Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
There are times, during this investigation, that we think we’re searching for passenger pigeons or whooping cranes. We walk into an ice cream parlor and are greeted by a fresh-faced young person. When we ask, “What kind of ice cream sodas do you have?” we are met with blank stares, as if we just asked about their ability to diagram a sentence.
They know about root beer floats, but we don’t want a root beer float—a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a root beer. We want a chocolate soda, dark chocolate syrup mixed with a splash of milk or a teaspoon of ice cream and a squirt of sparkling water, almost like a roux. Ice cream is added, and while vanilla is popular, we prefer a contrast to chocolate.
Dr. Jazz, located at 29 North Gore in Webster Groves, has a young man named J. Julian Jordan who makes a terrific soda, squirting the sparkling water from the fountain with a perfect touch. He adds ice cream to make everything run over the top, but just a little, like a creamy beer head. Coconut Joy is a glorious addition, like a Mounds bar soda if you can get your tongue around that combination. Dark cherry ice cream’s almost as good.
They also make great sodas at Oberweis, a Chicago-based dairy and ice cream chain. Sodas are made behind a counter. We think the sparkling water comes from a bottle, but proportions are good, and butter pecan ice cream serves as an excellent contrast. Vanilla’s also rich and delicious.
We’ve now visited five local locations: Crown Candy, Dr. Jazz, Fountain on Locust, Jennifer’s, and Oberweis, with a few still to visit. Do you have a favorite? Send suggestions to feedback@stlmag.com.
