I used to chat with Bob Graeter online – I can’t even remember where, a wine board. He is the man behind Graeter’s Ice Cream, which for decades was available online within a few miles of Cincinnati, Ohio. I paid for styrofoam - dry ice shipping to taste the wonderful Raspberry Chocolate Chip. The ice cream itself is a dark purple, and the chocolate chips are large flakes that melt in your mouth. Everything about this ice cream is special, I think the raspberries are sourced from a special place that provides the berries to make the ink for when they stamp the grade on beef.
At any rate tonight I walked down to Stop and Shop in Highland Park and was amazed to see something like six flavors of Graeter’s Ice Cream! I can’t understand the strategy of moving into a new area with no advertising. =I= know how special this stuff is but it’s right next to Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer at about the same price, the locals are going to reach for the BJ every time. At any rate, some of you guys live around here, give it a shot.
The theory used to be that Graeter’s wouldn’t travel well, that the ingredients were so special that they might be ruined by stepping up production and shipping farther. I haven’t tasted the Vanilla Chocolate Chip that I just bought but it did give me pause to see the hoarfrost covered containers in the freezer in my rinky dink local grocery store. I wonder where ELSE you can buy this stuff.
Does anyone know what’s going on behind this move? Does Graeter’s still taste the way I remember it?
We can get Graeter’s at Fred Meyer here in Central Washington, although the flavor options are limited. I’d love to be able to sample one of the new flavors like Aztec chocolate. The black raspberry chip tastes just as good here as it does in Ohio.
Love me some Graeters, I’ll have to look for in F. Meyers, haven’t seen it in W. WA, but haven’t been looking. I think they were first mentioned in the old West Coast Wine Discussion board.
It’s been at all the majors in Chicago for about three years. I have a great deal of trouble not grabbing a pint of ANY flavor as I pass the freezer. No, I will not be posting TN’s.
I remember Bob Graeter posting on WestCoastWine a dozen years back. That’s where I discovered his stuff. Ralph’s, SoCal’s largest chain has been carrying it for a few years, though only 3-4 flavors. Thankfully one is the Raspberry Chip, which is great. Perhaps not coincidentally Ralph’s is owned by Kroger which is Ohio-based. I think they own Fred Meyer too. My policy is that if the Graeter’s is ever marked down at all, I consider it a message from God that I must buy some. It’s worth the full-price but I have to have some way to stop myself from buying it at all times.
There was a Graeter’s shop in Columbus (OH) when I was in law school. I went there with my wife on one of our first dates. I usually got the butter pecan - I haven’t had it in years but I remember exactly what it tastes like - but the black raspberry chocolate chip is great, too.
Publix stores in Florida started carrying Graeter’s a few years ago… a frozen infusion of civilization (along with Ray’s bialys!). Here in the desert Graeter’s can be found at Fry’s.
Alan, do you look at Ralph’s?? I’ve seen the Coco Choc Chip there. Truth be told, I love Coconut and actually prefer the straight (no chip) McConnell’s Island Coconut.
Bialy, a Yiddish word short for bialystoker kuchen, from Białystok, a city in Poland, is a small roll that is a traditional dish in Polish Ashkenazi cuisine. A traditional bialy has a diameter of up to 15 cm (6 inches) and is a chewy yeast roll similar to a bagel. Unlike a bagel, which is boiled before baking, a bialy is simply baked, and instead of a hole in the middle it has a depression. Before baking, this depression is filled with diced onions and other ingredients, including (depending on the recipe) garlic, poppy seeds, or bread crumbs.
Coincidentally I had Graeters for the first time in years (the shipping charges were too much for me) last weekend while visiting friends in Minneapolis.
Jeni’s Ice Cream is a big deal in Central Ohio and we stopped the other night for some and all the while I was eating my Jeni’s I was thinking I would rather be eating me some Graeter’s Chocolate Chip. If you’re going to splurge, go with the heavy cream!
Jeni’s ice cream is good, and my sister loves it. Whenever I’m back in C-bus I usually get some, but it seems like she’s trying too hard with some of her off beat flavors.
Graeter’s is fantastic, and now that I can get it out here in the hinterlands I’m a happy camper.
