Lindy's Swirled

[New for 2023] I don't know why, but the most commented post on this blog is the silly Lindy's vs Luigi's battle I did way back in 2010 (you can see it here)... wait, this product suddenly makes sense! Last year, Luigi's debuted 4oz gelato cups, and now here we are with Lindy's trying to branch out of the Italian ice game as well. Luigi's set the bar fairly low so let's try...

Lindy's Swirled - Strawberry

Strawberry Italian Ice with a Creamy Swirl

Luigi's Chocolate Fudge Italian Ice

[New for 2015] While my son is still pining for his beloved Chocolate Polish Ice, I was intrigued to see that Luigi's has a new flavor out this year. I say intrigued because we don't see a ton of movement in the Italian ice space, but at the same time, part of me is thinking "they are just trying chocolate now?"

Luigi's Chocolate Fudge Italian Ice

Lindy's Black Cherry Italian Ice

[New for 2015] I've always been a fan of Lindy's Homemade Italian Ice, but I've commented on the outdated packaging for many years..... until now. That's right, over the past several months, Lindy's finally has a more modern look. I didn't mention it sooner because I've been waiting for either the right mood to strike... or for a new flavor to appear.

Lindy's Black Cherry Italian Ice

Richie's Super Premium Italian Ice

I know these aren't new, but I want to mention these 10 ounce cups because they've been popping up all over the place at a buck a pop. [Until now, I've only seen them at outdoor festivals for 2, 3 even 4 bucks a pop].

Ritchie's Super Premium Italian Ice
Strawberry, Cherry, and Blue Raspberry

No fat, no protein, no salt, just sugar sugar sugar

Mariano's FAT FREE Italian Ice Review

Behold

this is Marino's FAT FREE Cherry Italian Ice

Just a mere 100 calories per 6oz cup

look, it won't even film properly

A box of six for like a buck or buck fifty

even at that price.... still way overpriced

these things are low grade, salty, terribleness

yes I forced myself to try it twice...

the things I do for you people

have a good night!

Lindy's Raspberry Lemon Italian Ice Spectacular

So, who else out there is suffering in this awful humidity? To make it worse, I mowed today and I think my water level is a couple of quarts low right now. I keep drinking, but nothing is quenching my thirst... if only there was something super cold to make me feel better.

Ahhhhh Lindy's. This is Lindy's raspberry lemon Italian ice and I actually I tried last night. It's a pleasant, mild flavor. Not too sweet, not too tart.... not too raspberry, not to lemony. Now this sure is cold, but it will take way too long too eat.

Lindy's Watermelon Italian Ice Review

Ok, I promise either a Breyers or Blue Bunny review tomorrow, but considering I finished off Peanut Butter World for lunch, I've only got caloric room for some nice Italian ice.

So I picked up a pack of Lindy's watermelon Italian ice awhile ago. My daughter went through them pretty quick but I managed to hide one in the back of the freezer where I then forgot about it (I know, shocking). Hmmm, these reviews always go by so quick, maybe we can have a little fun with it.

Quick Review: Lindy's Strawberry Italian Ice

I've had several of these on the blog, so I'll keep this quick.

here it is on the outside

and here's the inside (looks like frozen bubblegum)

If you can get past the odd color, you will find that this particular Lindy's flavor, well, it doesn't actually taste like the others. Instead of a strong, candy like flavor, it has a very mellow, almost natural, strawberry flavor. I was totally shocked (and pleasantly surprised). I guess not all flavors are created equal.

Lindy's Orange Italian Ice Review

I'm just going to throw this out real quick since it's been a long few days and I'd really like to go watch some TV (we had to replace something expensive today, but at least it's tax-free weekend here in Mass)

Wait, I ordered orange flavor, not carrot flavor!

Don't go in expecting orange juice flavor. Like the other two Lindy's flavors I've tried, it's more of an artificial/candy style orange flavor. It's not bad, it just strikes me as a bit more kid oriented. I like it, and deep down, that's all that matters. Everything else I've already said during last week's friday night fight.

Friday Night Italian Ice Fight : Luigi vs Lindy

I've kinda had italian ice on the brain since visiting a local italian ice place. Now there are two major italian ice brands around here (well, 3 if you include my boring time with PhillySwirl). Let's get these guys in the ring.

The Contenders

Luigi     vs.     Lindy

Sorry, we don't have a picture of Luigi, so I had to improvise with the bob dob drawing. Luigi is packing "real Italian ice" while Lindy packs "homemade Italian ice". Luigi is a modest 6 fluid ounces and weighs in at 100 calories and 0 BMI. Lindy is the same 6 fluid ounces but has a slightly beefier 110 calories and 20% of your vitamin C to boot.

Right off the bat, you want to give Luigi the advantage. He's lighter on his feet and not weighed down by high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors (or dextrose or soy lecithin or carrageenan). Ok, you get the idea.

Local Review: Coco's Tropical Ice

I had planned to fill my lunchtime with the cheeziness of a 79 cent Cumby's chill zone frozen beverage (= faux ICEE), but the machine was broken.... bummer.

As I was headed back east, I remembered something: The new Coco's Tropical Ice. You see, in central mass, we're still waiting for Rita's to really infiltrate our state (though technically there is one in Salem).Until then, what's an italian ice lovin' person to do? Iunno, because I don't really have any italian ice lovin' friends in the area... hehehehehe, sorry, with an ice cream stand in every town, sometimes you forget about other frozen treats.

Ok, quick lesson: Now if you want to be literal, gelati is the plural of gelato. Now somewhere along the line, the term "gelati" was tweaked by Rita's and others to mean a layered/mixed dessert of italian ice and soft serve. Weird... you know, I really thought I had tried Turkey Hill's Duetto Gelati at some point but I can't find the review.

Back to Coco's. First off, in an effort to drum up business, there's a big sign out front that says free samples. Simple marketing, because you come in and see the reasonable looking prices on the wall and realize you have to buy something. There are currently 12 flavors in all. Rita's may have 33 flavors, but they don't have Coco's "chocolate peanut butter" or "cookies n' cream" now do they? I actually tried a sample of the chocolate peanut butter and while I expected the worst, it wasn't bad at all. In the right mood I could definitely be tempted to try a full serving.

Being a traditionalist, and remembering my slush puppy filled youth, I picked cherry italian ice for my purchase. Now the very nice lady asked me if I was willing to try a bit of chocolate softserve on top because the cherry italian ice and chocolate soft serve is what makes up their "chocolate covered cherry" gelati flavor. Having never tried this combo before, I will admit to being a little... unsure. It's just not something I would think to do. Even now, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I'm not disgusted or anything, I'm just debating how much I like the combo.

Let me note that the italian ice they serve is in a semi liquid state, which is cool in my books. The problem with things like PhillySwirl is that I don't have the patience to let it melt (not even sure if I am suppose to let it melt). No problem here at Coco's, you get to dig right in. (and if you are on the run, it means you can drink it)

More stuff to note: Everything is made on site and according to the writeup in the local paper, the flavors come from fresh ingredients. I will personally attest that I found a few tiny cherry bits in my italian ice.

If you want something different, or maybe if you are trying to cut back on the ice cream, why not give your local italian ice place a try and see what's on their menu. (thanks for getting to the end of the most poorly written local review ever. The point is that I will definitely be going back. I'm thinking of trying something with vanilla softserve, mmmm)