Actually, it’s an ice cream vs. frozen custard war. Just blocks away from the recently opened (and already beloved) Molly Moon’s on Capitol Hill sits Old School Custard, a small shop at 1316 E Pike that opened just this week and promises to serve up a “smoother, creamier and more flavorful” alternative to ice cream. “Think of frozen custard as the greatest ice cream you’ve ever tasted, only better!” declares their website.
After Stranger tech wizard Brian G. tried it yesterday, he claimed it was better than Molly Moon’s (gasp!), so Paul Constant and I went to investigate. Now I’ve had Molly Moon’s no fewer than 10 times since they opened shop in April (I’m not proud… okay, I kind of am). I love Molly Moon’s. I love their homemade waffle cones, I love their selection, I love that I can get a scoop for about three bucks, and I love that the (usually very, very long) line moves quickly.
But, after just a sample of Old School’s frozen custard, I was converted. They’re right—it is smoother and creamier than any ice cream I’ve ever had! Paul described it as fancier soft serve (it’s scoop-able and not whipped full of air, for example). Molly Moon’s still wears the crown for selection, as Old School will only offer three flavors a day—chocolate, vanilla, and a favor of the day (today it’s Kahlua Chip)—but those three flavors are delectable. So much so that I didn’t completely mind that the faulty (but delicious—is that cinnamon?) waffle cone caused the quickly-melting mess to drip down my hands and leg.
To add variety to the three flavors, they also have a huge menu full of sundaes, milkshakes, concretes, smoothies, and floats all with prices comparable to Molly Moon’s (it was $5.50 for a sundae and just over $5 for a double scoop waffle cone).
After finishing a Muddy Buddy (peanut butter, fudge, whipped cream, and chocolate custard), Paul Constant said: “We’ve got ourselves an ice cream war, gentlemen”
It’s on.
(Old School Frozen Custard will be giving away free scoops Saturday between 3 and 10 pm.)
I can’t wait to open up my gourmet Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich shop.
That’s it. I better just accept that I’m going to get fat.
Full Tilt. Awesome ice cream with kick-ass flavors, pinball. local bands, and pizza in the back (which I didn’t sample).
It all makes sense now. All those you-are-a-tool looks for jogging around Capitol Hill. I don’t do it because I lack a track to run, or because I hate continually hearing bikers announce their existence on the path. I do it to show off, bitch. I’m sorry my sexy, sweaty body is bothering you while you wait in line for ice cream and/or frozen custard 9,000 times a week. In related news, you should see my abs!
I just don’t like frozen custard. It always reminds me of eating frozen cool whip or a soft serve cone from McDonalds.
And don’t forget, dairy is just as cruel as veal.
HEY ALL YOU STUPID BIG CITY HIPSTERS — FACTS FROM GRANNY
How do I tell you – modern ice cream is frozen milk with a cream content.
Now in the OLD days, the base was a 12 egg custard, flavored and cooked, then chilled, then frozen with the crank machine, ice, very hard work, with Fresh Cream added. While cranking the fresh fruit, more flavoring, etc. is added.
And you all wondered why the tales of classic homemade ice cream sounded SOOO good. True. So rich you wondered if you could eat more than one serving ( you did).
Remember that frozen milk is NOTHING by comparison.
(if you ever get a chance, black walnut is the most awesome ice cream flavor in the world … the real deal … gathered in the country and prided open for a small amount of nut. Great unique flavor)
war is hell!
Only three flavors a day? Aw, c’mon. What are they serving this out of, a Volkswagen Beetle?
ok, I know I asked you to throw them some love the other day…..but now I regret it. I was hoping Molly Moon would remain the hipster hangout for frozen-dessert-items-in-a-cone-or-cup so I could get my frozen custard in peace. Sigh.
I assume y’all are too young to remember the Frogurt Wars of the 1980s?
I’ll stick to my “Sweetie” brand black sesame popsicles from HT market, thanks.
I just bashed my face into the computer trying to lick the screen. Damn youuuuuu!
And Fnarf, what are these Sweetie brand black sesame popsicles you speak of? I’m intrigued.
Um, ditto. Old School kicks Molly Moon’s ass big time. No comparison. The reason they make three flavors is they make them right in front of your face all day long. The machine can only make three flavors and that is the way custard places do it.
I would rather have three flavors made fresh all day long than 10 flavors made in huge batches and frozen solid and brought out to be served. Last twitter alert (and I mean last becuase I quite getting them because I am sick of hearing about her yoga or how she thinks she is all about Healthcare when Cupcake Royale has been fighting that fight for way longer) I got from MM she made 10 batches of Scout Mint to stock up…. Old School is fresh baby….and that is 30 FLAVORS A MONTH. Bad ass!
Anyone whose ever been to Gilles in Milwaukee could tell you that custard on a bad day kicks shit out of Molly Moon’s best.
Molly Moon sucks, period. Husky Deli is the only local ice cream worth a shout.
Old School is frozen custard; different beast – but yes, it also beats up Molly Moon in the frozen dessert stakes. Glad I don’t have to schlep to Bonney Lake to get it anymore.
Today I went to Old School Frozen Custard on Slog’s recommendation. The chocolate custard was better than Molly Moon’s chocolate ice cream, but the waffle cone (also more delicious than Molly Moon’s) was so thin THE ICE CREAM SWEATED THROUGH THE SIDE as it was melting. I was prepared for drips. One expects drips. It’s 85 degrees out. But I did not expect osmosis. So be warned.
But yeah, it’s pretty rockstar. (And they have a calendar that tells you what flavors-of-the-day are coming up. Sunday the 14th is chocolate and peanut butter.)
This ice cream vs frozen custard war seems to be mostly about texture. If you want intense flavor, go for gelato. I think there are a few gelato places in Seattle, but the one I’m familiar with is Royal Grinders in Fremont, behind the statue of Lenin. Definitely recommended.
I went to Molly Moon’s on Saturday. The honey lavender flavor was good, but even a big single scoop is too much. Also, the salted caramel is not disgusting. STOP THE PRESSES.
I just wish we could get Three Twins ice cream up here. (and yes, seconded on the salted caramel – it’s tasty)
EVERYONE STEP AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTERS AND GO OUTSIDE. ITS SUNNY AND GORGEOUS. YOU ARE ARGUING WITH STRANGERS OVER ICE CREAM.
FUCKING NERDS.
just support all local businesses. old school, full tilt, molly moon.
JESUS this town is fucking stupid if taking sides in this battle gets your hackles up.
OK. This is my for serious last post. But I stopped here on the way downtown this afternoon and was really under-impressed. This was nothing like the custard I had back east.
Key Differences:
1.) No soft-serve option. It was only available from the cooler. This isn’t how we did it in the Finger Lakes.
2.) It lacked the eggy-flavor most custards of my childhood had and erred on the side of milkiness.
3.) The menu is an anarchic, confusing mess. The actual scoop prices are located somewhere in the top/middle, but I was already confused by per scoop pricing, so I didn’t realize where they were.
The actual ice cream, oh sorry, “custard” was creamy and delicious, but it wasn’t what it should have been. The place would do better calling itself a sundae shop — that’s more what it really is, and I think I’d like it better if they were honest about that.
The staff is also still in need of training, but I’d blame that on it being their second day and not some character flaw on them or the part of management.
P.S. @1: You know NYC had a gourmet PBJ shop for a while, right? I’m not sure if it’s still open.
@20: I would love it if we got harsher reviews instead of shilling so I knew what local businesses to support. It’s important to know what’s GOOD. Just because something is local doesn’t mean it’s worthy of support.
@22.
yeah, well, thats why you go and frequent them and MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND.
online hype ruins things when it swings overly positive OR negative.
Damn, wish I were there to compare the two.
Oh, well…
Check out Peaks frozen custard on 65th Ave NE between Roosevelt and 12th – today’s flavor was Dark Turtle….mmmmm, so good.
It’s raw eggs mixed with cream and sugar. Just break some raw eggs into a bowl of the fattiest haagen daaz you can find and you’ve got the same thing.
Oh Lizzie…you posted this on the last post about Old School….frozen custard is not raw eggs. The small egg component in frozen custard is completely pasteurized……
Just like in Gelato.
Lizzie lizzie lizze…. you are just trying to be a fear-monger ; )
This stuff kicks Miss Moon’s egotistical ass.
Jigae, you are clearly on a mission to smear this place…I have seen your same comment three different places now. They have been open TWO days…lay-off dude…. I am guessing you are one of Molly Moon’s many investors am I right?? ; )
I am from St. Louis baby and I had some fresh vanilla last night as it was coming out of the machine and it rocked my socks off.
They serve scoops in dishes and cones so if you don’t want a sundae don’t get one dude.
Lizzie,
As the Cap to the Hill blog said yesterday, a scoop for Old School’s frozen custard has less fat and calories than Molly Moon’s and probably has half the fat of Haagen Daaz….
It tastes creamier but this stuff has less fat because they don’t have to add a crap-load of butterfat to compensate for the air and ice that goes into ice cream….this stuff has been around for 100 years and there is really no question why it has stood the test of time…it is just plain better than ice cream.
@21 You clearly have had some type of unusual frozen custard…not anything traditional. It is not supposed to be made in a soft-serve machine…it is supposed to be made in a constant freeze-flow machine like the one at Old School…. that huge machine is classic… the only way it should be made. I have never heard of frozen custard being made in a soft-serve machine and if it is it is just wrong..not the way it is supposed to be done.
Frozen custard should never be “eggy”…I am not getting at all what you are trying to say.
The menu has cups, cones, and waffle cones at the top center and has prices by each item. The price for a single scoop is weird $2.74, but that is so it is $3 even with tax…. I am not sure why you have a problem with it.
I think the menu is about as clear as it can possibly get honestly.
What is you problem with them offering toppings and sundaes… if you just want scoops in a dish or on a cone order that.
to “kindness”:
what is driving you to call molly moon egotistical? she is a hard working woman, yes-with investors, that is very happy about her success. when has she said one negative word about any other shop, or business? she gets press, but again, why is that a hate-able quality? your comments just sadly smack of jealousy. i’m not saying you have any “connection” with Old School (…um…) but seriously-if Old School hates Molly Moons so much then why is the main room almost a carbon copy (right down to the chalkboard framed between two exposed beams as the menu) of the wallingford molly moon floor plan?
bottom line? the stuff just tastes boring. very one dimensional. maybe if you spent more time developing your recipes and less time trolling this blog with hateful anti-molly moon diatribe you might actually make a dent in the market.
as it is-you are just pumping up molly moons “ego” (as you put it) with proof that they are way ahead of the game.
Oooo I am sensing a little bitterness 31! You need to chill out with you anonymous comments…should we presume you are no other than a defensive MM herself? Hmmmm.
I say people should just go and eat the ice cream they like and enjoy the weather ; )
Whoa.
31
whoa.
Believe it or not there are people who do not like MM. Get over it. This is really sad to see.
i’m not saying there arent people who hate molly moon ice cream.
i’m just speaking to the angry and misinformed person that posted 28 and 29, and addressing their points. period.
and i’m fairly certain if i was molly moon that i would twitter all of this instead of commenting here.
i agree. if you like frozen custard, go to old school. if you like ice cream, go get molly moons! they are slightly different products so there needs be no fighting. it just comes down to a matter of preference. (today the manager sighed as yet another customer mentioned the “ice cream war” blog and said that this is not what it should be about!!! the staff at OS respects MM, and vice versa).
and in response to the waffle cone problem, that is really a legit concern! i apologize to everyone for the first batch of waffle cones… we had to adjust the waffle mix and invent a way to make sure you don’t get that little hole in the bottom. every single employee in the store is brand new at this and we appreciate feedback so much!
thanks so much paul and megan for stopping by. it was fun serving you some frozen goodness!
i think both businesses are doing awesome things. can we all just be happy (employees included!) that the large burden of frozen dessert needs on capitol hill can now be divided amongst two locations?!? speaking of lines….
COME VISIT US (if you like frozen custard, are curious, or want to protest our existance haha) for free cone day on saturday!!!
Today I had both pear gelato from Royal Grinders and chocolate frozen custard (as well as a taste of the flavor of the day, mint chip) from Old School. I should point out that I have a bit of a bias towards Royal Grinders. My son goes there a lot after school, and the staff there are really nice to him. That said, I’m picky about ice cream. Old School’s chocolate frozen custard had really, really good flavor. Chocolate ice cream can be boring, but this was somehow livelier. However, I was turned off by the texture. It was too creamy. Everything people have said about the texture is true; it is much creamier and smoother than even the highest-quality ice cream. I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Just as flavors need to be balanced, maybe texture does too. The gelato had a more complex, interesting texture. It’s not smoother than regular ice cream, and no where near as smooth as the frozen custard, but it’s more delicate. It has a kind of icy tooth to it, something between good ice cream and a sorbet. In your mouth, it doesn’t so much melt as it does dissolve. It’s weird, because the gelato disappears, but the intense flavor is still there for a moment after its gone. I think gelato is also sweeter than either regular ice cream or the frozen custard, and the serving size is smaller.
I think the issue getting missed here is that there are people who are passionate about frozen custard in general and may be quick to defend this new little joint because they are serving up something they grew up with.
My partner and I went in last night and met part of the family group and I am sorry, but there is just no way they are part of this pettiness. This has gotten blown out of proportion by anonymous comments on this blog. Everyone needs to remember that you do not know who is posting what.
To the MM group. Please be aware that you may have past customers who do not like your product or business model or an employee who works at your shop and so this issue has allowed them to openly express their feelings… please do not jump to conclusions. Frankly, I thought comment 31 inappropriate and clearly defensive and aggressive.
I have been to MM probably 5 times in the past year. I supported MM. I grew up with frozen custard and this new shop makes it just the way I remember it. It does not mean I will no longer go to MM because I think her ice cream is terrible. It means I think frozen custard is just plain better than ice cream (if done right). I also love that it is a small family buisness (just like the shops I grew up with).
Peace and thank you.
apples and oranges