Meola's Monster Mash

It's a nice warm day, well, a smidge too humid ....I'm really hungry ...time for ice cream! I'm working in our other facility today, so no DQ, instead, time to hit a local joint. The first place you hit going north on Route 12 in West Boylston is Friendly's on the left, but go just a bit further and you will see Meola's Wayside Ice Cream on the right. Central Mass people might remember Meola as the dairy that use to supply all our lunchroom milk containers. They were bought in 1998 by New England Dairies, Inc (NED) who then closed the Meola's plants and added the business to their own plants. Anyway, I digress.

Ok, so this is your typical local dairy spot with a nice variety of treats and delights. Milkshakes, Frappes, Sundaes, Ice Cream, soft serve, etc. They do mix in their own added ingredients to make a bunch of funky flavors, though I do not know if they still make their own ice cream base for their creations. I decided to try "Monster Mash". The picture said it was vanilla ice cream with Oreos, M&Ms, and malted milk balls. I think it also said there was a (caramel?) swirl, but I detected no swirl of any kind. The color from the M&Ms ran and gave my cone a very polka dotted appearance, but that just adds to the mystery of what it is going to taste like.

Overall, it was decent. There was something not quite right about the ice cream. The texture was off, which makes me think that they buy some ice cream, let it melt, mix in the ingredients, and then refreeze. The M&M's and cookies were in a decent ratio, but there was only one lone malted milk ball and it was still whole. Basically it tasted like cookies & creme with M&M chunks. The sugar cone was nice and fresh which is always a bonus.

Ok, so the ice cream wasn't perfect, but the break it gave me was. Picked a nice bench spot in the shade of a tree, enjoyed the cool breeze, and just enjoyed my ice cream. Is there a more relaxing treat? I think not.