Interlaken, NY: Cayuga Lake Creamery

On the advice of friends at Cornell University I changed my driving route to go up Highway 89, which was a beautiful drive along the lake ... but beauty aside, the point of the drive was the much anticipated stop at the Cayuga Lake Creamery [http://cayugalakecreamery.com/]. The quintessential roadside stand on a road full of summer tourist excitement, it almost demands the driver stop the car. It was worth the detour and more ... and you know I love me some ice cream.

They have a full menu of casual food ... burgers, sandwiches and the like, but the draw here is the ice cream, so I really didn't pay attention to anything else. There are sundaes, shakes, and other treats but for me it was pure ice cream that I was after. And there are flavors galore, including wine sorbets that are made with local vintages and other interesting combinations. But before I get to the ice cream, there were cones to consider. In addition to the usual cake or sugar varieties, plain or dipped in chocolate, maybe some nuts or sprinkles there was one that I've never heard of ... a pretzel cone. Yes, you read right, a cone made from pretzel dough with salt on the outside. And with the Salted Caramel ice cream it was perfect ... crisp, salty, smooth, cold, creamy and everything that a person could want on a hot summer afternoon. There were so many tempting flavors that it was hard to decide, but I've been kind of addicted to salted caramel anything lately, so that was calling my name and the decision was sealed when I found out about the pretzel cone. I wish I was closer because there were so many other flavors that I wanted to taste, next trip to upstate New York for the Cayuga Lake Creamery will be on the list for sure.

Oh, and one more thing ... the have 'Breakfast a la Mode' on the weekends with some amazing sounding ice cream flavors including Maple Bacon [YES!!!] and Brown Sugar Oatmeal. Almost worth the trip back to give it a try, what could be a better way to start a summer vacation weekend!

The Cayuga Lake Creamery is a perfect spot, a slice of Americana that offers everything you could want for a summer day. Follow you reflexes, pull that car over and enjoy. This place is special.

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