The main reason I want to move to East Nashville is for the culinary adventure I'm certain I would have with so many delicious eateries, drinkeries, and bakeries nearby. One of the many places I wish I lived closer to is the Pied Piper Creamery, a family-owned establishment featuring "original house-made flavors and 'punny' names that get people talking" (according to their website). Ice cream and wordplay! Two of my favorite things!
Imagine my delight when they opened a second location in Berry Hill, just minutes from my home and office (a dangerous location for sure). At this locale, the Pipers ship gallons of their ice cream across town and sell scoops out of the left side of a small duplex on Bransford Ave., Berry Hill's version of Main Street.
Deciding this week necessitated a celebratory Friday afternoon treat, I ventured over to Pied Piper Creamery for the first time. Inside the purple shack, I was greeted with cheery colors, cases of ice cream, and a jolly scoopster. The best part of Pied Piper, besides the taste of the ice cream and the clever names, is their unlimited samples policy. Try as many flavors as you like until you find one that fits. In fact, my scooper pulled out a handful of sample spoons, anticipating my indecisiveness.
I only sampled three flavors: The Movie Star, a lemon-ginger custard; Caramel Mousse, a light whipped texture with an intensely sweet caramel base and caramel ribbon; and Banana Fana Fo Fuddin, a frozen version of Mama's nana puddin. Normally a fan of banana-flavored anything, I was really hoping to like this one. It was good but was a little too sweet for my liking.
In the end, I settled on The Movie Star. My scoop master told me of the hundreds of flavors the Pied Pipers have experimented with in the last 3 1/2 years, this is still by far his favorite. I can see why. On a hot August afternoon, it was perfectly light and refreshing and doesn't leave you feeling thirsty like a lot of ice creams will. And the custard means its creamier, richer, and--in my opinion--more delicious. (I've heard arguments that its makeup technically makes it more healthy/less bad for you than regular ice cream.) Intriguing and delicious--a perfect way to end a long week.
Partnered with The Movie Star, the shop also offered The Professor, a coconut flavored concoction. On the way out, I heard him explain to the customers behind me that at one point they offered Mary Ann, a low-calorie choice with no added sugar because "Mary Ann was sweet enough."
The only downside to Berry Hill's Pied Piper Creamery is its lack of space. There are picnic tables with umbrellas outside, but there is no inside seating. With as hot as it's been lately, that almost makes eating ice cream counterproductive. Or at the very least, a race against time. But the flavors and the friendly faces make it so worth it. If you don't want to battle the heat, you can take home a pint for only $5.50. Not a bad deal to support a family of local entrepreneurs!
The End Notes:
- Delicious, home-made ice creams
- They make ice cream cakes too, so every occasion can be celebrated with the help of Pied Piper Creamery
- No inside seating makes it a "hot" spot to visit
- Two sticky but satisfied thumbs up!
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