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| - I'm not much of an ice cream person. Actually, I could probably do just as well without it. My wife, however, falls a wee bit toward the other end of the spectrum. This is how we found our way to the Honey Hut in Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood on an unseasonably warm early May evening. The smiling bee, staring at two scoops, finger on his chin, ponderous, beckoned us closer.
It's small. Not really much bigger than a two-car garage. And it's wracked with Cleveland character. From its beginnings as a cobbler's shop to their use of honey as the ice cream's sweetener there's no denying the Honey Hut's got it. A testament to their success can be seen in their multiple locations around northeast Ohio, 5 to be exact with a sixth on the way in Brunswick. I've only been to a couple of them but the Old Brooklyn shoppe, the original, should be your first stop. But what about the product?
As I said before, when it comes to ice cream I can take it or leave it but even I have to give them credit. This stuff is fantastic. Smooth, creamy, sweet, fattening and flavorful. It has everything you could ever want in a homemade ice cream. The honey definitely adds depth and the unique flavors (coconut banana cream anyone?) push them over the top. Banana splits, sundaes, shakes, malts, and monthly seasonal flavors (http://www.honeyhut.com/pdfs/Flavors!_SprdSht2012_SPECIALS.pdf).
We sat on one of the benches just around the corner and watched the people. Cleveland's roly-poly population, aware but not caring that there's a junior size cone, waddling up to the windows, black yoga pants stretched to their limits, screaming kids dressed in soccer uniforms dragging their dads, dogs licking little vanilla bowls, tiny picnic tables for the toddlers (or adults that want to feel like giants), outrageously loud Harley Davidsons rumbling down State Road. The cold, melty ice cream, so sweet my teeth scream, mingles with the atmosphere and makes for lasting Cleveland memories. It's no wonder so many people are in love with Honey Hut. I think I've got a bit of a crush myself.
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