Scoop! There It Is: Spots to Savor National Ice Cream Month

Of all the national food holidays that come and go year-round, none compare to ringing in National Ice Cream Month, in Houston, in July. Riding the heat wave doesn’t seem so bad when there are ice-cream socials and picture-perfect dessert bars. Here is the inside scoop on where to celebrate all month long.

7.3

At City Place (1250 Lake Plaza Dr.), the new urban mixed-use district at Springwoods Village, dessert lovers are invited to celebrate National Ice Cream Month on Tuesday, July 16 from 1 to 3pm, when Mary Had A Little Party’s vintage soda shoppe rolls into the main plaza. Classic cold treats like floats, shakes and cones — towering high with colorful toppings! — will be available for purchase, and visitors can partake in hula-hooping demonstrations with Mad About Hoops.


In celebration of both National Ice Cream Month and the 50th anniversary of the Lunar Landing, The Classic (5922 Washington Ave.) has launched a space-themed Tang soft serve, which captures the familiar flavors of the good ol’ days, while representing the magic of the Space City at this celebratory time. The sweet treat is available for $4 during the month of July, and is part of a larger Moon Landing menu which includes 1015 onion dip and roast beef with company potatoes.

LongHorn Steakhouse has introduced the first-ever steak-and-bourbon ice cream, solving the dilemma of sweet versus savory. The unique flavor is brought together by LongHorn’s char seasoning used in their bone-in steak cuts — and bits of steak infused into the ice cream! The sweetness comes from ribbons of sticky bourbon caramel, and a generous topping of whipped cream and more bourbon-caramel sauce. Known for using only fresh, never frozen steak, this dessert marks the restaurant’s one exception, and it is available for $4 during July.

Breakfast meets dessert at Press Waffle (500 Baybrook Mall Dr.)! The fully customizable waffle stand, which garnered fame on ABC’s Shark Tank, is elevating its menu of authentic Liege waffles by offering a waffle-ice cream sandwich all month long. Guests can enjoy sweet vanilla ice cream between two fluffy waffles, and then top their sandwich off with Nutella, cookie butter or caramel for a true breakfast of champions.

Right in time to start serving colorful cones for National Ice Cream Month, Flower & Cream (2617 W. Holcome Blvd.) has bowed at Southgate. The highly Instagrammable dessert bar, which features pretty pink interiors, neon signs and swing seats in lieu of traditional chairs, brings a menu of fun flavors including cotton candy, cereal-milk-Oreo, and the boozy Bailey’s and Blondies.

AT TOP: Mary Had A Little Party

Dispatches
Elevate Dining in and out this Summer with Steam Cooking

MAKE THE MOST of every delicious bite this summer with the benefits of steam cooking. Whether you’re reviving leftovers from Houston’s hottest foodie hangout or hosting memorable gatherings at home, integrating steam into your cooking repertoire can take your food to the next level.

Keep Reading Show less

Photographer Jhane Hoang with two covers she photographed

ONE OF Houston CityBook’s most beloved photographers was recently diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer. Jhane Hoang has been behind the camera for some of the magazine’s most ambitious shoots — including an overnight shoot at the then-new Weiss Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and a cold rainy shoot at the Houston Zoo where the crew used a concessions stand as a staging area for hair and makeup.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

Betty Hrncir, Sidney Faust, Julie Baker Finck

ACTUAL WINTER WEATHER was in the forecast the night of the Winter Ball, benefiting the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and honoring the Women of Distinction, a festive and fitting detail that sparked a flurry of conversation at the Omni Hotel.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties