Mary Beth Loves Denver: I Scream, You Scream . . .

What self-respecting Denver-ite would be crazy enough to hang out at an ice cream shop in the middle of winter?

I would, for one.  But the funny thing, I'm not alone.  Even now, in February, this place is frequently packed.  But then again, this is no ordinary ice cream shop.

It’s called Red Trolley Cake and Cone, it’s located on 32nd Ave between Clay and Bryant, and (full disclosure), it’s owned by my sister and brother-in-law.

I’d say this place is fabulous even if I wasn’t related to the owners. The ice cream is homemade, created right here on the premises by one Denver’s top pastry chefs. And the flavors!! Oh . . . my . . . gosh. There’s the standard vanilla, strawberry and chocolate, of course. (The chocolate gelato is to die for.) But then things get interesting. As I sit here looking at the freezer display, I see ice cream flavors like Cassia Cinnamon, Praline Cookies and Cream, White Chocolate Chip Mint and Bing Cherry Cheesecake, as well as Lemon Meringue Pie Sherbet (with real pieces of pie crust!) In the gelato case, I see twelve different flavors – flavors like Banana Yogurt, Green Apple Sorbetto, Orange Cream, Wildberry Sorbetto, and my personal favorite, Colorado Honey Almond Orange.

There are malts, shakes, sundaes – and root beer floats that taste like they did when we were kids.  And, to keep the winter chill away there's awesome coffee.  And plenty of cookies and other non-frozen sweet treats.  All of it made the natural way -- with no high fructose corn syrup, and no artificial anything.

So here I am on a Tuesday afternoon, with my sweet little one year old niece Audrey on my lap, working. I plan to be here a lot.  And, to insure that I still fit through the doorway on my future visits, I’m availing myself of the greatest invention in the world – the Tiny Trolley. It’s a tiny little cone of ice cream, and it only costs a buck. Great for little kids, and for their aunts who want to be able to hang out here regularly without having to buy a new wardrobe.

So if you're in Denver, come on by and check it out. The address is 2639 W. 32nd Ave. It’s the very red building on the north side of the street between Bryant and Clay.  You can learn more at www.redtrolleydenver.com.

See ya there!!