The garishly huge red neon sign out front takes me back to my youth. I feel like, for some reason, every time I pull into the parking lot that I should have the new Arcade Fire album playing loudly; if it weren't for the big box stores in the area, I'd have thought this Cleveland food staple was one of those little ice cream shops from my small-town childhood.
Really, that's what East Coast Custard is. It's always busy, and there are always plenty of families there for a treat. Sometimes it's baseball teams in the summer, still wearing their dirt-clad white pants. Sometimes it's college students looking for a getaway. Always, it's someone looking for great ice cream -- and the unique frozen custard that can only be found on America's North Coast (East Coast?).
The recipe dates back to the days of the Euclid Beach scene, but there are plenty of special flavors updated to today's palate, as well as the more basic ones. The custard is decadent. It is ice cream of a sort, but far creamier, far richer, more substantial, probably more fattening, and certainly far better. I'm embarrassed for the Dairy Queen across the street.
For a more health-conscious person (c'mon, get the custard; ECC is a "sometimes" food), there is frozen yogurt. It's not Pinkberry, et al., but it's more ice-creamy, and the flavors are unique and seasonal, much like the custard.
Check the website for a calendar of flavors, as the menu rotates with the days and the season. I would certainly recommend the birthday cake custard, by the way.
If for no other reason than to smell the strangely characteristic scent of the ice cream shop from your childhood -- and to have dessert like no one cares -- ECC is *the* choice for ice cream.