I don’t know how many times I have driven north on State Route 3 out of Wooster, but rarely is there a time (during business hours) that Hartzler’s Ice Cream Shoppe has an empty parking lot. I am usually on my way somewhere, so I haven’t been able to stop by to try them at the shop. (I do visit them during the Wayne County Fair.) That is until Friday, June 24, 2016, which was due to the fact that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law came for a visit.
My husband Bobby’s brother, Carmine, has lived in Florida since their family moved there in the late 1970s. That means that we don’t get to see him often. He and his wife, Lynette, had been working in Cleveland for the week and before they left the state, they made plans to come for dinner.
We enjoyed a great meal at Rox Gastropub in downtown Wooster. It was good catching up with them there. Afterwards, we decided ice cream would hit the spot. We (Bobby and I) thought the perfect way to end the evening would be by giving them a taste of a locally owned family dairy and ice cream company that draws people from all over.
Now, when I go to a place that offers you more than two flavors of ice cream, I like to test several before making my selection. However, I am aware that there are better times than others to do this. A Friday night is a horrible time to try to test the flavors. Plus, when you’re on a double date you have to remember that it isn’t all about you. Thankfully Lynette and Carmine, as well as the staff of Hartzler’s, were patient while Bobby and I tried a couple of different flavors. Still, I did feel a little pressure to make my selection, so I went with a double scoop in a waffle cone. The flavors I selected were chocolate and Trip to the Dentist, which is chocolate ice cream with chunks of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup candy. The ice cream was smooth and creamy and the flavor was pretty good.
Bobby selected a double dip of key lime in a waffle cone. Lynette selected a root beer float. Carmine chose a scoop of Cow Pies and Cream. That flavor is made with vanilla ice cream, brownie chunks, salted pecans and a swirl of chocolate. Everyone seemed to enjoy their choices, although Lynette would have preferred scoops of vanilla bean ice cream instead of vanilla soft serve ice cream. Carmine offered to buy her another scoop, but she declined. She said it was good, she just had wanted to try the vanilla bean.
In retrospect, I think I should have tried the Cow Pies and Cream. Don’t get me wrong, my ice cream selections were good, but you know how sometimes when go out with friends and you wish the whole time you had gotten what they ordered? I sort of feel like that. But it’s O.K. I’m pretty sure, that I’ll be making a trip north on State Route 3 in the near future to try Hartzler’s again. I’ll just try to find a time when there are fewer customers and I can take my time making my next selection.
