Best Ice Cream

When the mercury tops out over 100 degrees, there are few things that provide deep comfort and relief to your scorched soul like the creamy, cold sweetness of ice cream. Who can describe the sense of elation and gratitude one experiences upon catching a glimpse of a familiar cotton-candy pink-and-white awning that can mean only one thing--31 cool, refreshing flavors.

That comforting mainstay of frozen treats, Baskin-Robbins, can be found throughout Tucson; and everyone from suit-and-tie professionals to kids in baggy shorts and baseball caps seems to partake of its pleasures. Spend some time in one of these air-conditioned microcosms and check out the clientele--a broader swath of humanity with the same common objective is hard to imagine.

No mere advertising ploy, there really are more than 31 flavors to choose from at Baskin-Robbins; and while the store has remained comfortingly the same throughout the decades, signs of the times are evident: take sugar-free ice cream, sorbet, and fat-free frozen yogurt. Fortunately, the people behind the counter will supply you with an infinite number of petite pink spoonfuls to abet your search for the ultimate flavor of the day.

Choose from nostalgic pralines and cream or decadent rocky road; or compromise with gold medal ribbon, a smooth swirl of chocolate, vanilla and caramel. And seasonal favorites like quarterback crunch, Oregon blackberry and winter white chocolate make 31 days without a visit to 31 Flavors an unlikely scenario.

Let's face it, Baskin-Robbbins has just about everything you need to survive modern living.

Even coffee addicts can get a frozen fix with a cappuccino blast, an adult-strength milk shake with espresso. Sundaes are de rigueur, of course; but not to be overlooked are those signature novelties from traditionally irresistible clown cones to recent innovations like polar pizza and individually wrapped ice-cream sundae bars.

And to make our lives a little easier, some Baskin-Robbins now have drive-thru windows.

It is said that Charles I of England was so protective of the recipe for "frozen cream" (ice cream's predecessor) that he paid his French chef sizable amounts of money to keep quiet. Lucky for us, there was a breach of confidence somewhere along the line, and Western civilization hasn't been the same since. Anyone for seconds?

--Rebecca Cook

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