I had the pleasure of visiting Boston’s Scooper Bowl tonight, an ice cream festival masquerading as a children’s charity event. It occupies the Government City plaza directly in front of city hall and runs 3 days, Tuesday June 8th, to Thursday, the 10th.
By donating $8 to the Jimmy Fund, you receive a plastic spoon, enter the roped-off plaza, and sample up to 4 flavors from 9 different ice cream makers. (Returning for as much as you care to eat of each.)
I tried all 36 flavors this year–you know, for science–and present my evaluations and comments. Everything’s rated on the scholastic A to F scale, with C being average, B being buy-worthy, and A truly superior.
HF Hood – Well-known New England dairy and prominent Red Sox sponsor
- Blueberry Frozen Yogurt, C: decent taste, but no fruit pieces or notable qualities
- Rainbow Sherbet, C-: OK for a sherbet, but flavor fades quickly–needs more citrus bite
- Fenway Fudge, C+: good chocolate stripe, but base is a bit chalky
- Chocolate Chip, C: vanilla base should be creamier; this comes off as airy instead
- Overall C-, with blah flavor choices, considering their past love of Red Sox themed options (Dice-K, Curse Reversed)
- Churned Light Mint, C-: I like mint, but its base vanilla comes off too thin, low-fat or not
- Superfudge Truffle, C+: dense, dense flavor, and probably rates even better for chocolate fans
- Pink Bubblegum, D: ugh, the chunks of “gum” really bring this down (base flavor deserves better)
- Wild ‘n’ Reckless, D: one of those kids “flavors” that’s really just sugar and color
- Overall D+, a surprisingly poor selection given past winners like Gold Medal Ribbon (no pun intended)
- Cookie Dough, C+: could use better vanilla and cookie chunks didn’t “chew” like you’d expect
- Peppermint Stick, B: nice consistency and one of their better flavors year-to-year
- Vanilla, B: not the best vanilla out there, but solid and creamy
- Mocha Chip, C: probably better for coffee fans, which I’m admitted not
- Overall B-, with few surprises–and that’s OK by me
- Boston Creme Pie, C+: very rich and interesting, but flavor works better as actual pie, especially in Boston
- Bonaroo Buzz, B-: good base flavor and chunks of toffee, but sizes were inconsistent (Oreo-sized + pen-sized in same half-cup)
- Milk & Cookies, C-: cookies tasted like Chips Ahoy, which is not good
- Maple Blondie, C+: OK base flavor, though maple aftertaste got “fakey” quickly
- Overall C+, with Bonaroo a promising flavor
- Mango Gelato, C: nice strong flavor, but should be less sweet
- Malted Milk Ball Gelato, C-: my girlfriend loved this, as a big fan of malted milk balls (I am not)
- Blood Orange Gelato, D: icy consistency
- Key Lime Graham Cracker Gelato, C-: too tart, and flavor’s much better as actual pie
- Overall C-, a disappointingly weak selection of flavors (no almond or burnt caramel?)
- Lemon Sorbet, C-: yep, that’s lemon made into a sorbet; otherwise uninspiring
- Baileys, B: really loved this flavor last year, but this year’s dropped some sweetness
- Mint Chip, B: best of the mint flavors this year
- Caramel Cone, B+: tasty chocolate-covered cone pieces, nice base caramel; what ice cream should be!
- Overall B, a good showing from the maker of my favorite flavor, Honey Bee
- Birthday Cake, C-: uses sugar flakes instead of actual cake pieces
- Orange Sherbet, C+: good consistency, says “Ciao Bella” as it runs past that blood orange one
- Cookies & Cream Collision, D: chocolate tastes earthy and base has odd consistency
- Cookie Dough (replaced advertised peanut butter flavor), C: much better dough chunks than others there today
- Overall C, not a good sign when a sherbet is your best ice cream flavor
- Chocolate Lovers’ Chocolate, C-: just OK, especially considering I’m not a chocolate fan
- Cherry Amaretto Chocolate, B: tasty base and nice consistency
- Vanilla, C+: solid, but not as good as Brigham’s
- Lobster Tracks, D: weird base and disappointing “lobster” (candy) bits
- Overall C, I remember Lobster Tracks as good last year–what happened?
- M&M’s Vanilla, F: the base vanilla’s emptier than a white pixie stick and these M&M’s do nothing but color your tongue
- Strawberry, C-: surprisingly thin base flavor
- Cherry vanilla, D: fruit chunks good, but tastes vanishes too quickly
- Chocolate, C-: seems OK for chocolate, but still not a fan
- Overall, D: what, do kids like the M&M’s flavor? (does anyone?)
No amazing flavors this year, with a handful I’d grab from the store. Don’t get me wrong, the Scooper Bowl is an awesome fundraising concept–I’m just picky about ice cream.
Want to decide for yourself? Wednesday and Thursday remain, noon to 8pm each day!
