Moomer’s Homemade Ice Cream

20 09 2008
  • 7263 N. Long Lake Rd.
  • Traverse City, MI 49648
  • (231) 941-4122
  • Website
  • Menu
Moomers Homemade Ice Cream near Traverse City

Moomer's Homemade Ice Cream near Traverse City

Earlier this summer, I was watching an ABC program when I saw a promo for Good Morning America Weekend.  I usually tune out because who wants to get up early enough on a Saturday to watch GMA?  This time I paid attention.  Not because there was some important news item they were teasing.  What happened is that they were teasing the results for the voting for the Best Ice Cream Shop in the country.  The winner of that contest?  Moomer’s in Traverse City, Michigan.  Since we were planning a trip to Traverse City, we made sure that Moomer’s was on our list of places to go.

We knew while eating dinner at Boone’s Long Lake Inn (review HERE) that we needed to save room for ice cream.  Our plan was to eat dinner, grab some ice cream then head back to Grand Rapids where we were spending the night.  We both ate quite a bit at dinner, but we were not going to leave the area without a stop at the best ice cream shop in America.

Moomer’s sits on Long Lake Rd outside of Traverse City.  It’s a stand alone shop with a log cabin feel.  Even late in September at 7:00 at night, quite a few people were crowded into the shop enjoying some ice cream.  Since we were pretty full, we both went with a small serving which is one scoop in a cup. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ice Cream, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews, Traverse City

Maggie Moos Ice Cream and Treatery

18 08 2008
  • 1077 N. Wisner St.
  • Jackson, MI 49202
  • (517) 990-0579
  • Website
  • Menu
Maggie Moos Ice Cream and Treatery in Jackson

Maggie Moos Ice Cream and Treatery in Jackson

Funny story.  J and I are sitting in the press conference room at MIS waiting for Carl Edwards to come in.  By this point it had been almost six hours since we last ate.  She turned around and said she wanted a big meal, then ice cream.  I said we should go to Buffalo Barbeque Wings (review HERE) in Jackson for dinner then maybe we could search for an ice cream shop with her GPS.  We pull into the strip mall where Buffalo Barbeque Wings is located and two doors down is a Maggie Moos.  Ain’t that luck?

After dinner, she made a bee-line for the ice cream shop.  We were a little worried that wouldn’t be open at 8:00 on a Sunday night, but they actually stay open pretty late.  We made out way into the store where a few other groups had the same idea we did.  Today was must have been the day of imitators.  J was watching one of the guys make someone else’s ice cream when she turned to me and said, “this is just like Cold Stone.”  It is just like Cold Stone.  You pick your flavor and your mixins and they make it right in front of you the same way as we’re used to getting at the larger chain.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Ice Cream, Jackson, Reviews

Culver’s of Stevensville

10 08 2008
  • 4537 Red Arrow Highway
  • Stevensville, MI 49127
  • (269) 408-1780
  • Website
  • Menu
Culvers of Stevensville

Culver's of Stevensville

I love Culver’s custard.  There was always a debate at the place I used to work.  I prefered to go to Culver’s for “ice cream” but most of my co-workers wanted to go to Cold Stone Creamery.  I know they’re not the same thing or even close to the same thing, but given the choice, I would always choose Culver’s.  Things got really bad when I moved to an apartment that was within walking distance of one.  My girlfriend and I would walk over every now and then for a post-dinner snack.

We were on our way home from Chicago and were going to stop for a bathroom break anyway.  I noticed a sign for Culver’s along the highway and asked J if she wanted to take our bathroom break there.  Of course, she loved the idea, so we pulled into Stevensville and drove by the Dairy Queen all for some frozen custard. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Fast Food, Ice Cream, Restaurant, Reviews, stevensville

Quality Dairy – Holt

1 07 2008
  • 2233 Cedar St.Quality Dairy
  • Holt, MI 48842
  • (517) 694-8653
  • Website

I got to admit.  I was shocked when I saw regular commentor Adam say Quality Dairy was on of the things he couldn’t live without.  Since moving here, I’ve drove by QD many times thinking they were just another 7-11.  When I asked why he couldn’t live with Quality Dairy, he replied the premium ice cream and baked goods baked fresh daily were the things he would miss the most. 

I had an ice cream craving and my excursion to L & L Food Center (review HERE) to get Moomer’s Ice Cream was a bust, so I went a little farther down Cedar to Quality Dairy.  My suspicion was correct.  Quality Dairy is a convience store very similar to 7-11.  They have booze.  They have pantry items.  Like 7-11, but different. 

Quality Dairy got it’s start in Lansing in 1936 as a place where people could buy milk.  At that point in time, milk was delivered in glass bottles.  Quality Dairy changed that delivery system by offering milk at small milk stores on a cash and carry basis.  Four years later, they expanded to ice cream which was the purpose of my visit. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Grocery, Holt, Ice Cream, Reviews

L & L Food Center – Holt

1 07 2008
  • 2380 Cedar St.L & L Food Center in Holt
  • Holt, MI 48842
  • (517) 694-5929
  • Website

L & L Food Center is uniquely Lansing.  Founded in 1931 by the Levandowski family, L & L Food Center has grown to eight Lansing area locations.  While I was at the Lansing City Market last week, I saw a booth for Moomers Ice Cream and a sign saying Moomers was sold at L & L.  I was sitting on the couch watching Family Guy (again) and wanted ice cream.  There’s an L & L just down the street so I thought I’d go check it out.

L & L isn’t a huge grocery store.  It’s sort of a hybrid between a local grocer and a chain supermarket.  The layout shares some design elements as the large stores, but I had a hard time finding what I was looking for.  However, that did give me a chance to check out other things in the store.  I sort of blew through the produce section and found my way to the meat section.  Most of their beef is cut by their own butcher department.  Their line of beef is packaged under the name of the founders and sold exclusively at L & L.  Besides a butcher shop, there’s also a line of smoked meats, hams, and sausaged packaged under the brand Levandowski Sausage Company.  They also carry the same line of chicken as the Kroger down the street, but the prices were much cheaper.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Grocery, Holt, Reviews

Cold Stone on the Decline

18 06 2008

I wasn’t too surprised when I saw this artcile on MSN tonight.

Earlier in this decade, Cold Stone Creamery was one of the hottest franchises around. The super-premium ice-cream stores attracted scores of franchisees hungry for a piece of the “Ultimate Ice Cream Experience.”

Now many franchisees are selling their stores, overwhelmed by soaring bills and shrinking profits. Some have lost their homes, broken their retirement nest eggs or filed for bankruptcy. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News, Ice Cream

Think Products are Shrinking at the Supermarket?

17 06 2008

If you think you’re seeing smaller boxes in the supermarket, you right.  I saw an story on WLAJ tonight at 6 that said Kellogg is shrinking some of their boxes of cereal.  I did a quick google search and came to this USA Today article.  It’s not just cereal.  It’s pretty much everything.

Many major ice cream makers, hit by higher dairy costs, have shrunk their standard containers to 1.5 quarts from 1.75 quarts, about 1 cup less. The industry downsized from the traditional half-gallon (2 quarts) five years ago. In both cases, only the package shrank, not the price.

“Downsizing is nothing but a sneaky price increase,” says Edgar Dworsky, former Massachusetts assistant attorney general in the Consumer Protection Division, now editor of Mouseprint.org, a consumer website. “I’m waiting to open a carton of eggs and see only 11.”

Manufacturer’s say they are not trying to be sneaky.

We did not in any way try to hide this,” insists Tim Kahn, CEO of Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, which also makes — and has shrunk — Edy’s. “The package-size change couldn’t be any more visible.” Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

MSU Dairy Store

31 05 2008
  • 1140 S. Anthony Hall, Farm LaneMSU Dairy Store
  • East Lansing, MI 48824
  • (517) 355-8466
  • Website
  • Menu

The MSU Dairy Store was one of the stops on the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitor’s Bureau “Be A Tourist In Your Own Town” event and it looks like it may have been one of the most popular.  The MSU Dairy store is inside Anthony Hall on the campus of Michigan State Univeristy.  After a day of touring our town, we headed out to MSU to finish the day off with some ice cream.  We weren’t the only ones who thought that.  The line wrapped around the walls inside the store, in the hallway outsdie the store and then out the door.  Since we had nothing better to do, we decided to stick it out, but some families with small kids who got in line behind us weren’t that brave.  We ended up waiting about an hour before we finally got to the counter to get our ice cream.

The MSU Dairy store is set up just like any other ice cream store in the country.  The difference is they make all their own ice cream.  There is a huge list of flavors….most of which are named after Big Ten schools.  My girlfriend was willing to experiment and went with Sesquicentennial Swirl and Black Cherry.  The Sesquicentennial Swirl was some kind of cake batter ice cream and the Black Cherry had chunks of cherries in it,  “It was soooo good,” she just told me.  She got two scoops in a waffle cone.  After we walked away and she had a few bites, she said it tastes like they make their own cones.  I happened to notice the waffle irons behind the counter, so yes, they do make their own cones.

I was less adventerous and got a vanilla shake.  They take their homemade vanilla bean ice cream and fresh milk and mix them up to make the most delicious shake I’ve ever had.  The homemade ice cream is DELICIOUS.  We both agreed the hour wait was worth it.  This is probably the best ice cream I have ever had. 

Besides scoops, they offer their ice cream in pints and quarts and they also sell homemade cheese.  There’s a counter before you get to the ice cream filled with cheddar, chocolate cheese, colby jack, jalapeno pepper, and dagano cheese. 

We’ll definately be back and from now on, we’ll take visiting friends and family for a little treat when they’re in town too!  Hopefully we’ll hit a day that isn’t quite so busy though


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Categories : Michigan

The Best Ice Cream in the Country….

27 05 2008

….is from right here in Michigan.  Moomer’s Homemade Ice Cream in Traverse City won an on-line poll conducted by ABC’s Good Morning America according to the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Jon and Nancy Plummer, owners of the store on North Long Lake Road in Long Lake Township, received word from the ABC-TV’s morning news show’s producers Friday afternoon. Moomers bested three other ice cream stores from around the country in the on-line poll contest.

It’s time for a road trip!


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Categories : Food News, Ice Cream

Ice Cream Joe’s Cafe

20 04 2008
  • 4131 W. Saginaw Hwy.Ice Cream Joe's
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 321-2509
  • No Known Website
  • No Menu Online

My girlfriend mentioned Ice Cream Joe’s to me after seeing it on Eat! Lansing, so we stopped in on a Sunday afternoon before our weekly trip to Horrock’s Farm Market.  The shop is located in a stand alone building right next to what used to be a Fannie May Candy store about a mile from the Lansing Mall.

There was only us and one other guy in the store on his break from the Arby’s across the street.  I went pretty safe and got a Peanut Butter Cup Flurry, but my girlfriend was a little more adventerous.  The ice Ice Cream Joescream is KaleidoScoops! Ice Cream which offer a variety of interesting flavors.  Not one to just settle for plain ol’ vanilla, she went for two scoops of Tootsie Roll ice cream.  She was a little worried that the Tootsie Rolls were going to be hard but that wasn’t the case.  Instead they were crunchy on the outside, but the typical gooes Tootsie Roll in the middle.  The whole Tootsie Rolls were mixed into chocolate ice cream.  As I sit here on the couch writing this, she informs me, we will be going back.

Ice Cream Joe’s has a wide selection of flavors.  That’s not really a surprise at an ice cream shop.  Unlike other ice cream shops, Ice Cream Joe’s also offeres hot and cold coffee drinks.  The price was no worse than most ice cream shops.  For my small Flurry and her two scoops, it cost just under $8.  It was a nice enough day we were able to sit out in front of the store and enjoy our ice cream creations before heading to the market.


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Categories : Ice Cream, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews

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