Ultimate Ice Cream Company

It’s a mystery to my why anyone would ever eat factory-made ice cream if they have access to from-scratch, small-batch product like that made at a place that is properly named Ultimate Ice Cream Company.

The place itself is delightful: a little shop with personality well-suited to serving ice cream: cheerful, easy-going, helpful. (However, seating is an issue, as there is none, other than some benches outside.) I was lucky enough to be taken care of by a woman named Maya, who gladly explained where and how the ice cream is made and gladly helped me decide which three toppings would go well on the three scoops of ice cream that come in a banana sundae. I went with hot fudge, peanuts, and broken cones, and was delighted with the choice.

The ice cream itself is smooth, pure, and cream-rich, although not so butterfatty that it becomes cloying. This stuff is easily eatable, making double and triple scoops a very practical way to order.

The flavor repertoire always includes sweet cream, Belgian chocolate, vanilla Oreo cream, salted caramel, and Madagascar vanilla, and among frequently-available flavors are goat cheese bing cherry, brown sugar bacon maple, and blue cheese caramel swirl. There always is a flavor of the month, and a few varieties infused with liquor.

Note: In addition to the downtown shop on Charlotte Street, Ultimate Ice Cream is located on the East Side at 1070 Tunnel Rd.