Revisiting Pumphouse Creamery
I visited Pumphouse Creamery, at 48th and Chicago in Minneapolis, soon after it opened, when I was pregnant with Drake. None of the flavors at that time spoke to me. I asked the person behind the counter for a recommendation; he suggested strawberry. I had high hopes of the place, since one of the Twin Cities weird strengths is awesome ice cream with fabulous flavors. (Don’t believe me? I find your lack of faith disturbing; see below*.) Pumphouse, adjacent to longtime local treasure Turtle Bread Co., and using local, organic cream and ingredients, seemed like it would be a slam dunk.
I ate the strawberry ice cream in disappointed disbelief, and raged to my husband G. Grod, “How can this ice cream be disappointing? I love ice cream even when I’m NOT pregnant! It’s local! It’s organic! It’s fresh! What’s wrong?” I ignored Pumphouse for nearly four years in favor of other local ice cream parlors*.
Last night, though, I happened to be at Turtle Bread and decided to give Pumphouse another try. Oh, happy day! Not only did many of the flavors speak to me, but they fairly started an argument over which of them I should try. In the end, I chose a double of Lemon Curd and Blueberry Buttermilk over the Cookies and Cream made with one of my favorite food groups, Newman Os. I can’t speak for what I didn’t choose, but the double scoop was a delight. Sweet blueberry enlivened with the tang of buttermilk, contrasted with the tart, creamy richness of lemon curd.
YUM. Check out Pumphouse.
*My favorite Twin Cities Awesome Independent Ice Cream parlors, and some of my favorite flavors:
Crema Cafe (Cardamom/Black Pepper)
Sebastian Joe’s–this year’s City Pages Best Ice Cream Parlor (Pavarotti: Caramel, Banana and Chocolate; Raspberry Chocolate Chip)
Izzy’s (Oh, the adorable Izzy scoop; it makes choosing both easier and harder. And the Izzy Pops! Tiny scoops of different flavors dipped in B.T. McElrath dark chocolate and put on a stick–so Minnesotan!)
Adele’s Frozen Custard (not technically ice cream, but worth the trip)