Dish Of The Week: Ice cream sandwiches

Where: Bantam King, Blue Duck Tavern, On Rye, Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats, Captain Cookie and the Milkman

Unwrapping the paper of an ice cream sandwich is a memory of many childhood summers, with that classic pairing of vanilla ice cream and chocolate cake-like substance. Dotted with holes, the pillow-top layer would absorb a sticky imprint from clutching fingers.

While it’s hard to touch this freezer case classic, shops and restaurants around D.C. work each summer to elevate the treat. Homemade cookies with good ice cream go a long way, but there’s also a handful of options that sub out the cookie for unique takes to get your sweet tooth through the searing heat. And the best part is that most everything discussed below can be had for a little more (or sometimes even less) than $5.

A frozen treat featuring fried chicken skin is the latest to take the city by storm. Chicken-focused ramen shop Bantam King (501 G St. NW) debuted the unexpected dessert last month. A pair of lightly toasted Kings Hawaiian buns hold vanilla ice cream and several large slivers of crispy skin. Cinnamon and powdered sugar sprinkled over the thing give a French toast feel, and some advanced eaters may note North African undertones. The creation stems from a commitment to incorporating chicken into a dessert at Bantam King and is inspired by Moroccan bastila, a savory and sweet pie.

The flavorful fried fat is a remarkable contrast with the ice cream. Think of cousins like ice cream with potato chips or pretzels whirled into it, or bacon that’s been candied or chocolate dipped—or added to an ice cream bowl, for that matter. The chicken skin is a delightful, salty charred fat element against the sweet, creamy dessert. Its a bit addictive, but the only chance to get the fix is during during lunch hours at the shop’s walk-up window (it was recently pressed back into service, a holdover of the former Burger King space’s Whopper selling days).

Blue Duck Tavern (1201 24th St. NW) has been celebrating July’s designation as national ice cream month with options that will strike a chord with the kid in you. A different one of pastry chef Erin Reed’s concoctions is offered every week, each inspired by her favorite childhood treats. This week through July 22, homemade frozen Mallomars with vanilla marshmallow and birch ice cream offer an enticing reason to try to stop by the Park Hyatt.

The babka ice cream sandwich was the talk of the town when On Rye (740 6th St. NW) began their 2016 run selling them at Nationals Park. It’s now a sweet staple at the Jewish deli-inspired shop. Thin slices of chocolate babka and a swirled and twisted, sweet cake-like bread form the outer layers surrounding a slab of vanilla bean gelato stuffed between.

In what direction could they take another beloved Jewish bakery staple, the black and white cookie? To quote Seinfeld, making a sandwich out of the “two races of flavor, sitting side by side in harmony” may be too crazy. Crumbling the frosted cookies up into a push pop with lemon gelati and chocolate chips, however, is a winner. A cinnamon babka push pop with maple bourbon ice cream is also available.

Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats (1400 Independence Ave. SW and in a mobile truck) is known for its use of donuts as a vessel for the signature product, The Big Red. The treat slices open a red velvet cake doughnut, stuffs it with frozen custard, gets topped off with chocolate sauce.

There are many novel bookends being used these days for the ice cream sandwich. For all of them, the most popular gourmet way to elevate the summer treat is still between two regular old homemade cookies. Captain Cookie & the Milkman (2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW and three “cookiemobiles”) may be the purveyor best known around town for their homemade cookies and ice cream sandwiches. Each sandwich is fully customizable. Pick something like oatmeal raisin or snickerdoodle for the bottom cookie and peanut butter or ginger molasses up top. There are eight cookies to choose from to surround vanilla, chocolate, or black cherry ice cream.

Previously on Dish Of The Week:
Classic French Steak Frites
Summer Of Funnel Cake
Fried Shrimp Po’Boy
Crunching On Crudites
Bring On The Bao