Adrianne B.
Yelp
Furniture City Creamery is a new and welcome addition to the East Hills area of Cherry St. When I heard they served up homemade, small batch ice creams in unique favors, I knew I needed to stop by and give them a taste.
My 4 yr old and I made a special trip to the Creamery on a weekday mid-afternoon. We were able to get a parking space directly out front, but I imagine parking would be harder to come by in the evenings and on weekends. The hanging sign out front is adorable, with an overstuffed chair made to resemble a scoop of ice cream on a cone: clever. The interior is very small as about half the space is devoted to the counter and open kitchen. There were about a dozen flavors available and the friendly staff offered samples. The flavors were marked on the dipping case as to which were gluten free &/or vegan. I sampled the Mojito, a bright, refreshing, and well-balanced flavor with grated lime rind. My daughter chose the Strawberry Lemonade which was a nice mix of tart and sweet while somehow managing to be a tad creamy!
Spying the Van's Donuts flavor which I just knew was a must-try, I wondered aloud what to pair it with and the staff member suggested the Madcap Coffee. Of course!
Van's Donuts has a nice sweet vanilla base (almost akin to 'cake batter') with decent-sized hunks of donut that hold up in texture and composition very well in the ice cream. It also contains sprinkles (for the donut) which I personally could do without. Madcap Coffee contained ground coffee and had a bold, roasted finish. The two flavors complimented one another perfectly.
When we arrived, we were the only customers. As we ate, the store filled up with a gaggle of fellow treat-seekers and became crowded. The store's set-up could certainly be problematic with a rush; if you enter from the front, you first encounter the register and the dipping cabinet is in the back. Space gets pretty tight back there with a few customers in front of the case ordering and sampling. Perhaps encouraging customers to enter from the rear (which is handicap accessible and also boasts a quaint patio) would provide a logical scoop-and-pay flow during busy times.
Furniture City Creamery's Facebook page has daily flavor updates and info about special events. We will definitely be back to enjoy some more delicious ice cream-- hopefully they will have the Carrot Cake flavor that piqued my interest! Having lived in Columbus, OH, the unofficial ice cream capital of the Midwest, I can say that this place holds its own against the artisanal, local, and non-traditional flavored goodness of a shop like Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. I look forward to Furniture City Creamery's offerings throughout the year!