The Mother Lode
Herrell's is the mother of homemade ice creams in the Square.
Its lines are always long, and it's often difficult to find a place to sit--even with the expanded seating in the old bank vault.
Their best selling Chocolate Pudding ice cream, while excellent, is only for the true chocolate lover. It's soft, thick and rich and made of bittersweet chocolate. It could be difficult to eat an entire cup without a jug of water to go with it.
Herrell's Cookies & Cream ice cream is unique in the Square. As the manager told us, they don't blend the Oreos into the vanilla ice cream. As a result, the vanilla is pure and the large chunks of cookie are not as soft as at some other stores. The ice cream is, nevertheless, very good.
Herrell's is located at 15 Dunster St. At $2.25 a relatively small serving, Herrell's is more expensive than some. But the ice cream is gourmet.
Christina's
Christina's offers a Cambridge original: Burnt Sugar ice cream, a flavor developed by a Lesley college professor who came here from Cambridge, England. Burnt sugar tastes just like the top of a creme brule. Its texture is firm, smooth and dense--just what an ice cream should be. Like some of the other flavors we tired, it would be just as tasty in the midst of a cold, icy Harvard winter. You do need to know, though, that burnt sugar is not overpoweringly sweet--in fact, it has a bitter edge.
Christina's Guava Pineapple sorbet is the perfect summer choice. Though we couldn't taste the pineapple, we didn't mind. The icy confection doesn't contain any dairy products and it melts in your mouth. The ice cream sells for $1.50 a scoop.
Toscanini's
Nearly sick of ice cream at this point, we venture along Mass. Ave. to the recently opened Toscanini's. The shop is decorated in a minimalist fashion, but don't let the sparse decor fool you; the ice cream is complex.
The thick, homemade ice cream is delectable, although a little pricey. A micro-sundae goes for $1.90 plus tax.
Toscanini's doesn't have many flavors to select from; there are only about 10. But what they lack in variety of flavors they make up for in selection of products. Toscanini's offers shakes, coffee, yogurt, sorbet and baked goods like muffins.
The service is friendly, and their location across from Widener Gate is ideal.