153122 Fri Aug 12 11:30:00 -0700 2005 14 12 Boston Area 0 822318 I have been receiving free issues of the somewhat dubious magazine, Best Life - it's this pseudo-self-help-image-polish mag - anyway... I was surprised to read that the best ice cream parlor in the US of A was right here in Mass...(footnote, according to Travel Magazine). Ray's Gourmet? I scanned the board and did not see any reviews or mentions in the ice cream related posts - Thoughts? Reviews? Comparisons to say, Christina's? Fri Aug 12 11:30:00 -0700 2005 0 Bob Dobalina 1 822325 Is this something different from the ice cream at the bowling place on Hyde Park Ave.? That place has decent stuff for a good price, but I don't know any other ice cream in Hyde Park (land of very little good eating). Fri Aug 12 12:35:14 -0700 2005 822318 0 Joanie 2 822331 Upon further review...Joanie, it looks like that's the place - ice cream and bowling - found it on the Phantom's website... Still interested to hear feedback on the ice cream... Link: http://www.phantomgourmet.com/Showpage.aspx?content=ReportCard&id=3110 Fri Aug 12 13:11:08 -0700 2005 822325 0 Bob Dobalina 1 822326 haha, I keep getting that magazine, too. It's such a waste of paper. I think it came as part of my Salon.com membership. Fri Aug 12 12:44:14 -0700 2005 822318 0 Prav 2 822330 LOL - That's exactly why I got mine! Fri Aug 12 13:03:20 -0700 2005 822326 0 Bob Dobalina 1 822335 Hi! It is "Ron's Ice Cream and 20th Century Bowling". The ice cream is excellent - Ron and his wife make it - I have had the pistachio, which is marvelous - not super sweet - very nutty tasting (and not dyed green!!), as well as the mocha almond (whole almonds in it) and I've also tried Snicker Bar... They do cones, gourmet cones, mix-ins, and sundaes, floats, etc.. (note, ice creams are served in throw-away containers and plastic ware). Ron's wife makes the most beautiful ice cream cakes I've seen. I've not had an opportunity to partake in one but am trying to find an exuse. In Ron's at the Hyde Park location there are some tables and chairs by the ice cream counter. The atmosphere is definitely bowling alley. the candlepin bowling is great there too, FYI. The dedham one is strictly ice cream shop - across from the Dedham community cinema (another awesome indepenent theater, with the museum of bad art in the basement, worth the visit!). Hope you all come to Hyde Park and have a cone at Ron's! Fri Aug 12 13:35:49 -0700 2005 822318 0 JudyHP 2 822587 I love Ron's! I wish he ALWAYS had the Chocolate Peanut Butter, but last time it wasn't one of the offerings. I am coming all the way from California to have some Ron's ice Cream. I wonder if Judy would consider this "special occasion" enough to share an ice cream cake with me !? If so, meet me in Dedham! Tue Aug 16 20:25:03 -0700 2005 822335 0 jack 1 822340 It's Ron's, not Ray's, and their ice cream is good... very heavy and creamy. They also have an outpost in Dedham. I still prefer Christina's, though. By the way, Saveur recently listed Toscanini's in Cambridge and Steve's in Northampton among their national top 10. Roadfood claims Gray's ice cream in Rhode Island (Little Compton I think is the town) is the best in the country. Fri Aug 12 14:56:51 -0700 2005 822318 0 GaryLovesFood 2 822379 It's actually Herrell's, not Steve's, in Northampton-- run by Steve Herrell, orig. proprietor of boston/cambridge Steve's, until he got bought out. Herrell's in Northampton is great, and you can see the man himself on occasion, but the Harvard Sqaure location is just as good, ice-cream wise. Sat Aug 13 16:44:58 -0700 2005 822340 0 emdb 2 822440 I've been to Gray's in Tiverton, RI. It's not even in the same league as Toscanini's, Herrell's or Christina's. It's a fine roadside ice cream stand, high on nostalgia, closer in quality to 4 Seas in Centerville, not the big leagues here in Boston. Mon Aug 15 11:30:51 -0700 2005 822340 0 winedude 3 822450 Agreed. I'll take Christina's over any I've tasted. Mon Aug 15 12:59:26 -0700 2005 822440 0 GaryLovesFood 1 822388 So in follow-up, on Saturday night, we wandered over to Hyde Park in search of Ron's - fascinating place, Hyde Park, and hard to find...ended up driving in a big circle through JP, Dorchester, Mattapan, Milton and Readville before finally getting there. I should have taken a left turn at Albuquerque... I should also call the editor of Best Life magazine and get my money back for the poor fact checking in calling this the Best Ice Cream Parlor in the country. Sure, Hillary Clinton visited, but this is not the stuff of ice cream parlor fantasies. There are ten lanes of candlepin and a small seating area adjacent to the lanes. Overall, the place is rather small and cluttered and, well, it's a bowling alley. The ice cream business ran at a steady hum of customers while we were there. There were about 20 flavors available...homemade Rum Raisin and Pistachio beckoned, but after three games of candlepin, I was ready for something sweeter. I tried to get a waffle cone with a scoop of coconut and a scoop of peach, which appeared to be a special, with the handwritten sign on the flavors board. To my grave disappointment, I got only scoops of coconut - I kept eating in the dark of the car through the coconut thinking that the peach just HAD to be down there somewhere - hadn't I very clearly annunciated that I wanted a scoop of coconut, scoop of PEACH - man, I was really bummed out when my cone dwindled and there was no sign of the peach. :( I kept thinking, hoping that the fresh peach ice cream would be just like the one from Dr. Mike's in Monroe, CT, that I would always order during the summers before I left for college - If you ever get to Monroe, a couple towns north of Bridgeport, on Rt. 25, you have to find Dr. Mike's - the real Dr. Mike was apparently a dentist for 20 years, who later sold his practice to align with the forces of tooth decay - makes the best Heath Bar Crunch I've ever had and the fresh peach is just about the best thing...but I digress.... The coconut from Ron's was very creamy and very smooth, loaded with lots of tiny bits of toasted coconut. It was actually quite good, but a whole waffle cone with one flavor is a lot of ice cream, so by the time my disappointment sunk in, I wasn't really digging the coconut. My girlfriend got a cup of lemon cooler ice cream, which was even better...it was flavorful like a sorbet, more tart than sweet, and still very creamy and very smooth in texture...I can't remember the last time I had an ice cream, not sorbet, that was tart-sweet like that. I don't know if I would make the drive to Hyde Park from my perch north of the Charles again any time soon - Ron's is right next to the police station, which helped negate the generally seedy appearance of the area on Hyde Park Ave. I was not previously initiated in the charms of this section of Boston. But, the ice cream at Ron's is really pretty good. They were making some tremendous sundaes and banana splits too. Next time, however, I will watch the server like a hawk. Sun Aug 14 04:43:30 -0700 2005 822318 0 Bob Dobalina 1 3620125 HI, Ron's is the best ice cream I have ever tasted. I have been to all the places where I'm told one finds good ice cream: Nona's, Far Far's, Christina's, Toscanini's, Christina's, Berthillon (in Paris) anywhere I am and I've heard there's good ice cream I try it. I always find them lacking compared to Ron's. I have been eating his Dutch Chocolate since I was six (almost 30 years). There is no chocolatier ice cream in the world that I have found. I haven't branched out much, the Kahlua chip is great. The Brownie Nut is wonderful (Ron makes the brownies himself). MY dh loves the Rum Raisin. Really Ron is very serious about ice cream, if you like ice cream at all you should make the trip. I know that sometimes different places have a standout flavour, so if you like chocolate try the Dutch Chocolate. The only thing I don't understand is when I see people ordering soft serve at Ron's - it just seems like such a waste. . . I'll ask if he makes his own hot fudge the next time I'm in. Tue Apr 22 15:24:11 -0700 2008 822318 169437 teresacooks 2 3620780 Ron's has been one of my favs for years. Last week I tasted the toasted coconut at Kilwins in Longboat Key, Fl. The absolute best! I went 20 miles out of my way to get one last cone on the way to the airport. Ron's slipped down a notch. Tue Apr 22 19:02:08 -0700 2008 3620125 66655 catsmeow 2 3621583 I love Ron's to! He originally started with just soft serve, so I think it's kind of a tradition for a lot of locals! Have you ever gotten one of the ice cream cakes? Fantastic! Wed Apr 23 06:20:37 -0700 2008 3620125 12647 JudyHP