Chocoholic on the Road: Milwaukee, Part 1

This week, I have a business meeting in Chicago, and since I have family in Milwaukee, I left DC a bit early to visit with them. This, of course, means that I have a chance to check out chocolate spots that just aren’t available in DC. Having lived in Milwaukee when I was younger, I knew of one outstanding Milwaukee institution that deserves a visit: Kopp’s Frozen Custard.

I know that frozen custard is available elsewhere in the U.S., but it’s just not like Kopp’s. Let’s be serious, at Kopp’s, you can see the custard being freshly made right behind the cash registers. And in most of America, the locals can’t tolerate butterfat content in Kopp’s creations. The folks in Milwaukee, on the other hand, say “bring on the butterfat!” and I have to say that I’m with them.

Kopp’s offers vanilla and chocolate custard every day, along with two flavors of the day, some of which are chocolate based. Unfortunately, there were no chocolate-based flavors while I was in town, so I went with a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of chocolate.

Both flavors featured the outstanding Kopp’s flavor and texture – completely smooth without a hint of iciness, a nice sweet taste, and a hint of egg. The chocolate features a high quality dark chocolate with an earthy undertone that is complimented by the custard flavor. Flavor-wise, it’s like biting into an artisan bittersweet chocolate bar, and as an added benefit, it comes in the form of a superbly rich and creamy custard.

But I have an admission to make: I like the vanilla better. I know that I’m a chocoholic, but the vanilla custard is obviously make using high-quality vanilla, and the rich custard flavor and texture shines through even better than with the chocolate. The solution? Get two scoops, one of each.

Summary:

Product: Kopp’s Custard (one scoop vanilla, one scoop chocolate)

Prices: 1 scoop $2.65 cone/$2.00 dish, 2 scoops $3.35 cone/$2.70 dish, 3 scoops $4.05 cone/$3.40 dish, 4 scoops $4.75/$4.10 dish.

Strong points: High-quality dark chocolate obviously used, ultra-rich custard.

Weak points: Only in Milwaukee.