Dessert: Johnson's Real Ice Cream Columbus Collection
Further evidence the eat-and-buy local trend is still on the upswing: a new collaboration between Columbus ice-cream classic Johnson's and local companies Sugardaddy's, Crimson Cup, Just Pies and Merry Milk Maid Dairy. Johnson's, a 63-year-old Columbus institution, wanted to satisfy customers' cravings for favorite local products, and the other brands were happy to comply.
They wound up with three flavors and a lot of demand. Matt Wilcoxon, who runs Johnson's with his father, Jim, said 1,400 pints have already been ordered, and the ice cream won't officially be available until Friday. The Columbus Collection is available by pint ($6.99) only in Johnson's outlets and in local stores such as The Hills Market, Rife's, Weiland's and Huffman's.
Apple Blueberry Crisp
Components: Just Pies' apple pie with blueberry-swirl ice cream and graham-cracker crust
Taste: The first thing I tasted in this flavor was the cinnamon, followed closely by a big hunk of blueberry swirl. It's cozy and comforting. This flavor didn't scratch my pie-loving itch, but it was delicious nonetheless.
Get a pint if you love: Apple strudel, cinnamon or rum raisin
Pair with:Cake cone
Salty Caramel Nutty Blonde
Components: Sugardaddy's Nutty Blonde Brownie Bites with vanilla-bean ice cream and salty caramel
Taste: Cookie lovers (Me! Me!) will appreciate the big, chewy chunks of blondie strewn throughout the pint. Sweet and salty are great friends, but here, between the blondie, ice cream and caramel, something more powerful could be astir.
Get a pint if you love: Praline pecan, butter pecan or cookie dough
Pair with: Sugar cone
Signature Mocha
Components: Ice cream flavored with Crimson Cup Armando's Blend coffee, white-chocolate curls, caramel
Taste: This really does taste like a coffeehouse mocha. I loved the crackle of the white-chocolate curls and the tiny flecks of coffee throughout the ice cream. The caramel flavor is there, but it's in proportion to the drizzle atop your afternoon pick-me-up.
Get a pint if you love: Coffee, chocolate chip or moose tracks
Pair with: Waffle cone
Johnson's Real Ice Cream
2728 E. Main St., Bexley
614-231-0014
Johnson's on Market Street
180 Market St., Suite D, New Albany
614-855-8108