ne of the best parts of summer? Ice cream. Whether you like it in a cone or a cup; plain or covered in toppings; or chocolate or vanilla, it’s the most perfect treat for scorching days (or any day, really). Surreal Creamery has the goods, too: this shop on Hillcrest doles out their desserts in Mason jars. We’d recommend the “It’s Your Birthday” even if it’s not: it’s a sweet mix of strawberry ice cream, Fruity Pebbles, strawberry syrup, and rainbow sprinkles. The Matcha Made in Heaven is a cloud of match ice cream, Lucky Charms, and caramel syrup. They also serve up floteas (bubble tea and ice cream combos), bubble tea, cups and cones, and milkshakes. Hypnotic Emporium Ice Cream in East Dallas is open until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays for those late- night cravings and offers a wide selection of seasonal flavors, including peach cobbler, lime sherbet, water- melon sorbet, and banana cream pie. The shop itself is spacious with retro ice-cream counter touches, making it the perfect summer hangout. Parlor’s Handcrafted Ice Creams, located in the Hillside Village Shopping Center, is serving delicious farm-to-scoop ice cream featuring nostalgic flavors. All made in-house, their small batch scratch-made ice cream mix consists of local grass-fed milk, cream and pasture-raised eggs. Come cool down this summer with a scoop from Parlor’s! Howdy Homemade is one of those shops that just makes you feel good—ice cream notwithstanding. The Dallas-based creamery not only churns out some of the best ice cream flavors in these parts (includ- ing Dr. Pepper Chocolate Chip, salted caramel, and rotating features like the Happily Ever Banana), but it also focuses on inclusivity in hiring: the store is staffed by teens and adults with intellectual disabilities. It’s a cheerful dessert oasis on Inwood; a definite must for your summer treat circuit. This lower Greenville destination is pure summer bliss: Botolino Gelato Artigianale features made-from- scratch gelato, cakes (including a to-die-for pistachio cake), fancy sundaes (like the Bourbon & Bourbon, piled with Madagascar vanilla gelato and a home- made bourbon sauce), and a coffee affogato (your choice of gelato floating in espresso and coffee li- queur). Melt Ice Cream is premium small-batch ice cream and pops with creative flavor combinations; treat yourself to seasonal faves like the sweet dulce le leche with toasted pistachios and strawberry swirl, or the limit- ed-time-only Arnold Palmer pop—a combination of sweet tea and lemonade. If you don’t catch one of those ephemeral varieties, no worries—standard va- nilla and chocolate are more than enough to satisfy your ice cream needs. O Parlor’s Handcrafted Ice Creams I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM 14 DALLAS OBSERVER • SUMMER GUIDE 2023
