Izzy's Ice Cream

Out on Marshall Avenue of St. Paul there is a place. It is a happy place, despite the bustle and commotion within.

On Marshall Ave. is a small store named Izzy's Ice Cream. From the outside it does not look like much, in fact it is quite easy to miss if you are driving by, especially at night. On a weekday, when they are not busy, someone new to the establishment would wonder why there are so many tables and chairs lined outside the store. Also there is the smell of waffles.

The rest of the time they wonder how they will get past all the people who are either eating or attempting to purchase their delicious, delicious product.

Inside the place looks like a bit of a dive, although the place shows signs of painting and other maintenance one can tell it is an older building. Poorly planned architecture cordons off a small section of tightly-packed tables from the long ice cream freezer. This leaves only a few feet for customers to move around the store until they get to the very back with the frozen cakes. When the store is busy (almost always) there is just enough room for one line of people to advance towards the cash register and another line of people to work their way to the back to queue up.

Outside there is at least a chair to sit in, usually.

All of this is incidental. It really doesn't matter. In fact, it could be several times worse and it would be worth coming to Izzy's Ice Cream. They could even have a small man yell obscene things about my mother at me and I would return undaunted.

First and foremost, Izzy's manufactures their own waffle cones, and puts one of those big malted milk balls in the bottom to hold in molten ice cream. They are delicious. Slightly less noteworthy compared to wafflecones, Izzy's produces its own ice cream, keeping perhaps 20 flavors on hand at any time to be scooped fresh. I do not know exactly how many flavors they sell because I am too busy attempting to cope with selecting from their exotic variety to try to count. Alongside traditional chocolate and vanilla are flavors like Norwegian Chai, Cream Cheese, Guinness, and Basil. (For those of you who care they also serve sorbet and frozen yogurt.) This selection also changes regularly. Amazingly, the ice-creamists that run the business perform the miracle of making the ice cream genuinely taste like the flavor it is named after with remarkable precision.

To top it all off, literally, you get to choose an extra free scoop, called the "Izzy Scoop," of any flavor you want. This is a small scoop that lets you sample from their unusual selection, so next time you know if flavors like cantaloupe or umaru will be worth a full scoop of your time when you return. You will return, so this is good to know.

The flavors are rich, the ice is creamy, and the prices are reasonable. My only warning, for the gastronomically faint of heart, is get a single scoop, because a double is a lot of unbelievably delicious ice cream to eat at once.

Atmosphere: Meh
Food: Yes! Until I burst!
Service: They go as fast as they can.
Website: www.izzysicecream.com

Addition: Also, they have thing think called a "Dizzy Izzy" which is five little scoops of any flavor. It is freaking awesome too.