Have you heard of Steve's ice cream? If you've lived around here for a long time, you may know it. The original Steve's ice cream opened in Davis Square in 1973 but was sold in 1977 and eventually closed in the late 1990s. I've only lived around here since 2006, so I missed the original Steve's. Lucky for me though, after all these years, Steve's is finally returning to Somerville! And to celebrate, Steve's and Taza Chocolate threw an ice cream party last night.
(Note from Steve's ice cream's PR rep: "This new rendition of Steve's has been launched by David Stein who used to scoop ice cream at one of the original Steve's in Boston when he was in college. Dave learned to do expert Mix-Ins and how to make Steve’s ice cream by hand in the original Steve's store. Ever since, he’s dreamed of recreating the excitement that was unique to Steve’s -- the lines around the block, the wild flavor creations and the sheer joy of ice cream Steve’s inspired.")
This was no random pairing. Steve's believes in using the best ingredients and knowing where those ingredients come from to make the best ice cream, so Taza chocolate can be found in many of Steve's flavors. (This philosophy extends to all of Steve's small batch ice cream flavors, from the mix-ins to the dairy products used to make the ice cream.)
Last night I was lucky enough to sample a few different flavors of Steve's, as well as munch on some Taza chocolates and sip on a Dark Russian Cocktail. I also got to catch up with Elizabeth, Aimee, Fiona, Melissa, Pam, and Shelby.
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| Noah from Steve's mixes up some Dark Russian Cocktails |
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| Dark Russian Cocktail Strong and chocolatey! |
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| Mint Cacao Chip This is one of Steve's nondairy flavors made with coconut creme. It was smooth, creamy, and minty! |
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| Mexican Chili Chocolate This had a nice bit of heat from Taza's gaujillo chile chocolate. |
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| Salty Caramel ice cream sundae After taking a bite of this, my first thought was this is salty, in a good way. |
After we had filled up on ice cream and Dark Russian Cocktails, it was time to head out. Steve's and Taza made sure we got a little something to take home with us too -- some Steve's chocolate sauce made with Taza chocolate.
I'm so excited that Steve's has returned to the area and that I got a chance to try so many interesting ice cream flavors. We have a lot of great ice cream shops around here, but there's always room for one more -- especially one that puts so much focus on flavor and ingredients. For now, you'll be able to find pints of Steve's at the Taza Chocolate Factory Store and eventually at Whole Foods.
(Note from Steve's ice cream's PR rep: "As far as retail locations, we're focused on getting the two stores in NYC/Brooklyn open before we head to Boston/Somerville -- but we'd love to be there one day in the future.")
Thank you to everyone at Steve's and Taza for throwing such a great party and introducing me to Steve's ice cream.
What Steve's ice cream flavor sounds the most intriguing to you?