This past weekend, with drizzly mornings and temperatures in the mid-40-degrees, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams softly opened a Deep Ellum outpost.
Word spread last October that the Ohio-based ice cream chain had plotted its first Dallas location (third in Texas) at 2649 Main Street. Then, on Saturday, I happened upon a sandwich board that exclaimed, “WE ARE NOW SCOOPING!” A scoop shop employee said they’d only been open two days. Chilly temps be damned, I had to have a waffle cone of something.
Given the controversy surrounding Jeni’s newest flavor, the Everything Bagel was a must-try. On its website, Jeni’s describes its dessert disguised as breakfast thusly, “Buttery streusel laden with sesame, poppy seeds—and yes, onions and garlic—schmeared throughout subtly sweet cream cheese ice cream.”
What do I say? It’s certainly for those who prefer savory over sweet, for the “not a dessert person” persons. It’s an allium party in a waffle cone, the construction of which is buttery, crispy, and kissed with fine sea salt—essentially, an ideal partner for this flavor.
Loyal followers may already realize that nearly all Jeni’s ice creams use a cream cheese base, which differs from a more classic egg custard or simple cream base. That naturally lends itself to a schmear-inspired flavor.
It’s schmear! The flavor you never knew you wanted: Everything Bagel.
Buttery streusel laden with sesame, poppy seeds—and yes, onions and garlic—woven throughout cream cheese ice cream.
Now available by the pint online, in shops, and for local delivery via the Jeni’s app. pic.twitter.com/b98aiREJxw
— Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (@jenisicecreams) January 25, 2021
For the perhaps not-so-adventurous, there are nearly 20 other flavors on the chalk board menu: Texas sheet cake, salty caramel, skillet cinnamon roll, pineapple upside-down cake, gooey butter cake, brambleberry crisp, and salted peanut butter with chocolate flecks, just to name a few.
There’s a freezer case with pints ready to go. Floor markers remind us to keep our physical distance, a de rigueur feature in these COVID times. And the space is bright and clean with pops of pattern and orange, here and there.
While, yes, we do have a cold front heading our way this week, I think ice cream is in the forecast.
