There have been a lot of new cold treat restaurants popping up lately — Orange Leaf, Yogurt Mountain, Gellates… but only one that I know of has specialized in that good old fashioned confection we know as ice cream. That’s the new Sherwood parlor, Scrumdiliumptious — a quaint little green-painted wonder themed on a cross between Harry Potter and Willy Wonka. And it’s something else.
It was strange… we were recognized right away. That’s not exactly usual, but it was if Randy and Sonya Pettit were ready for our visit. Or it could have just been one of those happy Sunday coincidences, who knows.
We sat down with a couple of their creations. I tried the Oompa Loompa (Fudge Tracks and Peanut Butter ice cream with butterscotch or caramel and M&Ms) — a rich concoction almost too much to handle. We talked with the Pettits a bit in-between customers. They’re an interesting lot. I asked why they had thought to open up an ice cream shop.
It’s a neat place. All of the confections listed in the menu have been photographed and are up on the wall, so if you’d rather choose that way you have a choice. There’s the marvelous pink spiral staircase in the front, too. “We had to bring it in and it was a couple of feet too tall, so we had to have it cut down and rewelded and tried again,” Randy said. He and Sonya are very proud of that staircase. It’s cool, a very unique way to show off the stuff the places offers.
Grav was in the process of photographing his ice cream cone. He’d gone for the signature item, the Scrumdiliumptious signature cone ($5), five slices of ice cream in Chocolate, Strawberry, Pistachio Nut, Birthday Cake and Orange Sherbet on a big cone. It’s one of the most fanciful desserts I’ve seen in a long time. The combination has been carefully thought out, and I daresay it works, one flavor into another.
Hunter got her share, too — trying a bit of whatever she wanted. For some reason or another she wanted to wear her spoon on her nose. This I can only attribute to family weirdness and cannot offer more than a cursory apology.
They also have different magnificent pies, cookies and such, and lots of traditional candy favorites, too. The Pettits were telling me about a customer who’d come in who is undergoing chemotherapy and who can only taste very strong flavors.
They picked up and now sell those old fashioned big square cinnamon suckers just for her.
Scrumdiliumptious has only been open since October, and some of the shelves are still empty. But it’s coming along. If you’re looking for a good place for treats and stuff, this really is a cool place to find them. It's open noon til 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-10 p.m. on Sunday, and it’s located at 8000 Highway 107 in the same shopping strip as Little Caesar’s and Chinese Pavilion. (501) 835-3300 or check out the Facebook page.
One particular Sunday afternoon Hunter popped up with the words “ice cream!” when we were doing our rounds. I’d heard about the place during one of my radio gigs and figured it was worth a shot. We took Grav in tow… I mean, after all, ice cream is the sort of thing you share with friends. Hunter had managed to fall asleep in the car on the way over, and I let Grav head inside while I wrestled her out of her seat.
I suspect more, though, that’s it’s the Pettit’s style to show off the ice cream parlor to everyone who walks through the doors. While we were there everyone was greeted in a like manner, shown around, explained the concept and the ice cream and treated with affection.
The menu options are interesting. All of the dishes have whimsical names, like the Everlasting Gobbstopper (bubble gum ice cream with gumballs in a sugar cone), the Fizzy Whizbeez (orange sherbet topped with Pop Rocks) and the Weslee (strawberry cheesecake ice cream with strawberry sauce, whipped cream and nuts).
- GRAV WELDON
- PEANUT BUTTERY: The Oompa-Loompa
We had to get in the car and drive all the way to Little Rock to get good ice cream,” Randy told me. “We thought other people might want to have an ice cream parlor closer, too.”
- GRAV WELDON
- TALL ORDER: The Scrumdiliumptious Signature Cone
- GRAV WELDON
- SPOON ON NOSE: Apparently a family trait
But… slices. Yes, slices of ice cream. Instead of doing regular scoops like everyone else, Scrumdiliumptious creations are made with slices — which I bet would make for a better portion control system, myself. They use Edy’s Ice Cream, and it’s rich. Heavens it’s rich.
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