May 2012
9 posts
Liz Weiss of US News & World Report lists...
Liz Weiss of US News and World Report has produced an essential travel document, one to keep in your wallet when you leave home. It is a guide to America’s Best Ice Cream stores. http://travel.usnews.com/features/Americas_Best_Ice_Cream/ America’s Best Ice Cream Liz Weiss On a warm summer day, nothing’s more enticing than a creamy scoop of America’s most delectable frozen...
Cambridgeday.com writes about closing of Harvest...
I read Cambridgeday.com every day. Everyone should. Here is a long story about the sad news that Harvest Co-op and Clear Conscience Cafe are being forced out of their present location.
http://www.cambridgeday.com/2012/05/25/lease-hike-forces-out-harvest-co-op-clear-conscience-cafe/
Harvest will move across the street but it is uncertain what will happen to C3. Every day owner Dan Goldstein...
Reusing teak from 1981 and thinking of many things
Toscanini’s opened in 1981 and we originally used large ice and salt freezers that were manufactured by White Mountain Equipment Company of Winchendon, Mass. Our store was built by the same people who recently renovated it, Community Builders Cooperative of Somerville, Mass. Marc Rudnick and Sally Wetzler built a beautiful worktable from teak to hold the ice cream machines. One of the last...
Ice cream for sundaes on Mo May 28, 2012. Labor...
French Vanilla
Belgian Chocolate
Heath Bar
B3
White Coffee Hydrox Cookie
Chocolate Chip
Saffron
Khulfee
Burnt Caramel
Salty Carmel
Coffee
Coffee Ice Cream Sandwich
Coconut
Bourbon Vienna finger Cookie
Mint Girl Scout Cookie
Blackberry
Honey Vanilla Bean
Butter Almond
Chocolate #3
Buckeye
Orange Chocolate
Rum Raisin
Cake Batter
Grape Nut
Hydrox Cookie
Coconut Rum Sorbet
...
Ice cream flavors for sundaes on Su May 6, 2012
French Vanilla Belgian Chocolate Coffee Hydrox Cookie Cookie Dough Grape Nut Chocolate Chip Sweet Cream Green Tea Maple Walnut Bourbon Chocolate Flake Mocha Nocciola Burnt Caramel Mango B3 Mixed Berry Blackberry Basil Salty Caramel White Russian The Dude Vienna Finger Butter Almond Salted Saffron Just Fluff Goat Cheese Brownie Earl Grey Chocolate #3 Coffee Hydrox Toasted Coconut Guinness Mango...
Nyan Cat attacks City of Cambridge and ether
Rofl.con is Friday, Saturday, May 4/5. We have made an ice cream flavor in celebration of the Nyan Cat meme. Our flavor is made with Cherry Pop Tarts and brightly colored anise candies from India. There are actually two versions. One uses Vanilla ice cream as a base and the other is a vegan sorbet made with Coconut Milk. We have made Rofl.con Nyan Cat ice cream. Why? In some sense, “Who...
The Phoenix says nice things about Nyan Cat ice...
Posted on May 2nd, 2012, by Gus Rancatore in Uncategorized - Edit
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/food/137999-on-the-cheap-nyan-cat-ice-cream-from-toscaninis/
Gus Rancatore, co-founder and proprietor of Toscanini’s Ice Cream in Central Square, isn’t afraid of a good challenge. Toscanini’s is renowned for its roster of oddball ice-cream infusions (get your hands on the Earl Grey, it’s ethereal),...
April 2012
15 posts
Closed for renovations but working on new flavors
We will be doing work on our counters and the coffee bar. The new design work like the original store is by Sandra Fairbank and the work will be done by Community Builders Cooperative of Somerville, Mass. Sunday was the last day of the Cambridge Science Festival. The Independent Film Festival Boston continues until May 2. We have been working on a Nyan cat flavor for Roflcon, which starts on...
Flavors for Mo Ap 23, 2012
It may stop raining. It will certainly get dark. The Cambridge Science Festival continues. The Independent Film Festival Boston will start on We Ap 25. French Vanilla Belgian Chocolate Cocoa Pudding Cookie Dough Grape Nut Chocolate Sluggo Butter Chocolate Chip Nocciola Khulfee Black Bottom Pie Rum Raisin Mango Green Tea Burnt Caramel Maple Walnut Hydrox Cookie Cake Batter ...
Where to eat after The Marathon
Salts Gabriel Kremer, Food & Wine Best Young Chef 905 Main St. 617 876-8444 www.saltsrestaurant.com Craigie on Main Tony Maws, Food & Wine Best Young Chef and James Beard Award winner Snout to tail, famous for its hamburger and much more. 853 Main St. 617 497-5511 www.craigieonmain.com Rendezvous Lifetime Achievement Award to Chef Steve Johnson 502 Mass. Ave....
A better Marathon
First of all, while I used to run, and there was one day in Maine when I was tricked into running the equivalent of a marathon this year I would prefer to bicycle. And in a crabby “everything is getting worse” comment I have to say that since I first drove across the state to move to Allston the metropolitan area has sprawled in the same fashion as every other American city. Going...
The second day of a wonderful Marathon Weekend.
Sunday is the Sowa Potlatch with food trucks and other mobile vendors selling trinkets. At 8PM in handsome Jordan Hall, the NEConservatory Percussion Ensemble will be playing for FREE. I’ve seen this in previous years and it is excellent. Its hard to figure out whether the audience, the hall or the music is better. The Brattle is showing a documentary about Hollywood discount king...
Ice cream for Fenway Opening Day and Marathon...
French Vanilla Belgian Chocolate Burnt Caramel Cocoa Pudding Grape Nut Raisin Sweet Cream Malted Vanilla Mango Wort Hydrox Cookie Gianduia (Chocolate Hazelnut) Cookie Dough Green Tea Butter Chocolate Chip Maple Walnut Strawberry Ginger Snap Molasses Coffee B3 Burnt Marshmallow Blackberry Basil Butter Almond Coffee Ice Cream Sandwich Earl Grey Goat Cheese Brownie Rum Raisin Bourbon Vienna Finger ...
Central Sq.'s MIT Museum gets written up in the...
I was in Texas, sipping coffee on South Congress and listening to the loud birdsongs of Austin’s early morning grackles when I read this story by Karen Weintraub about Central Square’s MIT Museum and its charismatic leader, John Durant....
The Crimson writes about the City's refusal to...
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/4/10/city-council-televise-roundtable/
By Maya Jonas-Silver, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The Cambridge City Council voted against a measure to televise an upcoming roundtable meeting—a proposal that some councillors said they hoped would increase transparency but others argued would limit discussion.
Though regular City...
Jordan Weinstein of WGBH on Central Square
Yesterday WGBH presented a report on the ever-changing moods of Central Square.
http://www.wgbh.org/articles/index.cfm?tempid=5978
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — I arranged to meet Helen Bryant at the 1369 Coffee House in Central Square, an independent business in a neighborhood that’s arguably one of the last traces of Cambridge’s less-prosperous past. A tale of two cities … in one neighborhood ...
Flavors for Fr Ap 6, 2012
Its always cool in Central Square. Today it is cool and sunny. We’re open until 11PM. The Together music festival continues until Ap 8. Tonight at 8PM is Big Freedia at Brighton Music Hall. http://togetherboston.com/ The Turkish Film Festival continues at the MFA. http://www.mfa.org/programs/series/boston-turkish-film-festival Pax East gaming conference ontinues until Su Ap 8. ...
Five questions in Cambridgeday.com
Marc Levy of Cambridgeday.com interviewed Gus and asked five questions. http://www.cambridgeday.com/2012/04/01/five-recommendations-gus-rancatore/ Five recommendations: Gus Rancatore By Marc Levy Published: April 1, 2012 at 10:16 AM Five questions. We just want to ask you five questions — or, rather, get five recommendations of things to read, listen to, watch, eat and buy from people who live,...
March 2012
5 posts
Letter from Central Square
Last week was like being at the Alamo with Colonel Travis or on top of a burning tank with Audie Murphy. Both Texans. Seasonal weather returned and the pace here at Toscanini’s was close to stately. The weekend will bring warmer weather on Monday. Friday March 30 is the last Friday of the month and that always means Walk Ride Day. If you ride your bike or take the T, or frankly, simply tell us...
Flavors for Fr Mar 23, 2012
We are not doing Breakfast@TheBigTable on Sa or Su.
We are open every night until 11PM.
Things are cooler and may be calmer. The ice cream makers have been toiling to keep up with this sudden arrival of summer. We thought we were intellectually prepared for the usual increase in business that accompanies springtime, but this has been daunting. Today we have French Vanilla Belgian Chocolate ...
ZRant and grits
The Weekly Dig has an article about Central Square’s ZRant. We make ice cream for Jason Zeeman, and his customers. And we eat there. Especially the grits. http://digboston.com/taste/2012/03/jayson-zeeman-of-z-rant/ It’s been about six months since the opening of Z-Rant, the Central Square brunch joint occupying ZuzuBar smack in between The Middle East. While most restaurants at this point...
Ice cream week in review
I’d bet this isn’t the last snowfall of the winter. The only snow to be seen this morning was on top of cars driven in from Route 2. Now everything is slippery and coated with wet snow. Bad white things can happen in March or April. I’d say this is a typical New England spring, more of a lurching, confused end to winter than a swelling return of warm weather. It...
February 2012
25 posts
Flavors for Leap Year Fe 29, 2012
These are the flavors for Wednesday February 29, 2012. They change frequently. I was visiting Somerville’s Artisans Ayslum when a long-time customer reminded me of his request to make Cinnamon Nutmeg. We have some in our freezer so ask for it if we’re not serving it. Haunted Valentine was made by Andy after discussions with Peter Valentine. Peter suggested we make an...
It came from Canton, Mass.
Since Dunkin Donuts owns Baskin Robbins more new ice cream flavors come from our state. Nations’ Restuarant News reports Baskin-Robbins, the Canton, Mass-based ice cream chain, has picked up the salty dessert trend from independent restaurants with its March Flavor of the Month. Its 3-Point Chocolate ice cream, which ties in to the national college basketball championships that take...
Haunted Valentine
Cool- 10k-15k is the going rate for a nice site. It used to be more. Haunted Valentine is a new flavor created by chief ice cream maker Andy Dubyoski after a number of conversations over several months with one of our most interesting customers, Peter Valentine. Since we opened in 1981 there has only been one flavor named after a person, Chocolate Sluggo which was created almost at the...
Longfellow Community School Petition
The following is from the Mid Cmabridge Neighborhood Association.
Once again, the future of our neighborhood’s Longfellow Neighborhood Council (LNC) council and Community School is threatened by a cut in city support being proposed by the city manager. With the retirement of long-time LNC director, Penelope Kleespies in January, the Council has hired an acting director, Sikha Sen, and...
The small dustup over Ben and Jerry's Linsanity
Ben and Jerry’s has been down this road before. They probably have a handbook for these events, teams of pr people that practice and an insurance policy for bad ice cream ideas. Once, they created a flavor in the United Kingdom called Black and Tan. In the US Black and Tan is an order in a bar. In Ireland it was the name of a hated paramilitary unit. Oops. So they got the Chevy...
A busy Week
A busy week here in Lafayette Square, which is the correct name for our end of Central Square. Sunset is near 530PM. The weather continues to be unseasonable. Unseasonable temperatures or not, January and February are bad periods for fruit in New England. All of us spent a month poaching pears in an attempt to come up with an interesting winter fruit flavor. We poached pears in...
Presidents Day, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and...
Holidays and events are coming at us fast and furious. Over the weekend we had the Harvard Forensics Event and the CRASH-B indoor rowing regatta and then Presidents Day. Get a deal on a new car! Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday. Andy is working on a flavor inspired by the Swedish Semla pastry. It will utilize cardamom and marscapone cheese. We also talked about Paczki, a wonderful Polish donut,...
Ice Cream Flavors for Presidents' Day
The flavors change frequently. We think that Earl Grey may be running out soon. French Vanilla Belgian Chocolate Earl Grey Malted Vanilla Hydrox Cookie Burnt Caramel Bourbon Chocolate Flake Butter Chocolate Chip Mocha Mango Maple Walnut Ginger Snap Molasses Cocoa Pudding Coffee Ice Cream Sandwich Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough White Russian or The Dude White Coffee Sweet Cream Salty...
News from our Latin American Correspondents
Long before gringos gathered on Cancun’s smooth white beaches and before Mexicans’ maddening installation of a purgatory of topes (speedbumps), the Mayans claimed Yucatan as their own. Hundreds of thousands thrived on religion and rainwater on this arid limestone peninsula, creating a culture of high art, architecture and science. The magnificence of their cities astounds, given...
We Fe 15, 2012 ice cream flavors
We close at 11PM. French Vanilla Belgian Chocolate Cake Batter Hydrox Cookie Burnt Caramel Wort Chocolate Chip Rum Raisin Mango Nocciola Butter Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Nutmeg Chocolate #3 Earl Grey Espresso Belgian Chocolate Hydrox Cookie Cookie Redux Goat Cheese Brownie Vietnamese Coffee Pink Grapefruit German Chocolate Cake Chai Tea Fresh Mint Chocolate Flake Bourbon ...
The Globe covers the resignation of Friendly's...
Jenn Abelson of The Globe writes about the resignation of the president of Friendly’s ice cream, or the resignation of the latest president of Friendly’s ice cream. http://www.boston.com/Boston/businessupdates/2012/02/month-after-friendly-emerges-from-bankruptcy-company-puts-its-ceo-ice/XJAoBOT7ToAakX6twfyXwI/index.html Friendly’s CEO stepping down
By Jenn Abelson, Globe...
Thursday night, Fe 9, 2012 44 degrees
The flavors change throughout the day. We close at 11P. At 7P we have French Vanilla Belgian Chocolate Ginger Hydrox Cookie Strawberry Cocoa Pudding Chocolate Chip Fluffernutter Green Tea-Ginger Malted Vanilla Burnt Caramel Wort Khulfee Mounds Bar Earl Grey Goat Cheese Brownie Pink Grapefruit Coffee Hydrox Cookie Blackberry Lime Salted Saffron Espresso Vienna Finger Cookie Cookie Dough Buckeye...
