The scoop on Little Man Ice Cream

Liz Kellermeyer

Single scoop, double flavor

The towering milk can poking out of the lower Highland neighborhood is hard to miss. Owner Paul Tamburello designed his ice cream stand as an homage to the Coney Island hot dog stand (the one that looks like a hot dog, not the one on Coney Island), liking the idea that a little bit of kitsch could invoke nostalgia among customers.

Little Man Ice Cream, 2620 16th Street, opened two summers ago and has quickly become the neighborhood hot spot for icy treats on a friendly patio. Wanting to see if it lived up to the hype, we signed ourselves up for a monster scoop and dug in.

We combined two flavors -- Whopper Malt and Mocha Chip -- into a single scoop, and the above picture is evidence that we got more than what we paid for. Manager Kristen Maldeis notes that the shop tries to use as many local ingredients as possible in its products. "We love teaming up with other shops right in the neighborhood, and our dairy comes from Robinson Dairy just a few miles from here," she says. The coffee (with roasted undertones) that's used in the Mocha Chip comes from Common Grounds, and some other favorite flavors get hits of seasoning from Savory Spice's selection.

The two flavors we picked for our sugar cone complemented each other beautifully. The mellow smoothness of the malted vanilla base with chunks of Whoppers mixed well with the darker notes of coffee and chocolate. The chocolate chips were chosen for their high fat content, which keeps them soft and ready to melt on your tongue. High fat content seems to be a common theme with Little Man's ice creams, custards and gelato: "Our process involves whipping very little air into our bases with a high butterfat, so the end product is extremely dense, rich, and smooth," says Maldeis. Indeed, our "single scoop" left us feeling full the rest of the day.

Anyone looking for a more swimsuit-friendly option might want to check out the impressive selection of fresh sorbets instead, but surely everyone can find something to love at Little Man.

Single scoop, sugar cone $2.50