Two for one: Nam Viet and Cold Stone Creamery

First the good. Nam Viet, on Northwest Highway, in Edison Park, doesn't get much attention for its Vietnamese food--and probably deservedly so. Decent, not great appears to be the consensus. I'm not an expert (or even a well-informed enthusiast) on this cuisine, but I've had better on Argyle Street.

However, Nam Viet also offers some standard Chinese (or Chinese-American) dishes. I suspect this is because Vietnamese food is still a trifle exotic for the neighborhood--but who knows. It doesn't matter why anyway, because all you need to know is that the Chinese stuff is good--really good. Its not the exotic, authentic fare that you'll find in Chinatown, or in seriously traditional Chinese joints. Rather, as I alluded to above, it's Chinese-American stuff that you can find in a thousand mediocre Chinese takeouts throughout the City, but cooked with a lighter touch, a Southeast Asian flair, that makes the flavours a bit brighter, the sauces less cloying. Examples you say? Sure. The Orange chicken. This can be a disaster in the wrong hands--sodden, oily coating, dessicated chicken, served in a sickly-sweet sauce. At Nam Viet, however, it's crisp, tangy, and tender. Another example? Pork fried rice--the Nam Viet version is tasty, with individual grains separate rather than in a big sodden clump, and tender chunks of pork. Finally, the egg rolls--four to an order, the thickness of a pantela cigar. Crispy, light, delicious.

Now the bad. Cold Stone Creamery. After picking up our dog at the groomer on Saturday, we drove by the Cold Stone Creamery on Waukegan Road in Glenview. We decided to treat ourselves to an ice cream.

First off, the price--one plain vanilla for the baby (human baby--in case you think I'm anthromorphizing my dog), one small coffee with heath bar chunks for me, and a medium Rock Road for my wife. $12. Twelve f*&@^'n dollars for three ice creams. (Plus, they don't have prices posted for one scoop, two scoops, etc. Oh no. The size description is something ridiculous like "Want it" "Need it" "Gotta Have it".)

But hey, I'm not a cheapskate--I'll pay for quality and convenience (hell, I'd just dropped $35 to have someone else wash my dog.) The quality was...not good. My wife thought the predominant taste was artificial sweetener. I thought there was very little taste--bland and cold. I don't eat ice cream often, but when I do, I want something better than this.

john m wrote:The size description is something ridiculous like "Want it" "Need it" "Gotta Have it".)

john m,

Dont mean to get all tangential on you, but what you describe makes me nuts. At Starbucks, I cannot bring myself to use their idiosyncratic system of size descriptions; I just say (at those rare times I'm in Starbucks) "small," "medium" or "large." The baristas, no, make that "counter people," always know what I mean.

Hammond

Dave,

You're not being tangential at all--it drives me crazy too. If I have to spend more than 10 seconds figuring out the pricing system, I figure I'm in the wrong place.

John, have you gone to pretty much any yuppie ice cream place--Australian Homemade, Massa, whatever, I think you will find that Cold Stone's prices are no different.

Me, I would rather not like the Cold Stone, it seems so contrived, so corporate, so "next big thing", but I've always very much liked their ice cream, and the Cold Stone on Halsted, while it depresses me neighborhood-wise, has become my default dessert after Chinatown.

Rob

Wow. I had no idea that ice cream prices were so high. I go to Oberweis occasionally, and think they are cheaper than that. But maybe I don't notice the price, as I like their ice cream.

As far as taste--I'm right, you're wrong! Just kidding. I think I actually prefer a ice cream with lower butterfat content (I really like Baskin Robbins.) So maybe Cold Stone's super-premium product is simply not to my taste.

John, you're not alone on disliking cold stone's product.

See this thread

When my friends from Davenport, I-O-WAY come in to visit, they have to go to Maggiano's/Buca and Cold Stone. The only Chinese they would ever eat is P.F. Chang's and then they have the honey mustard type chicken which is essentially McNuggets with honey sauce. Anyway...

Cold Stone is like a holy grail for them for whatever reason. "Cake batter ice cream!! You get Mix-ins!!!! Wow!!!" It absolutely kills me. I get a headache when I get a whiff the all the refined sugar as I walk in the store. It's always packed though.

Ah, yes, Coldstone Creamery. We recently moved to the south side and, unfortunately, Coldstone Creamery is the closest ice cream parlor around. I, too, rankle at the ridiculous nomenclature foisted upon us by the suits and ties at CC -- a small portion is "Like it," medium "Love it," and the large serving is "Gotta have it." When I was there, I firmly ordered a medium something-or-other and received a sly, knowing look from the young woman behind the counter. This, at least, gives me hope for the future of the republic.

Anyway, our first excursion to the Halsted Coldstone Creamery was quite off-putting. We entered the store and were scared out our wits by the counter help, who screamed out, "Welcome to Coldstone Creamery," in unison. As we stood there, deciding what to order, all three employees started singing (to the tune of Camptown Races), something like, "Makin' ice cream all day long, oh, doo dah day." Bizarre and embarrassing.

The ice cream? Eh, I'm not a big fan. The ice cream is extremely sweet and the mint chip has a very alcoholy-chemical edge, way too much mint extract dumped into the mix. My husband also found the chocolate to be rather tasteless, he prefers a rich dark -chocolate flavor. I guess we'll just make our own. [/b]

I remember Reading in either this months or last months consumer Reports rating Ice Cream shops that Stone Cold was last place. They were also the highest in price. I remember them saying Ben and Jerry's and Haagen-Dazs were the best tasting full of milkfat.

If you guys get a chance check out the consumer reports article.

Kasia wrote:As we stood there, deciding what to order, all three employees started singing (to the tune of Camptown Races), something like, "Makin' ice cream all day long, oh, doo dah day." Bizarre and embarrassing.

It must be part of the coporate training. I've been to one in downtown Naperville a couple of times, and while waiting the crew starting singing. I don't remember the tune, something Disney-esque. I thought it was creepy.

I find the ice cream to be OK. But way overpriced.

Tim

I think I need to do a tasting - within 1/2 mile of us we have Cold Stone, Marble Slab, Ben and Jerry's, Gelato at The Italian Coffee Bar and Kaleidoscoops (used to be a 31 Flavors).

I guess plain vanilla and chocolate would be the best to taste, plus maybe one more if they have anything unusual.

This will take some time, I will report on my progress.

We are supposed to be getting a new Coldstone Creamery in Homewood this summer. I am less than enthusiastic, as we already have a really great italian ice place in Chicago Heights, Zarlengo's, and a very family-friendly dairy queen. We also have Mitchell's ice cream, which I grew up with on the south side. I love Mitchell's. Mitchell's used to be on 71st Street in South Shore when I was a little girl and I grew up on their homemade ice cream. I prefer it to Plush Horse and Gayety, for that matter. Their chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge sauce is my favorite treat.

We did try Coldstone Creamery on a trip to Highland Park last year. I wasn't that impressed. I just hope it doesn't cut into Mitchell's business. I would hate to lose them.

Where is Mitchell's?

Mitchells is located on Dixie Highway in Homewood.

Here's the address:

Mitchell's Ice Cream
18211 Dixie Hwy., Homewood
708-799-3835

Apparently, they were also featured in a Hungry Hound report last May.

Kasia wrote:Ah, yes, Coldstone Creamery. We recently moved to the south side and, unfortunately, Coldstone Creamery is the closest ice cream parlor around.

Kasia,

I'm not sure where on the south side you are, but in Printers' Row one can get ice cream at Gourmand and at Printers Roast Cafe (inside Dearborn Station). At least both places had ice cream last summer; not sure about February. The ice cream itself may not be super-premium (Hershey's at Printers Roast, don't know about Gourmand's) but I promise you won't be subjected to corporate singalongs!

I haven't been to Canady le Chocolatier on Wabash but I believe they have gelato as well as chocolates.

Paul Mollica reported last summer on Chowhound (here) that Leonidas in the Bank of America building was offering Al Gelato gelato. (Again, not sure if this holds true in the winter.)

Amata

Gourmand
728 S. Dearborn
312 427-2610

Printers Roast Cafe
47 W. Polk (Dearborn Station)
312 461-0030

Canady le Chocolatier
824 S. Wabash
312 212-1270

Leonidas
231 S La Salle St
312 251-8850

Marble Slab enjoyed great success in Houston in the 80's such that patrons regularly ordered the ice cream "base" plain. I liked them well enough, but I don't know how the northern franchises compare, or, for that matter, if the Texas Marble Slabs remain consistent. I'm amused that Cold Stone beat Marble Slab to the punch in Chicago. Regardless, I'd attempt any mom n pop ice cream shop before patronizing a chain.
Cincinnati's Graeter's is exemplary, combining artisan quality with corporate expansion. This observation leads me to offer the apparent "training" of Cold Stone employees repulses me more than the possibly lackluster ice cream. Has anyone tried the Chicago Marble Slabs?

Canady usually offers about a half-dozen artisanal gelati--rich, creamy, not inexpensive. Not surprisingly, the chocolate flavors are usually the best. Stop by. It's a wonderful addition to the area, and the truffles are inspiring.

As a native, I have never been all that much a fan of Graeter's Ice Cream. If I wanted premium ice cream, I went to Aglemesis Bros. on Madison Road right off Oakley Square.

And for a non-premium, reasonably priced ice cream, you can do a whole lot worse than the United Dairy Farmers. I will say that the UDF stores outside the Cincinnati area - especially the poor excuses in the Cleveland area - are to be avoided.

I have eaten at Nam Viet three or four times and have been always very happy with the food. Is it trailblazing? Probably not. Is it the best in Chicago? Probably not. However, it is convenient and well prepared. It tends to be lower in fat content than a lot of other options. And the service is very friendly.

jlawrence01 wrote:As a native, I have never been all that much a fan of Graeter's Ice Cream. If I wanted premium ice cream, I went to Aglemesis Bros. on Madison Road right off Oakley Square.

I'm not sure if I ever had Graeter's in it's home city. I have fond memories of getting a scoop or two after movies at the Columbus Drexel. I used to look forward to the ice cream more than the films.

sdritz wrote:Mitchells is located on Dixie Highway in Homewood.

Here's the address:

Mitchell's Ice Cream
18211 Dixie Hwy., Homewood
708-799-3835

Apparently, they were also featured in a Hungry Hound report last May.

I am SO interested in trekking down to all of these south, south ice cream places. Mitchell's, Gayety, Plush Horse, that place in Chicago Heights mentioned above (that's a new one for me) etc., plus perhaps there is some good espresso down there.

Right now, I think the VI family is free this saturday. Is anyone interested in trying a bunch of ice cream out of our normal ranges? I think I might combine it with a trip to Teibels in Scherville, IN that's a place that always intrigued me too.

I'm not 100% positive if I am free, but if so, any other takers? If I know I am free, I will re-post on events.

Rob

Excerpt from Consumer Reports's results:

The sum of a Cold Stone creation was better than its parts. Tasted plain, the chain's vanilla and chocolate ice creams were definitely not as good as those from Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's, and not quite as good as those from Baskin-Robbins. Cold Stone's ice cream was gummy and fairly mild-flavored. Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's ice creams were creamier, with higher-quality flavors. The Quick Ratings, below, gives the details.

With mix-ins, Cold Stone's taste improved dramatically. Freshly added fruit and nuts masked defects in texture and added complexity.

The bottom line

Skip Cold Stone if you don't want mix-ins. If you want good-tasting unadorned ice cream, you'll be better off at Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's, as the Quick Ratings show.

Bring your wallet. Ounce for ounce, Cold Stone costs about as much as Baskin-Robbins, and less than Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's. But that 6-ounce cup costs around $3.50 (including the first mix-in), making each individual serving more expensive than the others. If your group orders four small cups with one mix-in each, you'll shell out more than $14.

Bring your appetite. Cold Stone's smallest serving size weighs 6 ounces before mix-ins are added. That's at least 50 percent more than the other chains (see Quick Ratings).

I've done head to head vanilla blind taste tests on Dreamery, HD, B&J, Cold Stone, Breyer's, and a local brand, Tillamook. HD has an excellent texture and with other flavors, they can be great. And they don't use any stabilizers. It's just ice cream. But their vanilla has a very weird flavor. When Cook's Illustrated did a taste test they noticed it, too. CR has always given HD high marks for the vanilla, however, which makes them suspect in my mind.

I think the problem that many people have with Cold Stone is the gooiness.

For me HD has always been just slightly too rich for my taste. They cross the butterfat threashold AFAIK. Although I really don't like Cold Stone at all, HD doesn't do it for me, either. Lately (and these favorites change periodically), my faves have been Margie's (Is it still hoimemade? I'm not sure, but I like it), Oberweiss (I love the simplicity of their vanilla) and The Chocolate Shoppe (maybe the atmosphere and the proximity to my house has something to do with that).

Vital Information wrote:

sdritz wrote:Mitchells is located on Dixie Highway in Homewood.

Here's the address:

Mitchell's Ice Cream
18211 Dixie Hwy., Homewood
708-799-3835

Apparently, they were also featured in a Hungry Hound report last May.

I am SO interested in trekking down to all of these south, south ice cream places. Mitchell's, Gayety, Plush Horse, that place in Chicago Heights mentioned above (that's a new one for me) etc., plus perhaps there is some good espresso down there.

Right now, I think the VI family is free this saturday. Is anyone interested in trying a bunch of ice cream out of our normal ranges? I think I might combine it with a trip to Teibels in Scherville, IN that's a place that always intrigued me too.

I'm not 100% positive if I am free, but if so, any other takers? If I know I am free, I will re-post on events.

Rob

OK, No can do for Saturday, but some time in the near future, especially when it gets a bit warmer, I'm gonna do this ice-cream-athon.

Rob

Baskin Robbins is featuring my favorite flavor, Strawberry Shortcake--but only until April 30. If you like the Good Humor bar, you'll love this: Vanilla ice cream with shortcake pieces swirled with a strawberry ribbon.

http://www.baskinrobbins.com/treats/flavor_month.shtml

David Hammond wrote:At Starbucks, I cannot bring myself to use their idiosyncratic system of size descriptions; I just say (at those rare times I'm in Starbucks) "small," "medium" or "large." The baristas, no, make that "counter people," always know what I mean.

And then when I go into Caribou and ask for a Grande they get po'd like when you call the second wife by the first wife's name.

Anyway, that made me think of this that I wrote many moons ago.

I tried Marble Slab a couple of years ago in East Lansing, MI and was kind of repulsed by the unnaturally pliant texture of the ice cream (a necessity for the mix-ins, I assume). There's something unnatural about that stuff.

And I'm definitely for an ice-cream-a-thon when the weather's warmer, especially taking in some places far south like Gayety, though I think it needs some real food worked in too or else it will become a puke-a-thon.

Mike G wrote:I tried Marble Slab a couple of years ago in East Lansing, MI and was kind of repulsed by the unnaturally pliant texture of the ice cream (a necessity for the mix-ins, I assume). There's something unnatural about that stuff.

I'm sure my memories of Marble Slab, much like my memories of Larry Cohen's cinematic sludge, wouldn't stand up to a stringent reviewing now some 20-odd years later.

I also forgot about the place with Edy's on Clark street.

What about all those places on the east coast (in college towns, in the 80s) that had mix ins - it was a name like JK Sweet's but maybe it was Thomas Sweet's?

Hi all--

One place I know of with mix-ins was Herrell's in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA). This was the early 90s and they called them smoosh-ins, if I recall. My usual was to get strawberries smooshed into raspberry sorbet and then sit in the old vault (since the store occupied part of a former bank). I tried Cold Stone while in San Diego last week and was not particularly impressed, certainly not at the price they were charging.

Cambridge, MA, was and still is an ice-cream lover's mecca, by the way, between Herrell's and Steve's (two small chains both founded by Steve Herrell), Christina's in Inman Square, and Toscanini's, both near MIT and now in Harvard Square. Steve's may no longer have a Harvard square location, but I;m pretty sure the others are all in business.

Harvard

Maple Leaf wrote:Hi all--

One place I know of with mix-ins was Herrell's in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA). This was the early 90s and they called them smoosh-ins, if I recall. My usual was to get strawberries smooshed into raspberry sorbet and then sit in the old vault (since the store occupied part of a former bank). I tried Cold Stone while in San Diego last week and was not particularly impressed, certainly not at the price they were charging.

Cambridge, MA, was and still is an ice-cream lover's mecca, by the way, between Herrell's and Steve's (two small chains both founded by Steve Herrell), Christina's in Inman Square, and Toscanini's, both near MIT and now in Harvard Square. Steve's may no longer have a Harvard square location, but I;m pretty sure the others are all in business.

Harvard

I can remember getting ice cream with mix-in's at Steve's in Boston as early as the mid 70's. Right after the reincarnation of Faneul (sp) Hall. At the time, I thought it was the third best ice cream I had ever had in my life.

The definitive comment on Larry Cohen's movies was that of the legendary producer Samuel Z. Arkoff to Roger Ebert, about a movie called Q which Arkoff produced and Cohen directed. (It concerns a Quetzalcoatl, the Mayan bird-like or pterodactyl-like deity, plucking people off of rooftops in Manhattan.) Ebert said "Isn't it remarkable that there's this funny, naturalistic performance by Michael Moriarty in the middle of all that dreck?" and Arkoff replied, "The dreck was my idea."

[insert relevance to ice cream discussion here]