By Mike Anderson
Nobody knows how to enjoy summer like a New Englander. Sure, we love winter, with its dark days, frigid temperatures and pricey energy bills…well, ok, we don’t all love winter, although skiers and snowmobilers find some pleasure in it. It probably is safe to say that nearly everyone loves summer here. The bright, blue skies, the warm air, the long days at the beach – it’s enough to make us forget cold mornings when the car won’t start, and the afternoons when the sun sets at 4 p.m. Summer is the winter of our discontent, to borrow from the bard, and we New Englanders know it.
Of course, it’s a shorter season for us than for our Southern kin, so we must make the most of it. Right about now, residents and visitors are counting the days to our trips to the lake or the coast. We’re cleaning our boats, buying our fishing licenses, and pulling beach chairs out of storage. We’re looking forward to corn on the cob, blueberries, chowder and lobster. And ice cream. Man, are we looking forward to that!
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The Portsmouth Pulse is devoted to bringing you the truth about what’s happening in Portsmouth, and the truth is, we have some great ice cream here. After all, we know a great scoop when we see one, whether it’s a breaking story or a cool treat. In that spirit, and in honor of this magnificent season, we are proud to introduce our reviews of local ice cream shops. We hope you appreciate this act of service to our readers (even if it is mostly an excuse to savor the flavors at our local scoop shops). Read on for our guidance to this important summer ritual, and be sure to check out these spots for yourself.
Izzy’s
This week’s featured ice cream parlor is Izzy’s, a longtime Portsmouth favorite. Curiously, Izzy’s did not begin as an ice cream shop. Back in 1989, the store’s founders were fascinated with a new product called frozen yogurt. They opened Izzy’s to serve frozen yogurt and healthy toppings. Eventually, they expanded the menu to include ice cream and all the classic fixings, like hot fudge and whipped cream. Today, Izzy’s menu is a dizzying array of summertime delights, and, with its location in the heart of downtown, it’s the perfect place to wrap up a day of shopping or exploring in Portsmouth.
Visitors to this iconic scoopery will find four chalkboard menus nearly overflowing with mouth-watering temptations. There’s the ice cream, of course, and you can still get frozen yogurt, too. There are even a handful of vegan options. Ice cream flavors change so often, Izzy’s doesn’t print menus; variety is clearly an important theme. So is fun. The owners named the store Izzy’s because they liked the way it sounded. Even the menu offerings have amusing names, like Dizzy Izzys (like Dairy Queen Blizzards) and Wacky Izzy shakes.
On my recent visit, I bought a half scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. I appreciated the option for a smaller serving that was actually small, and priced accordingly (with tip, I paid about $4). Some shops sell “small” servings that cost as much as a pint of ice cream and come in a dish large enough for a basketball. Izzy’s gets their ice cream from Richardson’s. It’s not made on-site, but it is a delicious, creamy, quality brand of ice cream.
In the unlikely event you’re not in the mood for ice cream or frozen yogurt, Izzy’s sells hot and iced coffee. They also feature cool fruity drinks, like Strawberry Lemonade Freezes.
The menu here is big, but the shop itself is not. Seating is quite limited. The area around Izzy’s has a lot to offer, though, and you might be content to grab a cone or a cup and continue your journey along the waterfront. Izzy’s overlooks the Piscataqua River, and the docks for the tugboats and Portsmouth Harbor tours are just around the corner.
Izzy’s is located at 33 Bow Street in Portsmouth (at the corner of Bow and Ceres streets). They are open daily from noon to 9 p.m.
