It’s hard to do “unique” ice cream in a city that’s known for a creamery that regularly mixes sweet corn and goat cheese into batches of the confection.
That said, Mardi Gras has been offering flavors with international panache for a long time – since the beginning of this century. For ice cream fans who know the joint well, let this conversation serve as is a reminder. For the rest of the eating population: give Mardi Gras’s international ice cream offerings a try.
There’s a huge selection of atypical international flavors at the north-end ice cream place, the names of the flavors likely hold no meaning for the typical ice cream fan. You might know what to expect from something on the lines of “Mint Oreo”, but something like “Pista Kulfi” is a little harder to gauge.
Try Rajbhog; it makes beautiful peachy colored scoops. Popping through the creamy surface are chunks of sweet dried fruit. It’s not the leathery flavorless variants, each one is a sweet chewy burst of flavor.
For those who love ice cream with chunks of stuff, Rajbhog is your flavor. It’s enough to make this particular Moose Tracks fan consider a change of stripes.
The Rajbhog teams nicely with Kesar Pista, the latter is filled with finely ground nuggets of almonds and pistachios. It’s the fragrant cardamom element that makes this flavor feel special -but Rajbhog is still better: the chunks make it better.
Mardi Gras has plenty of flavors for the non-thrill-seeking crowd. The store honestly looks like any traditional ice cream shop. There’s a big line of counters with lots of ice cream drums to ogle, and milk shakes and sundaes are both on the menu. Customers have to look twice to catch the international options.
And yes, you can even get a scoop of plain old vanilla.
Mardi Gras Ice Cream can be found at 1947 Hard Road. It’s open daily from 1pm until 9:30pm.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/Mardi-Gras-Homemade-Ice-Cream/.