Luv-It Frozen Custard
Butter Crunch – butterscotch, crunch over Vanilla
Twice thwarted in my prior attempts to experience Luv It, once as a result of arriving two-hours prior to the 1pm opening hour and once due to staff vacation, the third time would finally prove a charm in visiting what a friend and former pastry chef deems “the best frozen custard in the country” – a sentiment ironically echoed by former and current mayors, Oscar and Carolyn Goodman, who arrived moments after me and spoke fondly of myriad visits to Greg Tiedemann’s stand over the years as we waited in line. Generally underwhelmed by custards as compared to artisan ice creams or gelatos in the past I’d hardly realized that the small window had such an extensive menu of flavors until I approached, but with standards of chocolate and vanilla plus seasonal cheesecake, cherry pie, blue moon, and countless toppings, sauces, and mix-ins I was glad to have some time to think – eventually settling on a $4.25 cash-only “Butter Crunch” over vanilla custard plus a large spooned sample of cherry pie. Traditional in texture, full bodied with flavor, unmistakably custard given a light egginess to the vanilla, and with substantially more heft than the versions popularized at iconic Ted Drewes’ or franchised Rita’s it took a few rich spoonfuls to truly appreciate the velvety texture of the custard itself as I worked through toppings acting more as a distraction than a compliment but once down to creamy base it can only be said that this is indeed some excellent custard and for fans of the style it is a ‘must visit,’ though for my dining dollars the presence of Art of Flavors only a few blocks away will make a return unlikely anytime soon as even the “best” custard can’t hold a candle to truly superlative gelato.
