Never Enough Ice Cream

I once received a subscription to an ice cream of the month club, enclosed was a card that said, “To the girl who has everything, but never enough ice cream.” For three glorious months I’d salaciously rip open the box and imagine myself indulging in an especially creamy dulce de leche or a refreshing strawberry or even an exotic toasted coconut. Anyone who knows me knows that I have an unnatural love of ice cream, so just imagine my delight at having a truly original ice cream experience in my own metro-Detroit backyard. Ray’s Ice Cream, located on Coolidge Highway in Royal Oak, MI, is a refreshing alternative to an ice cream world dominated by Baskin Robbins and Coldstone Creameries. Founded in 1958, this is a full service fountain. Glancing around the parlor I can actually imagine guys in letterman sweaters sharing banana splits with their twin-set clad dates. While its old school setting is nostalgic, it is Ray’s consistently fabulous ice cream that has kept this gem of an ice cream parlor around for decades. You’ll find classics such as floats, malts and sundaes on the chalkboard written menu, but why not venture into their world of molded ice cream? The artisans at Ray’s are able to mold ice cream the way candy makers mold marzipan. You can choose from an array of flowers, fruit, holiday motifs, sailboats, and animals or if you’re feeling adventuresome, a semi-nude; just allow 7 days for all orders with more time for large orders and the holiday season. You don’t even need to be a metro Detroiter to enjoy Ray’s Ice Cream as you can place an order on their website.

If molded ice cream seems a little intense for the everyday ice cream enthusiast, just stop by for one of their heaping scoops. Even I, a self-proclaimed ice cream maven, have a hard time finishing a single scoop. Why not indulge in a bowl of Chocolate Malt Crunch, or tuck into a cone of Fat Elvis, a peanut butter and banana concoction. While every flavor is unique and fantastic, nothing can dissuade me from a scoop of Cotton Candy, a seasonal fluffy pink ice cream punctuated by a rainbow of candy coated chocolate chips. I admit that I’m the first to be skeptical of any pink ice cream that isn’t strawberry, but Ray’s creation is like no ice cream I’ve ever put in my mouth. The ice cream base is smooth and sweet and against all logic the chocolate chips don’t overwhelm the rest of the ice cream, instead adding a needed crunch to the otherwise milky ice cream. No matter your ice cream MO, this ice cream fountain leaves me wishing that I could stomach more that a single scoop.

Ray’s Ice Cream
4233 Coolidge Highway
Royal Oak, MI 48073-1698
1-888-549-5256
www.raysicecream.com