Herrell's Cafe   

155 Brighton Ave
Allston, MA 02134
617-782-9599
www.herrells.com

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Sitting on a busy corner amid some of the area's most popular bars, pool halls, restaurants and nightspots, Herrell's beckons all to give in to what they really want: cce cream. The best ice cream. But scoops and sundaes are not all you can get at the Allston Herrell's location. It offers a limited breakfast menu and a real coffee bar, too. There is also a different vibe here than at most ice cream places. It's like the child from a marriage between a cappuccino machine and an ice cream truck. It's Starbucks meets Good Humor. There is almost an odd irony to ordering coffee ice cream here. Steve Herrell (owner) is the originator of the now-popular premium ice cream paradigm -- started when he opened Steve's Ice Cream parlors. Gourmet ice cream and the innovation of the ''smoosh-in'' proved to be revolution-dairy. He eventually sold the Steve's franchise, but he couldn't stay away from the ice cream business for long before coming back with his new chain, Herrell's. Thank the stars! Few ice cream aficionados will argue against the boast that Herrell's serves the best scoops in New England. The richness, huge flavor selection and the ever-popular smoosh-in keep Steve Herrell's cream rising to the top. So, just what are smoosh-ins, you ask. A smoosh- in is anything from M&Ms to almonds to crushed Oreos to raisins. These ingredients are then folded into whatever ice cream flavor you choose, thus making a whole new frozen creation. The choices and possible combinations are seemingly endless. Keeping up with the times and health consciousness of its patrons, Herrell's has added low-fat yogurt to the menu. Yep, it's still loaded with carbohydrates but it has almost no fat at all. You can ask them to use skim milk and yogurt to make a nearly fat-free frappe. -- Carl Salminen TIP: An incredible smoosh-in recipe for chocoholics: milk chocolate ice cream, Oreo cookie smoosh-ins, marshmallow topping, chocolate jimmies or more Oreos on top. It's lethal!