cant decide on best icecream in the parks

[bcla]

They do. Dreyers isn't premium by any definition at all. Except maybe by price or compared to even less premium brands.

We go to HDazs instead.

My comment about making ice cream for a (large) sundae was about trying to make one out of a "super premium" variety like Ben & Jerry's or Haagen Daz. They're super high calorie, kind of hard, and I'd hesitate to think how much it would cost to make something so large out of something that costs $4 a pint at a grocery store. I would literally explode trying to consume something like that. I think the types of sundaes served at Ben & Jerry's or Hagen Daz stores tend to be small. Even Cold Stone tends to be of fairly reasonable size.

Something like Dreyer's is probably good for a large sundae. That being said, I have gotten Ben & Jerry's ice cream cakes for a birthday. It was so hard coming out of the freezer and I could feel my arteries harden with every taste.

 

[disneychrista]

Since they remove the Fantasia Ice Cream....nothing.

 

[bcla]

I totally agree! A Mickey bar is just cheap chocolate and ice cream, but for some reason, it tastes fantastic at Disney! Same with churros. I don't think the Disneyland churros are actually any better than say the ones you can buy at Costco, but something about where you are eating it makes it better.

I have noticed the same phenomenon when camping. Maybe food tastes better when consumed outdoors? Or just in a gorgeous setting?

My vote goes to Ghirardelli and Mickey bars, BTW. Sorry to go off topic for a bit!

The original Ghirardelli location in San Francisco basically has a decades long reputation for large sizes at reasonable prices. i remember the last time I went there I saw large cylinders of Dreyer's being loaded into their display freezers. However, the sauces they have there are made in house, and the fudge was made on site using this huge stone wheel.

As for ice cream, sometimes what you want is comfort food. Ice cream doesn't have to be the greatest in order to be enjoyable. Is an ordinary hot dog really all that great? It is at a baseball game.

Last time I went camping, all we did for "cooking" at our site was boiling water. We made tea with teabags, made instant coffee, and used it to pour on instant noodles. Yet somehow it was great as long as we could see Half Dome (and a bear didn't disturb our meal).

There was a TV ad for the outdoor retailer REI, where there are two backpackers eating out of metal bowls and commenting to each other that it tastes really good. The voiceover says something like "Gina Smith finds that a five-star restaurant doesn't compare with a five million star restaurant. I remember eating some of the saltiest freeze-dried meals and just simply prepared mac and cheese - thinking it was great because of how hungry I was and how good a hot meal felt after munching on Clif Bars during the day.

 

[SweetAlex]

Oh no... Ice cream is my absolutely favorite snack and I had NO idea there were so many places in Disney to get it. We didn't even notice Ghiradelli's when we were there last time. I'm not going to let THAT happen again this time. A tragedy!

 

[DisneylandPlanner]

Clarabelle's Hand dipped ice cream bar, I like to mix up the sprinkles each trip

 

[Congo Queen]

I know I am in the minority on this one, but I loooove the vanilla soft serve at the Cozy Cone. It is has high quality vanilla flavor and the texture is so creamy - truly divine. It is a must-do snack for husband and I. We tried to get one for breakfast once but they didn't open until midday. (That is the sort of crazy fun sort of thing that happens at Dland - you can think it is a good idea to eat ice cream for breakfast.)

 

[bcla]

I know I am in the minority on this one, but I loooove the vanilla soft serve at the Cozy Cone. It is has high quality vanilla flavor and the texture is so creamy - truly divine. It is a must-do snack for husband and I. We tried to get one for breakfast once but they didn't open until midday. (That is the sort of crazy fun sort of thing that happens at Dland - you can think it is a good idea to eat ice cream for breakfast.)

My staple growing up was Baskin-Robbins ice cream cakes and pies for birthdays and as something that guests would bring for visits. The leftovers were often next morning's breakfast.

 

[SweetAlex]

I know I am in the minority on this one, but I loooove the vanilla soft serve at the Cozy Cone. It is has high quality vanilla flavor and the texture is so creamy - truly divine. It is a must-do snack for husband and I. We tried to get one for breakfast once but they didn't open until midday. (That is the sort of crazy fun sort of thing that happens at Dland - you can think it is a good idea to eat ice cream for breakfast.)

Dh and kids LOVE the ice cream there too. My problem is that I LOVE the pretzel bites with cheese just a teeny bit more so that always wins over the ice cream... but only at the Cozy Cone.

 

[aidansmother]

We always hit Ghirardelli, my son loves the Nob Hill Chill, DH gets a sundae of some kind. We generally pass up the other ice cream stops for other treats, but this thread may have convinced me to go with ice cream on our upcoming visit.

 

[SMD]

The original Ghirardelli location in San Francisco basically has a decades long reputation for large sizes at reasonable prices. i remember the last time I went there I saw large cylinders of Dreyer's being loaded into their display freezers. However, the sauces they have there are made in house, and the fudge was made on site using this huge stone wheel.

Ghirardelli has a plant in San Leandro where they produce their sauces. They do not make anything on site and that big stone wheel display has at least 2 signs on it saying that it is for display and not consumption. Also, the current location in Ghirardelli Square is not the original location.

 

[bcla]

Ghirardelli has a plant in San Leandro where they produce their sauces. They do not make anything on site and that big stone wheel display has at least 2 signs on it saying that it is for display and not consumption. Also, the current location in Ghirardelli Square is not the original location.

I'm probably wrong about the sauces being made on site, but they call the location "The Original Ghirardelli Chocolate Manufactory". I'm pretty sure the site of the ice cream shop has stayed at Ghirardelli Square since they first built one, although I wouldn't be surprised if the location moved around to different spots with remodeling. They do have a second location at Ghirardelli Square however.

I don't particularly think it's worth waiting in line, but it's not bad for tourists who want to soak in the surroundings.

 

[SMD]

I'm probably wrong about the sauces being made on site, but they call the location "The Original Ghirardelli Chocolate Manufactory". I'm pretty sure the site of the ice cream shop has stayed at Ghirardelli Square since they first built one, although I wouldn't be surprised if the location moved around to different spots with remodeling. They do have a second location at Ghirardelli Square however.

I don't particularly think it's worth waiting in line, but it's not bad for tourists who want to soak in the surroundings.

I like Ghirardelli Square, but if the line is long, I won't wait. I do think if you're in SF that it's worth a trip, but I'm probably a little spoiled having had several in the LA area over the years, so it's not as exciting as it was 20+ years ago to go there.

There original shop burned down in 1851, with the current location being the 3rd or 4th location. But it has been there for over 120 years. I just wouldn't want someone going there thinking they're in a 160 year old business in it's original location or something. But like I said, it's still worth the trip.

 

[bcla]

I like Ghirardelli Square, but if the line is long, I won't wait. I do think if you're in SF that it's worth a trip, but I'm probably a little spoiled having had several in the LA area over the years, so it's not as exciting as it was 20+ years ago to go there.

I grew up in the area, and frankly Ghirardelli Square is somewhat a shadow of what it once was. The place was hopping and tourists as well as locals shopped and dined there. Right now the ice cream shop is the big attraction, but the rest isn't really all that interesting. Most of the retail space was empty when it was sold to an investment company last year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...ases-ghirardelli-square-in-san-francisco.html