La Original Michoacana
Wedged between a dental practice and an attorney’s office in Bishop Arts, this Mexican paleteria sells ice cream (in offbeat flavors such as pine nut, avocado, and guanabána, a fruit native to Latin America), spicy mango sorbet, and, of course, paletas. The water- or cream-based bars on a stick are made with fresh, local fruit. Order one, and the friendly server will gladly dip it in chocolate or roll it in coconut flakes. If you’re parched, try a mangonada. The traditional thirst quencher is made by mixing orange and lime juices with bits of fresh mango and chili powder.
Reverie Bakeshop
What happens when a cake decorator and a vegan pastry chef start a business? You get a rare vegan pastry shop, funded in part by Kickstarter, filled with beautiful cookies, cakes, and desserts made without dairy, eggs, or refined sugar. Co-owners Nancy Castillo and Racene Mendoza also offer a rich, dairy-free soft serve vanilla ice cream from organic soy milk. It’s non-GMO certified, and cholesterol-, peanut-, and tree nut-free. Order a cup and top it with any of the treats in the pastry case. Bonus: everything is served with eco-friendly cups and utensils.
Old Town Creamery
Here, you’ll find exotic, international creations—a tub of Persian Delight made with pistachios, orange blossoms, saffron, and cardamom not far from a vat filled with Arabic Gum, a pistachio-based flavor mixed with slightly cedar-like resin harvested from mastic trees. Other concoctions include Thai coffee, green tea, and betel leaf. Sorbets are filled with fresh fruit (including guava, lychee, and black cherry). Cones are made on-site. And both stores make ice cream cakes out of any of the 50 flavors they offer on a rotating basis. What a cool excuse to throw a party.
Lake Highlands Creamery
Until Sean Brockette and Mike Middleton find a storefront, you can order The Dirty Belgian (salted caramel ice cream with Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate) or You’re Bacon Me Crazy (maple ice cream with peppered bacon chunks) from the website. Or try the Mother Lode at Luscher’s Red Hots: vanilla dipped in chocolate and covered with peanuts, potato chips, pretzels, or gummy bears. lakehighlandscreamery.com.
Dallas Beer Kitchen
Della Eaker loves beer, and she loves ice cream. Luckily, she’s the sous chef at Dallas Beer Kitchen, where her job is to combine the two. She tries to keep two ice creams on the menu. Lakewood Brewing Company’s The Temptress is Eaker’s favorite beer to use. She whips up vanilla ice cream, substituting the imperial milk stout for some of the milk and cream, and folds in Oreo crumbles.
Sweet Firefly
Looking to make a big life change, Patti Otte and Angie Conard decided to start a family-friendly ice cream parlor in 2010. The neighborhood hangout they envisioned keeps regulars happy with surprise weekly flavors such as Dreamsicle and Peppermint Patties, alongside a list of at least 16 varieties, which includes a wondrous coffee toffee crunch, rum raisin, and bourbon vanilla. Want to know this week’s special ahead of time? Like them on Facebook.
