Second Helpings: Ice Cream Parlors

The weekly Chronicle feature “Second Helpings” offers readers the opportunity to sample tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week’s entries were compiled by Chronicle Cuisines Editor Virginia B. Wood, updated from an original publication date of 6/2/2000, when they were written by Greg Beets. When you need quick, reliable information about Austin eateries, check here.

Amy’s Ice Cream

Five locations in Austin

Serving up comic wit and irreverence along with luscious, high-butter-fat scoops of ice cream, Amy’s is a quintessentially Austin institution. The Mexican vanilla with strawberry Crush’ns is a good place to start, but Amy’s whimsical roster of rotating flavors runs the gamut from Coffee Toffee to Shiner Bock. They also carry fruit ices for the non-dairy crowd. Just remember to bring cash or a local check, because Amy’s currently doesn’t take American Express or any other credit card.

Baskin Robbins

Five locations in Austin

Baskin Robbins is like an old friend you don’t see too often anymore. The gourmands have moved on to specialty ice cream boutiques, but BR is still there to scoop the 31 flavors you grew up with. Sinking a hot pink plastic spoon into workhorse standards like French vanilla, Rocky Road, rainbow sherbet, and Jamoca Almond Fudge will make your taste buds think it’s 1972 again.

Dippin’ Dots

Barton Creek Square Mall

2901 Capital of Texas Hwy. S., 306-8551

Lakeline Mall

11200 Lakeline Mall Dr., 335-5722

Both locations open Mon-Sat, 10am-9pm; Sun, noon-6pm

If this is the “Ice Cream of the Future,” I won’t be eating much ice cream in the future. Dippin’ Dots flash-freezes their ice cream in a super-cold manner that allows it to maintain the consistency of little dots not unlike those in a capsule of Contac. The result is certainly novel, but not enough to justify such high prices for such small portions.

Dolce Vita Gelato & Espresso Bar

4220 Duval, 323-2686

Daily, 9am-midnight

For those who like their ice cream with a continental flair, Dolce Vita offers a delicious assortment of handmade Italian ice cream and fruit sorbets right in the heart of Hyde Park. They also serve a variety of coffee drinks as well as spirits and cordials for those in the mood for something stronger. Dolce Vita is as close to Rome as you’ll get while doing a load of wash at Convenience Coin Laundry.

Marble Slab Creamery

Hancock Center, 1000 E. 41st, 451-4200

5601 Brodie Lane, 899-2080

701 Capital of Texas Hwy. S., 327-5601

Mon-Thu, 11:30am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 11:30-11pm; Sun, noon-10pm

Houston-based Marble Slab Creamery offers rich, premium ice cream made fresh daily and designed to your specifications on a frozen marble slab. Flavors include sweet cream, chocolate amaretto, and cheesecake. You can have your ice cream mixed with a variety of fruit, candy, cookies, and nuts. Each Marble Slab also bakes its cones fresh daily.

Swensen’s Ice Cream

Highland Mall, 6001 Airport, 451-1601

Barton Creek Square, 2901 Capital of Texas Hwy. N., 327-0939

Both locations open Mon-Sat, 10am-9pm; Sun, noon-6pm

Established in 1948 in San Francisco, Swensen’s does its best to re-create an old-timey soda fountain atmosphere in ubiquitous mall settings. Their 30-plus flavors offer plenty of variety, and a gooey hot fudge sundae makes a much more inexpensive indulgence than most mall goods. Swensen’s also has low-fat ice cream, sugar-free ice cream, and even cholesterol-free frozen yogurt for the calorie-counting set.

TCBY

3710 Crawford @38th, 451-8229

Daily, 11am-10pm

3201 Bee Caves Rd., 327-9513

Mon-Sat, 11am-10pm; Sun, noon-10pm

303 MLK Blvd., 320-8229

Mon-Sat, 10am-11pm; Sun, noon-11pm

9520 Hwy. 290 W., 288-8849

Daily, 6am-10pm

From one store in Little Rock to more than 3,000 locations today, TCBY (“The Country’s Best Yogurt”) is the largest frozen yogurt chain in the world. TCBY offers soft-serve frozen yogurt, hand-dipped frozen yogurt, hand-dipped ice cream, and sorbet. Many of the frozen yogurt flavors are fat-free, and a handful are sugar-free. TCBY will top your confection with everything from hot fudge to Gummi Bears. They also serve sundaes, splits, shakes, and smoothies.

Maggie Moo’s

1806 Barton Springs Rd., 481-9995

Sun-Thu, noon-11pm; Fri-Sat, noon-midnight

7101 Hwy. 71 W., 301-6667

Daily, 11am-10pm

Sun-Thu, 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-11pm

These cherry chain outlets with whimsical bovine decor offer ice creams and sorbets made fresh on the premises in a variety of flavors. There are mix-ins of candies, nuts, and fruits, plus some of the crisp waffle cones are dipped in chocolate and dusted with nuts, multicolored sprinkles, or chopped candies to add even more flavor and texture to your ultimate choice. We’re partial to the Cow Spots (the signature ice cream sandwiches) and the Moo Hot Tub, a waffle cup filled with ice cream and topped with hot fudge or caramel sauce.