weather or winter enjoyment! Izzy's was definitely a good family stop.

The ice cream flavors were enjoyable, even on a hot day as the cones quickly became drip covered. The ice cream itself was creamy. The flavorings were well done. We had a few differences of opinion on what was good and what wasn't, but someone enjoyed each flavor. Even the cotton candy wasn't too sweet for a parent to enjoy when the child needed help cleaning up the drips. Even Todd with his background in Haggen Daz found the flavors enjoyable and clean. He is always quick to point out though that nothing compares to fresh ice cream right off the production line!

Izzy's was a success all around. It wasn't the kid's favorite stop so far, but it was enjoyable for everyone. It is located close enough to 94 that it could be a stop for any trip into our out of St. Paul. Visits to the Children's Museum, Science Museum, History Museum, or even a trip down Grand Ave could include a trip to Izzy's. We used it as part of a trip to Minnehaha Falls. Ice Cream on a hot day after running around outside in nature is always a perfect fit!

Grand Ole Creamery

With Ole in the name, you expect the Grand Ole Creamery, located at 750 Grand Ave in St. Paul, to exude the nostalgia of an old time ice cream shop. But, the sign in the window announces Grand Ole Creamery has been in business for only 26 years. It surprised me to know I was 10 when this classic hot spot opened. How can the shop feel so olden days and established and be younger than me? How can it be that I haven't been coming here my whole life? How can it be that my parents haven't been coming here their whole lives? But it is true, Grand Ole Creamery became a fixture in my life in 1986 when my parents separated and my Dad moved to Grand Avenue and although it felt like it has been there since the street car days, it had only been open 2 years.

From the minute we walked up to the red screen door and heard the squeak of the hinge, the smell of fresh waffle cones floods us. There is no turning back as the smell draws you inside. Bright red walls, a freezer case full of decadent treats, fresh waffle cones steaming on the griddle and a long ice cream case with plenty of choices awaited us as we entered. The wood floors creak under our flip flops and the screen door squeaks shut. It is just how I remember. The kids were instantly impressed and excited, without even tasting a thing. The flavors listed still included the classics like peppermint bon bon, sweet cream, Oreo and chocolate, as well as surprises like honey and green tea. Despite all the choices, the kids had no problem picking a flavor.

We ordered three kid sized cones. A peppermint bon bon, a birthday cake, and a bubble gum. The kid size cone costs $3.00 and is the same size as the single scoops we have gotten elsewhere. However, it comes with a malted milk ball surprised inside the cone and one on top for immediate enjoyment! Despite size and price being equivalent to everywhere we have gone, the kids thought this was an amazing value. I guess you can never underestimate the malted milk ball chaser! And never underestimate the marketing success of a label! Grand Ole Creamery does take ice cream appetites seriously with their sizes. The kids eyes got as big as saucers realizing that some day they would be old enough for a giant single scoop or maybe even a double scoop!

Everyone loved their flavor choice. Although Mom was less than thrilled with the mess caused by the saved pieces of bubble gum, but it is a classic kid flavor so how mad can you really get? The ice cream was very creamy and sweet. The flavors were all clean, meaning no chalky taste in the peppermint, and well done, meaning not too sweet or airy tasting. It has been a long time since I have visited the Grand Ole Creamery, but I did not leave disappointed. Even after 26 years, the Grand Ole Creamery is still making fantastic ice cream in a very family friendly setting. The kids won't fight me when I suggest a return visit!

To complete our day we spent time at other classic St. Paul spots. We had lunch at Cosetta's where the kids enjoyed giant pieces of pizza and soda in glass bottles. We picked out new books at the Red Balloon. It is no Wild Rumpus, they informed me since no chickens were running around and no mice live in the floor, but we did find books we would never have found at a big chain. The staff was so helpful and patient with the kids as they searched for something new that we will definitely be back. We walked the several blocks to Creative Kids Stuff to pick up a birthday present for Zach. These suburban kids learned how to negotiate city streets with traffic, by crossing in crosswalks and using gridded street and address numbers to determine how far we had yet to walk. We visited stores for Mom, like Ten Thousand Villages, where the kids were amazed to see all had been made from around the world using materials like newspaper, old pop cans and VCR tape. I ended up finding a great pair of jeans at the Hot Mama sale which were an extra 25% off, to me that is better than the perfect ice cream! Finally, we drove home using River Road and Minnehaha Parkway so the kids could see how the city all links together. With tired feet, we arrived home happy after a wonderful day of food and fun!