Philly Has The Scoop This Summer

PHILADELPHIA, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A Philly summertime favorite, water ice is just the tip of the frozen dessert scene in a city where artisan purveyors, trendy restaurateurs and brilliant pastry chefs are reimagining the possibilities for ice cream, popsicles, shakes and sundaes. From the just-opened Shake Shack (replete with locally themed shakes) to the artisan vegan ice cream sold from Little Baby's tricycle to a dip-your-own popsicle in chocolate fondue, there are all sorts of ways to get and stay cool in Philly this summer.

For a full look at Philly's best summer events, treats and must-dos, check out uwishunu.com's Summer Guide, available today, at uwishunu.com/summer. In the meantime, here's a look at a few of the sweet treats that promise to tempt taste buds as the temperatures rise:

* Note: Unless otherwise noted, locations are in Philadelphia.

Shake It Up, Baby:

• New York-based chain Shake Shack is celebrating its inaugural summer in Philadelphia. Their ever-popular frozen custard (vanilla, chocolate and a flavor of the day) is served up in cup, cone or shake form, the latter offering flavors like vanilla, chocolate, caramel, black and white, strawberry and peanut butter. Those who really want to splurge can indulge in the Center City Pretzel concoction, made with vanilla custard, soft pretzel, caramel and marshmallow sauces and bananas. 2000 Sansom Street, (215) 809-1742, shakeshack.com/location/philadelphia
• Sure, people visit Franklin Square's Square Burger for the burgers, but the Cake Shake (Butterscotch Krimpets, caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream) and monthly selections like the Strawberry Shortcake Shake are what keep them coming back. 200 N. 6^th Street, (215) 629-4026
• Media's Front Street Fountain is a new but old-fashioned addition to the shake scene, serving up drugstore favorites like egg creams, root-beer floats and all manner of shakes, from the Tootsie Roll (chocolate ice cream and orange sherbet) to the Elvis (vanilla ice cream with peanut butter, bananas and bacon). 1 W. Front Street, Media, (610) 565-4130, frontstreetfountain.com
• A burger truck that frequents Love Park, Greensgrow Farm and the Headhouse and Chestnut Hill farmers' markets, Lucky Old Souls serves up a killer milkshake with Bassett's ice cream, It's available in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry (with or without malt) and specialty flavors such as maple black pepper and salted caramel. luckyoldsoul.weebly.com
• A chocolate bar/dessert lounge is an ideal spot for sophisticated milkshakes, and Queen Village's Golosa obliges with 13 varieties—all chocolate—with accent flavors such as lavender, orange and pink pepper. They also allow patrons to bring their own libations to spike shakes as desired. 806 S. 6^th Street, (215) 925-1003, golosacafe.com

Hand-Dipped Flavors:

• A mobile truck offering small-batch ice cream treats, Zsa's sells maple toffee graham, cinnamon, lemon buttermilk, peanut butter and other flavors by the cup, by the pint or sandwiched in between home-baked cookies. @zsas_ice_cream
• Super premium ice cream made from local ingredients is the specialty at Little Baby's, which offers creative concoctions such as birch-beer vanilla, cardamom caramel and vegan Earl Grey sriracha from its customized tricycles, at Union Transfer, local retailers, and soon, from a bricks-and-mortar shop. (215) 694-9069, littlebabysicecream.com
• The elder statesman of the local artisan scene, Capogiro has a national reputation for its excellent gelato and sorbets in flavors such as blueberries and cream, chai tea, Nutella and single-malt scotch. Various storefront locations in Philadelphia. capogirogelato.com
• A new location in Bryn Mawr has stepped up the game for Conshohocken staple Scoops, which serves both classic (cookies and cream; mint chocolate chip) and innovative (thin-mint crunch, birthday cake) hand-dipped ice creams. 515 Fayette Street, Conshohocken, (610) 828-1413; 1000 Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, (484) 380-2443, scoopsicecreamshops.com

On A Stick:

• West Philly's brand-new Lil' Pop Shop wows 'em with artisan popsicles in surprising combinations: goat cheese and cherry, mango sriracha, strawberry rhubarb lemonade and vegan avocado coconut. 265 S. 44^th Street, (215) 222-5829
• There are more than 50 flavors of homemade ice cream at Kennett Square's Mexican heladeria, La Michoacana, but the sweet rice, cucumber and chile, cantaloupe and tamarind paletas (also known as popsicles) are a special treat. 231 E. State Street, Kennett Square,
  (610) 444-2996, lamichoacanaicecream.com
• The Fantastic Popsicle Chocolate Fondue at Max Brenner's Center City café is a revelation: a vanilla ice cream bar is served with a side of chocolate fondue, chocolate wafer balls and candied hazelnut bits for self-serve dipping. 1500 Walnut Street, (215) 344-8150, maxbrenner.com

Yo, Fro Yo:

• As Philly's first self-serve frozen yogurt truck, the aptly named Gozen allows patrons to choose between eight flavors (tart, cake batter, blueberry açai and cappuccino, to name a few) and sprinkle their cups with fresh fruit and other goodies. gozenyogurt.com
• With locations on Rittenhouse Square and Market East, Yogorino has the tart fro-yo field covered and decorated with quality toppings such as Toblerone syrup, chopped hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds. 1205 Walnut Street, (215) 238-2669; 233 S. 20^th Street, (267) 639-5287, yogorino.com
• The recently opened Old City Frozen Yogurt offers self-serve probiotic, fat-free delights in flavors such as coconut, pomegranate-raspberry and no-sugar-added chocolate. 229 Market Street, (215) 625-0500, sweettartsmart.com
• Whirled Peace brings an eco-minded sensibility to dessert, with a biodiesel-fueled delivery truck and a portion of the proceeds donated to philanthropic causes. Meanwhile, the recycled cups filled with snickerdoodle, lychee, frozen apple pie and taro yogurts make giving back fun. 111 E. Lancaster Avenue, Paoli, (484) 318-7735, whirledpeacefroyo.com
• Taking its health-conscious credentials seriously, Yogo Sano proclaims that its USDA-certified organic frozen yogurt—available in regular, tart and a changing daily flavor—is probiotic, hormone-free and gluten-free. 1 West Avenue, Wayne, (484) 580-8205, yogosano.com

Soft Serve & Sundaes:

• The old-timey scoopers at Franklin Fountain sure know how to build a sundae—take, for instance, the Franklin Mint (mint chip and vanilla ice creams with chocolate syrup marshmallow glaze and crème de menthe) or the Southern Sympathizer (rum raisin and pistachio ice creams with pecans, pistachios, hot caramel and praline brittle). 116 Market Street, (215) 627-1899, franklinfountain.com
• Marc Vetri's Italian beer bar Alla Spina stays traditional with its chocolate sundae made with fried bananas and maple wet walnuts, but the menu of soft serve and beer affogatos is a revelation. 1410 Mount Vernon Street, (215) 600-0017, allaspinaphilly.com
• Fairmount's La Calaca Feliz dresses up its sundae in wonderfully modern Mexican flavors: a brownie is topped with peanut caramel popcorn and churros ice cream. 2321 Fairmount Avenue, (215) 787-9930, lacalacafeliz.com
• Sampan delivers the contemporary soft-serve trend to Philly in a changing roster of quirky varieties such as strawberry waffle, vanilla graham cracker and Chocolate Cheerios. 124 S. 13^th Street, (215) 732-3501, sampanphilly.com

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside^® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit visitphilly.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

SOURCE Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation