Ice Cream Chronicles (Year 3): My Name Is Joe, and I Love Ice Cream

Joe Biden goes down on some scoops of ice cream recently at the
Jeni's Ice Cream location at Columbus' North Market
(photo source: businessinsider.com)

"Hi, I'm Joe Biden, and I love ice cream."

This simple statement made my heart go a flutter, knowing that the Vice-President and I share two things: the same first name and a love of ice cream. A bonus cherry on top for the love of Columbus-area ice cream, as demonstrated last week with his trip to Jeni's for a waffle cone and a couple scoops.

Of course, I have nowhere near the personal cachet as the Veep, but I choose to ignore that factor in issuing this invite to Joe to join me for ice cream.  Heck, I'll even pay for that sweet treat - just give me the word Joe, and we're all set.

And while I would prefer it to be in the state of Ohio (we have plenty of awesome ice cream candidates here), I am willing to take it on the road, as my spouse and I did not too long ago. Maybe these two places will whet the Veep's appetite:

How about Amy's, the long-time Austin, Texas based institution?  Started in 1984 by Amy Simmons, this ice cream shop with an attitude was inspired by her employment at Steve's Ice Cream in Massachusetts, a creamery that specialized in mix-ins in their premium-made ice creams (for reference purposes, the more well-known Cold Stone Creamery started up their version of the concept in 1989.) After Steve's was sold to corporate interests, Simmons took this general concept and wanted to find a city that would allow her to blend in a large dose of community involvement. Lucky for Austin natives, she determined their city would be perfect spot, and Amy's hasn't looked back ever since.

While Austin would be more along Mr. Biden's political leanings, I would say we should hit up Amy's lone Houston location and have a VP confab with the elder Bush. If we needed to loosen things up a bit via a little alcoholic persuasion, flavors like the Grand Marnier or Fuzzy Navel (with some true to life spirits mixed in) will do the trick just fine.

We can offer up the Veep two big thumbs up on the coffee (my spouse was a believer in the flavor after her first sampling some two decades or so ago) as well as their famed Mexican Vanilla...or 3x Mexican Vanilla. This blend warmed my true vanilla fiend heart all the way to Madagascar and beyond. Supplement  the scoops with any one or more of 30 add-ins, and I think my fellow Joe will be beaming so much joy that the halls of Congress will forever more work together for the common good.

(Okay, ice cream is not that powerful, but one can dream, right?)

Or perhaps the Music City is more of Joe's style. In that case, I might recommend a meet up with a man named Mike.

Just now reaching its 14th birthday, Mike's shop offers a quaint and cozy experience for the downtown Nashville visitor. After being greeted by mocked up ice-cream themed set pieces in front, tin-pressed ceiling tiles and reminders of the shop's soda fountain days offer eye candy for those who wade through the often long but quick-moving queue.

Of course, if the Veep wants a less touristy experience, we can always opt for Mike's sister location in the Sip Cafe, which caters more toward everyday residents on the more northern reaches of the city.

Aside from the ice cream, visitors can avail themselves with a serving of the cafe's French press brewed coffee and catch little hints of the building's past as a financial institution.

The ice cream itself? Definitely of the old school high butterfat, tongue-coating variety, well-made with no signs of ice crystals. No government association nor ATM bank card needed to enjoy some of this frozen delight.

Amy's Ice Cream
3816 Farnham St (Google Maps)
Houston, TX 77098
(713) 526-2697
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Mike's Ice Cream and Coffee Bar
208 Broadway (Google Maps)
Nashville, TN 37201
(615) 742-6453
-and-
Sip Cafe
3939 Gallatin Pike (Google Maps)
Nashville, TN 37216
(615) 499-4137
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