Las Delicias

Photo by John Anderson

Las Delicias

www.lasdeliciaspaleteria.blogspot.com

Las Delicias is located in the small strip center that also houses Capital City Comedy Club, which has a much more visible sign; the center sits on the corner where East Anderson Lane runs into Research Boulevard. This neveria (ice cream parlor), has a selection of icy treats guaranteed to chill: fresh fruit cups, ice creams (helados), fresh fruit popsicles (paletas: con aqua, or water-based, and con leche, milk-based), aquas frescas, and Eskimo pies (esquimals). It is also the home base for all of the bell-jingling pushcarts that cruise the surrounding neighborhoods selling paletas and frozen novelties.

We tried several flavors of ice cream from the selection of almost 20 tubs ($1/2.75/3.75, cup or cone). Between strawberry, lime ice, pecan, and mango, our favorite was the pecan, which had tasty dark swirls of pecan caramel running through it. There are many exotic flavors to sample, such as coconut, pineapple, mamey (sapote), rompope (eggnog), cantaloupe, guanábana (soursop), horchata (cinnamon rice), watermelon, etc. In the world of paletas (aqua, $1.25; leche, $1.50), this time we tried a tamarind with chile that was wonderfully sweet-tart and very spicy. Our all-time favorites are coconut, strawberry, banana, and pineapple, but feel free to start your own list.

We didn't see any esquimals ($1.75) in the cold case, but we were seduced by a frozen banana on a stick, enrobed in rich, dark chocolate ($1.35). For Arrested Development fans, there is no better homage to the Bluth family's frozen banana stand at the pier. It helps to speak a little Spanish, depending on who is behind the counter, and you'll need to take along cash for your purchases. In our atomic summer heat, Las Delicias makes an excellent chilly pit stop.