July may be National Ice Cream Month, but sweet-toothed South Floridians hardly need an excuse to indulge in frozen treats during the dog days of summertime.
Still, of all the ridiculously obscure food holidays (we’re looking at you, National Angel Food Cake Day on Oct. 10), National Ice Cream Month is actually legit. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day, saluting the dessert’s “nutritious and wholesome qualities.”
We tend to disagree with the Gipper about “nutritious and wholesome,” but in South Florida, nothing beats the summer swelter better than fresh sundaes and milkshakes, boozy treats and hand-rolled ice cream.
For National Ice Cream Day, falling this year on July 21, here’s the scoop on seven recently opened ice-cream parlors in South Florida in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach.
Notorious Creamery
908 N. Flagler Drive, Fort Lauderdale; 954-306-2584 or NotoriousCreamery.com
Yes, this 700-square-foot frozen treat shack in Fort Lauderdale’s artsy MASS District boasts celebrity cred – its co-owner is Grammy-nominated rapper Tory Lanez – but ice cream is clearly the star. At the parlor, which opened June 15, we recommend the Cookie Monster, scoops of blue ice cream studded with Oreos and chocolate-chip pieces. Undecided eaters should order the Dealer’s Choice, scoops randomly picked by Notorious employees. Hours are 6 p.m. -midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday and noon-9 p.m. Sunday.
Puffles
349 Johnson St., Hollywood; 954-367-2353 or PufflesFL.com
Owner Caleb Deng’s 1,300-square-foot shack near the Hollywood Broadwalk features handmade scoops piled into Hong Kong-style egg waffles, a staple of his childhood growing up in New York’s Chinatown. The parlor boasts 10 flavors spanning strawberry to quadruple chocolate (dark chocolate chunks, fudge, chocolate chips, brownie bites). They also serve a variety of milk and fruit bubble teas and slushies.
Crema Rolls
310 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; 561-614-4120 or CremaRolls.com
West Palm Beach-based organic grocer Celis Produce is behind this 800-square-foot downtown shop, which dishes Thai-inspired hand-rolled ice cream and milkshakes with non-GMO toppings. Visitors can pick from 15 pre-made concoctions, including Carbon Activado (activated charcoal, cookies, roasted marshmallow) and cereal-themed El Capi (Cap’n Crunch and sweetened condensed milk), or build their own with an ice-cream base (vanilla, chocolate or mixed). Add-ons include fresh fruit, cookies and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Proper Ice Cream
75 SE Fourth Ave., Delray Beach; 561-455-4463 or ProperIceCream.com
Exotic and upscale scoops are common at this downtown shop off Atlantic Avenue, which debuted in April from owner Rick Felberbaum, a semiretired real-estate attorney who honed his craft in the Grato and Buccan kitchens of Palm Beach star chef Clay Conley. The menu features nondairy options (chocolate, golden milk) and exotically flavored sorbets (blood orange, guanabana). But we like Proper’s gourmet ice creams, such as Coffee and Donuts, Bread Pudding and Pistachio with Caramelized Figs. There’s a second Delray Proper location at 1445 N. Congress Ave. #4.
Ice-n-Spicy
1250 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach; 786-296-7088 or Facebook.com
The city that once welcomed a Museum of Ice Cream certainly knows its way around photogenic ice cream, and the proof is in the Instagram-worthy treats at Xiaoli Liu’s new shop, which opened in April. Ice-n-Spicy specializes in ice cream with Asian and European influences, topping its multicolored scoops with French macarons and Japanese mochi. They also offer 16 gelato and nitrogen ice cream flavors, such as strawberry and taro, along with tropical sorbets.
Aubi & Ramsa
19501 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-946-9072 or AubiRamsa.com
Boozy, 21-and-older ice cream is all you’ll find at this upscale ice-creamery-meets-cocktail den near Macy’s on Aventura Mall’s Lower Level, so leave the sugar-crazed rugrats at home. The shop, which opened in November and has a second location in Miami’s Design District (172 NE 41st St.), features many spiked, high-end scoops, such as Highland Truffle single malt with Belgian chocolate with Macallan 12-Year, Tangerine Mimosa with Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut and our favorite, Jack and Chocolate blending Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel with a dulce de leche swirl. A third location will debut this fall at the revamped Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
CREAM Doral
9715 NW 41st St, Doral; 786-615-4285 or CreamNation.com
Thick ice-cream cookie sandwiches are the specialty at this California-spun franchise, which recently debuted in April and has outposts in Pembroke Pines, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. First choose from 18 ice cream flavors (mint chocolate chip, banana walnut fudge, butterscotch brew), then pick a cookie (chocolate chip, Snickerdoodle), then top the gut-bursting confection off with mini marshmallows, Oreos and M&Ms. The menu also includes ice-cream tacos and sundaes.
