CJ’s Italian Ice and Custard
Salted Caramel Custard with Sea Salt Caramel Truffles
Chocolate Cake – Chocolate Custard, Dark Flakes, White Icing, Chocolate Sauce
Passed countless times by those unaware – no glitz, glamour or Public Relations team to sell the concept – CJ’s Italian Ice and Custard has nonetheless made a name for itself throughout the years by providing frozen treats to in-the-know Westsiders, and although offered at several local outlets including Glazier’s Food Market the smart money seems to be going straight to the source for more than fifty flavors of Ice and Custard.
Family owned and operated, a Midwestern upbringing and education at The Ohio State University imparting Jon Goldberg with a familiarity of both styles of frozen treats, CJ’s Italian Ice and Custard inhabits a small storefront attached to a Taco shop at 3555 South Durango Drive and with three-to-four varieties of the latter served via soft-serve machines plus a dozen blends of milk, water, eggs, sugar and flavorings offered via scoop from the freezer case the only question is how best to mix them, or whether to taste them on their own.
Baking the waffle cones in house while also packing several to-go options including pints, dipped Bananas and frozen Custard cakes, a first visit to CJ’s can admittedly be quit daunting given the sheer variety of offerings, but with a quick tasting of available flavors a decision becomes somewhat easier, the only menu-option unavailable during this visit being the rolled Waffle Cone “Custard Cannoli.”
No doubt excelling in customer service, the two young women professional and helpful beyond their years, it was with samples of the classic Lemon and Black Cherry Ice – plus the Bomb-Popesque “Captain America” – that an order was selected, the ices to wait for another time as the daily special of Salted Caramel Custard was far too compelling.
Making every flavor in-house, the slightly melted texture of Ice lighter than that of Gelato or Ice Cream, CJ’s Custard sets high marks by way of a base that comes across far more creamy than that at Luv-It without out being quite as thick as those at Shake Shack, the flavors carried forth robustly by way of the high fat content while the addition of small Caramels dipped in Dark Chocolate were one of nearly four-dozen possible additions offered in a generous portion for just an extra $0.50.
A bit disappointed that the smallest take-out containers of Custard are far too much for a single serving, the small cups of ice more appropriate though really not as pertinent since more flavors are available in-house, part two of the order instead focused on a “large slice” of Chocolate Cake, $5.50 netting a soft cocoa base topped in Custard blended with Icing, the texture almost like that of a Semifreddo with the top further coated in Chocolate Sauce and shaved Chocolate flakes.
FOUR STARS: Limiting themselves by not offering more Custards-to-go at a reasonable price, and inexplicably sold out of a menu item just past 1pm, CJ’s Italian Ice and Custard nonetheless represents an under-discussed family-owned business worthy of Las Vegas’ patronage, the friendly service and good prices well-matched to options varied enough to suit any taste.
RECOMMENDED: Salted Caramel Custard, Chocolate Custard Cake.
AVOID: Going in with expectations that the wide variety suggested on their website will actually be available fresh.
TIP: Frequent Customer Punch-Cards will yield every 7th item free while Social Media check-ins will score 10% off the current order.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://www.cjsitalianice.com/
