Pickle Barrel
WE HAD THE whole office drooling last month as we set out on our mission to uncover the city’s best homemade ice cream and gelato. Who better to help us with our task than David Lee, Toronto’s celebrated chef and owner of Splendido Restaurant. Lee makes his own ice cream and sorbet in-house, using gourmet French chocolate and local, seasonal ingredients like Niagara strawberries. He admits he’s a bit of a purist when it comes to ice cream, and says he likes the flavours to come out very true and strong.
In order to scoop out the very best, we compiled a list of your suggestions and visited seven of the city’s most notable parlours. We asked each to provide us with their favourite or best-selling flavour, which included everything from roasted marshmallow to strawberry, anise and black pepper. We loaded up our electronically powered Koolatron with pints of ice cream and gelato and headed straight to Splendido for an afternoon of pure indulgence. We taste-tested each entry blindly and after much deliberation, ranked each according to flavour, texture, and appearance. The results were delicious!
ICE SCREAM (1st place)
GREG’S ICE CREAM 750 Spadina Ave., 416-962-4734
We all scream for Greg’s ice cream! This creamy goodness combines the delicious flavours of caramel and marshmallow The texture is fluffy, and flavours linger on the palate. “This stuff reminds me of being a kid and cooking marshmallows on the beach,” says Lee.
Ask for Roasted Marshmallow: $3.75/reg.
VERY N-ICE (2nd place)
SICILIAN ICE CREAM 712 College St., 416-531-7716
The fresh taste of lemon ice is a sentimental flavour that will be enjoyed by adults and kids alike. A real hit, this simple, yet delicious treat is very refreshing. There is nothing intimidating about lemon, says Lee. You know what you are getting. Enjoy with fruit and champagne.
Ask for Lemon Ice: $3.50/reg.
ICE DREAM (3rd place)
ED'S REAL SCOOP 2224 Queen St. E., 416-699-6100
Though you’ll have to visit the Beach neighbourhood to enjoy this ice cream, we think it’s well worth the trip. Ed’s makes over 80 flavours in-house, and this stuff is good!We sampled Karamel Creme, which was sweet and creamy and more milky than other ice creams (a good thing according to Lee).
Ask for Karmel Cream: $3.25/reg.
ICE-ING ON THE CAKE (4th place)
LA PALOMA 1357 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-656-2340
We tasted chocolate gelato and lemon sherbet. This homemade Italian treat is made with milk instead of cream. Lee says its texture is its best feature — silky and smooth, it’s nice and refreshing. The chocolate has a rich cocoa flavour, and the lemon is tangy and fresh.
Ask for Chocolate or Lemon: $4.25/reg.
ENT-ICING (finalist)
SUMMER'S ICE CREAM 101 Yorkville Ave., 416-944-2637
Introducing Toronto Pothole — a unique concoction laced with almonds, marshmallows, peanuts and bittersweet chocolate chunks. This stuff looks fantastic, but Lee says there is a bit too much going on and flavours are hard to identify. But, he says, “kids will just die for this stuff.”
Ask for Toronto Pothole: $3.75/reg.
ICE BREAKER (finalist)
HOLLYWOOD GELATO 1640 Bayview Ave., 416-544-9829
When Lee tasted Lemon Meringue, a special summer gelato flavour, he was thrown for a bit of a loop. At first, it seemed a bit too salty and grainy for a gelato — but when Lee found out the identity of the flavour, he was impressed. An entire lemon meringue pie has been mixed into this cool treat.
Ask for Lemon Meringue: $3.95/reg.
COLD AS ICE (finalist)
KENSINGTON MARKET ORGANIC 188 Augusta Ave., 416-835-7781
We wanted to love this one, but the flavours we were told to sample threw our taste buds off. Strawberry, anise and black pepper sounds cool on paper, but the pepper lingered a bit too long and reminded us of spiced chicken. We liked the natural flavours and colouring. An A for effort!
Ask for Strawberry anise black pepper: $4.28/reg.
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