Just Indulge: Frozen Custard in Wicker Park

I love ice cream and French vanilla is one of my favorite flavors, in part due to its inclusion of egg yolks and its fatty custard flavor. In South Florida, I would often eat "mantecado" ice cream, which hit the spot. I have not lived in the Midwest for very long and it was only in the last couple of years that I became aware of the existence of frozen custard, through LTH and the thread on Scooter's. More butterfat, egg yolks, less air.....perfect. I don't know much about frozen custard or the variations in the way that it is made. I have only had it at Scooter's. I was very happy with my visits to Scooter's last year, but it was out of the way for me and a bit of a drive. Despite loving ice cream, it has never been a "destination" food item for me. For some reason, I prefer to walk to ice cream shops, often in the context of walking to other places. Therefore, I was very happy to hear that a frozen custard shop opened up within walking distance of my home.

I walked over to "Just Indulge" last night to check out their goods. I had no camera in tow, but promise to post pictures on my return visit, if someone else doesn't beat me to it. The place has a clean, minimalist look, with primarily mint and brown colors for decoration. They sell a limited selection of chocolates, assorted sweet treats, and chocolate covered items (e.g., rice krispy bars, pretzels). They also sell gourmet popcorn, popped and garnished on the premises (the standard, butter, cheese, and caramel variety). You can also find a small selection of standard ice cream and soy-based ice creams. However, the frozen custard appears to be the main event. They have two huge machines you can see behind the counter that pump out the frozen custard, which then appears to be kept in a separate cooling area. They have only chocolate and vanilla. However, they have many "mix-ins" that you can add to your frozen custard. They serve the custard in a variety of ways, cups, cones, larger cups, etc.

I ordered their "regular" sized sundae. I think that the addition of a mix-in turns your frozen custard into a "sundae." I asked for Heath to be mixed in. They basically scooped the frozen custard into a tall (maybe 8 ounce) cup, added crushed Heath, put in more frozen custard, and then added more Heath. Then the contents were agitated/blended in something – I couldn't quite see and was busy checking out their other goodies. I was a little distracted and saw those options on the top of the menu first. The size turned out much larger than I was expecting and it was not until I was halfway through my sundae that I realized they had smaller cups to offer. The night turned out chillier than planned, so my wife was in no mood for ice cream – she ordered some popcorn.

I enjoyed the frozen custard very much. The mouth-feel was wonderful...homogenously smooth, rich, and velvety. My tongue gladly served as a Slip-n-Slide for the chilly globs to melt across. No ice crystals large enough or sufficiently different in size for me to detect. It was a treat that I will certainly be back to sample again. The vanilla custard had less "vanilla" flavor than I typically like in ice creams. However, I remember thinking the same thing at Scooter's. I'm not sure if that is just typical of frozen custard in general. The popcorn was also good. I wasn't too impressed by the coatings on the popcorn, but the actual popped kernels were gorgeous. They looked like little plump mushroom clouds, frozen mid-explosion for my consumption. Maybe they would taste better right out of the popper. These had probably been sitting in the counter since the morning.

All in all, I was very happy with my first experience. They were not busy at all, but it was Wednesday night, slightly chilly out, and the place appears to have opened only very recently. The staff was very friendly and attentive, without being annoyingly so. I am very happy to have a frozen custard shop nearby and another option in addition to Caffe Gelato within walking distance for when I crave the cold stuff.

Just Indulge
1755 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Mon-Thu,Sun 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat 11am-10pm

I think the heaviness of frozen custard tends to mute flavors. You really need to amp up the vanilla if you want it to stand out. My best solution there has been to use extract, pods, and vanilla sugar to make vanilla custard. It works.

Thanks for the report on this place, I work just a few blocks away and have been really, really curious about it. How do the prices compare to Scooter's?

gleam wrote:How do the prices compare to Scooter's?

I can't remember the prices at Scooter's, so I can't make a direct comparison. However, I paid a little under $4 for the "regular" sized "sundae." I found this to be a generous serving and wished I had ordered a cup or small cone. Mix-ins were 60 cents. Their "concretes" were slightly under $5. I think the cups and cones were in the $2-$3 range.

I failed to mention that they also served coffee (Intelligentsia). I liked the fact that they offer some options for those that may be accompanying me but may not be in the mood for frozen custard or are lactose challenged.

r2g wrote:

gleam wrote:How do the prices compare to Scooter's?

I can't remember the prices at Scooter's, so I can't make a direct comparison. However, I paid a little under $4 for the "regular" sized "sundae." I found this to be a generous serving and wished I had ordered a cup or small cone. Mix-ins were 60 cents. Their "concretes" were slightly under $5. I think the cups and cones were in the $2-$3 range.

I failed to mention that they also served coffee (Intelligentsia). I liked the fact that they offer some options for those that may be accompanying me but may not be in the mood for frozen custard or are lactose challenged.

Is there any place in Wicker Park besides starbucks that doesn't serve intelligensia? I might be one of the few but I hate those beans.

jpschust wrote:Is there any place in Wicker Park besides starbucks that doesn't serve intelligensia? I might be one of the few but I hate those beans.

I really can't say...I'm not much of a coffee-shop type of guy. I can tell you that Cafe Gelato serves Illy and that Bleeding Heart Bakery would serve Metropolis (both coffees that I like very much), but Bleeding Heart has moved. I'm sure there must be some variety to be found. I would have to check with my wife, who is much more into the coffee circuit.

I believe Cafe de Lucca serves Illy.

what is disturbing about the frozen custard at just indulge is that if you order it plain (ie; not mixed in) at the moment it is not coming directly from the soft serve machine as it should, IMO. they arent busy enough yet (they told me last week) so they store it in a freezer and it firms up just like regular ice cream. it no longer has the creaminess of the soft serve. you wouldnt care, i guess, if you get a blended drink, but i dont care to eat it when it has hardened in a freezer and is scooped out firm, just like ice cream.

justjoan wrote:what is disturbing about the frozen custard at just indulge is that if you order it plain (ie; not mixed in) at the moment it is not coming directly from the soft serve machine as it should, IMO. they arent busy enough yet (they told me last week) so they store it in a freezer and it firms up just like regular ice cream.

ooo. that's a deal killer right there. major frozen custard faux pax.

gleam wrote:I believe Cafe de Lucca serves Illy.

They serve Caffe Umbria, which is good coffee. I'm not a fan of Intelligentsia either!

Duh, I forgot that they switched a couple years back.

justjoan wrote:what is disturbing...is that if you order it plain (ie; not mixed in)....they store it in a freezer and it firms up just like regular ice cream.

Absolutely correct. I unexpectedly went back to Just Indulge after dinner nearby and had the small cup of vanilla frozen custard. It was taken out of a freezer hopper. The mouth-feel was completely different from the "mixed-in" version I had on my prior visit. Icy around the edges and (obviously) a much harder consistency. Still tasted just fine, but ruined some of the joy. Until they make a change, I'll stick to the regular, mixed-in version and hopefully have somebody to share.

I enjoyed the custard, but then again I like all sweets. I tried the one with banana and reese's peanut butter cups and it was really good.

Shaggywillis wrote:I enjoyed the custard, but then again I like all sweets. I tried the one with banana and reese's peanut butter cups and it was really good.

Even circus peanuts?