Not that you could ever get sick of gelato, but take a break—there’s a world of other ethnic ice creams and ices out there to sample.
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The Reader‘s pick for best ice cream in its Best of Chicago issue this year, Village Creamery (8000 Waukegan , Niles, 847-965-9805) not only churns out rich ice cream in dozens of Filipino and American flavors—even durian from the notoriously smelly fruit—it also makes fruit sorbets and shaved ice. For a twist on the Creamsicle, pair an ice cream and a sorbet, especially snowy white macapuno (flake coconut with coconut chunks) and pale pink pomelo (similar to grapefruit). The pinnacle for me is a bowl of halo-halo shaved ice ($4.79), which closely resembles halo-halo, the Filipino dessert that translates as “mix-mix” (for what you’re supposed to do to it). Here a plastic bowl of firm, finely shaved ice is infused with condensed milk, then topped with a scoop of mixed red and white beans, corn, jackfruit, red and green jellies, sugar palm, and young coconut, as well as small scoops of of black tapioca pearls, ube (purple yam) paste, and ube ice cream. I like to substitute halo-halo fiesta ice cream with all the ingredients plus Rice Krispies right in it. There’s a second location at 4558 Oakton, Skokie (847-982-1720); in the city pints are sold at Bangkok Video & Grocer (4617 N. Clark, 773-728-3333).
Re Leaf (100 E. Algonquin, Arlington Heights, 847-228-5435) in the Mitsuwa Mall offers shaved ice with red bean paste or green tea syrup, as well as ice creams imported from Japan in unusual flavors like black sesame seed and red plum. But the novelty is creamy house-made green-tea soft-serve ($2.50 for a cone), and it’s even better—and prettier—swirled with vanilla.
