New England Banana Split Authority

The To-Do List

2006-09-09T22:10:00.000-04:00

Anyone interested in suggesting a creamery or ice cream shop, please do so here. This is my current to-do list:

Bedford Farms (Bedford, MA)
Beezers (Northborough, MA) - visited 4/30
Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium (Falmouth, MA)
Ben & Jerry's (Burlington, VT)
Bubbling Brook (Westwood, MA)
Cabot's (Newtonville, MA) - visited 5/20
Cherry Farm (Danvers, MA)
Christina's (Cambridge, MA)
Crescent Ridge (Sharon, MA)
Emack & Bolio's (Brookline, MA)
England's MicroCreamery (Haverhill, MA)
Erikson's Dairy (Maynard, MA)
Four Seas (Centerville, MA) - visited 8/19
Friendly's (Springfield, MA)
Gifford's (Waterville, ME)
Herrell's (Cambridge, MA)
Hodgie's (Amesbury, MA)
Ice Cream Machine (Cumberland, RI) - visited 8/12
J.P. Licks (Jamaica Plain, MA)
Kimball Farm (Westford, MA) - visited 4/15 and visited 8/27
Lizzy's (Waltham, MA)
Peaceful Meadows (Whitman, MA)
Pirate's Cove (Northbridge, MA) - visited 8/6
Rancatore's (Belmont, MA)
Richardson's (Middleton, MA)
Ron’s Gourmet Ice Cream & 20th Century Bowling (Hyde Park, MA)
Rota Spring Farm (Sterling, MA)
Shain's of Maine (Sanford, ME)
Steve's (Boston, MA)
Sunshine Farm (Sherborn, MA)
Toscanini's (Cambridge, MA)
Uhlman's (Westborough, MA)
West End (Whitinsville, MA) - visited 6/11
White Farms (Ipswich, MA)

New England Confectionery Company

2006-08-28T22:01:00.000-04:00

Necco is more than 50 years older than the banana split. But these intensely fake-banana-flavored chews can't have more than 50 seconds of research and development. They're related to ice cream sundaes in name only and should have been called "Super Artificial Banana Bombs."
5 oz. for $1.49.

Kimball Farm II: Electric Boogaloo

2006-08-27T15:38:00.000-04:00

Full review coming soon.

The rematch.

Revenge is mine!

Four Seas

2006-08-19T16:42:00.000-04:00

When choosing a beach at Cape Cod, one should always consider its proximity to Four Seas. What are the 4 C's, you ask? Creative flavors, Creamy texture, Convivial atmosphere, and Charming decor.
Banana split: $6.25

Four Seas has seating for 30 and 100 parking spaces. The lunch counter serves as a protective barrier, keeping the mob of customers from successfully storming the kitchen.

Four Seas is the first place I've been with a Subway-type approach to banana-split creation. Instead of taking my order all at once, it was a series of questions at different building stages. Ice cream flavors? Toppings? Would you like marshmallow as well? Whipped cream? Nuts? Pecans, walnuts, or almonds?

Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla Chai with peanut butter, strawberries, and hot fudge, marshmallow, whipped cream, and nuts (pecans). The ice cream could have benefitted from a chilled dish in their fight against the warm toppings I'd chosen. The whipped cream was rich, hearty, and delicious. The Vanilla Chai is perhaps the best ice cream flavor I've ever had. It was instantly addicting. After finishing the sundae, I considered getting a cone, but my wife dissuaded me. (I should note that she wouldn't share her Vanilla Chai cone with me.) Bottom line: The only thing that would have made this better is a second serving.

Ice Cream Machine

2006-08-12T13:37:00.000-04:00

Just a few miles from the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, this unassuming shop sits right across the street from Diamond Hill State Park. It's no more than a walk-up counter and picnic tables, but I didn't come for the architecture.
Banana split: $6.59

The praise I'd read about Ice Cream Machine had my spirits high. With a multitude of unique flavors, I had to work them into my banana split. I got Grape Nut, Raspberry Truffle, and Chocolate M&M topped with peanut butter, hot fudge, and marshmallow, whipped cream, nuts, and cherries. The conservative portion was a bit dwarfed by the whipped cream, but supplimented nicely by the ice cream's excellent flavor and texture.

Pirate's Cove

2006-08-06T19:10:00.000-04:00

Pirate's Cove has a lot of character. This roadside stand in Northbridge, MA is painted in bright blue and yellow. The menu items are featured on the awning. It should be noted that there's very little distinctly "pirate" or "cove" about it.
Banana split: $4.95

Are those coffee beans or Sugar Smacks? While I suppose there are worse things to treasure, it's just not what I expected from this particular pirate.

This banana split is about as traditional as it gets: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry with pineapple, chocolate sauce, and strawberry sauce, topped with whipped cream, cherries, and nuts. However, the construction was unique in that the banana was laid flat on the bottom of the container. Amazingly, this is the first time I've had pineapple on a banana split this summer. Though Pirate's Cove proudly boasted the use of Hershey's Ice Cream, I found it to be rather mediocre. It tasted mass produced. The vanilla was disappointingly French (you know, the yellow kind made with egg yolks) and the pineapple was candied and overly sweet. Everything else was good, but nothing great. Just good. Next time, I'm going to order a small cone.

West End

2006-06-11T17:59:00.000-04:00

The view of Blackstone River Valley from West End Creamery is amazing.

There is a hill behind the building that opens to a large grassy field adjacent to Swans Pond. There are picnic tables near the water and the trees nearby provide ample shade.

I had a lot of fun running around and kicking a ball with my son. The highlight of his day was being able to pet some horses that happened to pass through.

Oh, yeah. West End Creamery serves sub-par banana splits: upside down banana, too much whipped cream, fake vanilla flavor, and so on. Too bad. I'd had my hopes up for this place.

Sponsorship

2006-05-23T09:30:00.000-04:00

Allow me to take this time to invite all willing parties to sponsor my endeavor. Your ice cream shop could be my next blog entry. Just send me an e-mail using the link at My Profile.

The fine folks at Cabot's sent me this promotional picture of their Traditional Banana Boat. Although the construction slightly differs from the banana split I was served, it is certainly equal in splendor. Unfortunately, this is probably the closest I'll come to a free sundae.

Cabot's

2006-05-20T17:56:00.000-04:00

I know that it's been a long time since my last post. However, Cabot's marks a triumphant return. This '50's-style diner provided ample cover from the rain that prevented me from making banana-split excursions for the last few weeks.
Traditional Banana Boat: $6.59. (For $8.99, they double the portion.)

True to form, I substituted a peanut butter topping for the pineapple topping listed in their menu. I appreciate that substance was not sacrificed for style. If all of the ingredients don't fit in the dish, just pretend like they do. Thus far unique to Cabot's is the distribution of toppings over all three ice cream flavors.

The service at Cabot's was friendly and thorough. The hustle-and-bustle diner atmosphere disappeared with the welcoming patience of the wait staff. The chilled metal dish provided firm ice cream to the last bite. The abundance of whipped cream served as a pleasingly smooth and sweet contrast to the full, rich flavors of the ice cream. My only complaint is that the frozen strawberries in the strawberry ice cream conflicted with the tender strawberries in the strawberry topping. Okay, so I'm being picky. This sundae was just short of perfect. Perhaps next time, I'll attack their Jumbo Version. In the picture below, my Banana Split Apprentice is hard at work.

Turkey Hill

2006-05-01T21:07:00.000-04:00

I know that it is a little early for a departure from the actual goal of this blog, but when I saw this on sale at the grocery store, I just couldn't resist. In general, I like Turkey Hill ice cream. This one, however, is a bit contrived.
Banana Split Premium Ice Cream: $2.99/1.75 quarts (on sale).

The texture was smooth and satisfying. But the banana ice cream tasted artificial, kind of like banana Runts. Ultimately, this is just glorified Neapolitan.

Beezers

2006-04-30T18:47:00.000-04:00

Nestled on the tight corner of Main St. & E. Main St. in Northborough, Beezers (not possessive) is essentially a snack bar on a parking lot adjacent to a small grassy area with a half dozen picnic tables. Traditional Banana Split: $5.50.

The guy making my banana split was kind enough to let me take his picture. Please note the unique banana orientation. The sliced side is facing out! So, does that make this an inverted banana split?

Strawberry ice cream with strawberry topping, vanilla ice cream with peanut butter topping, chocolate ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, and sprinkles. All but the peanut butter is standard equipment. I could have done without the sprinkles. This sundae was far from gut-busting. I think this ice cream must be very aerated. It disappeared very quickly and easily.

Overall, this was a pretty mediocre banana split. The flavors were a little flat; the quantity was modest. Maybe I should have tried the seafood.

Kimball Farm

2006-04-15T18:00:00.000-04:00

First stop, Kimball Farm. Here, one can play miniature golf, ride bumper boats, and even pet a goat. I just came to eat ice cream. Banana Split: $5.70.

Three softball-sized scoops, three toppings, and the option of whipped cream and nuts. I opted for strawberry with strawberry topping, chocolate almond with marshmallow topping, and Grape Nut ice cream with Reese's peanut butter topping. This thing must have weighed 12 lbs.

At the first bite, the classic flavors kick started dopamine production. I knew a return visit to Kimball Farm was in the future. The Grape Nut ice cream was uniquely delicious without being weird. I'm glad I chose the peanut butter topping. Bananas and peanut butter have a magical relationship.

Alas, defeat. Dropping tempuratures and my bloated gut teamed up against me.