Eats: Chill, people. Icy Delights can help.

After the winter of 2010, it didn’t seem likely that anyone would ever voluntarily ask for something that started out with the word ‘snow.’

But now it’s summer. In Baltimore. And when the temperature outside inches above 90, only a snowball will do. That’s why Highlandtowners make (sweat-stained) tracks to Icy Delights, at the corner of Fleet and Grundy streets, forgetting all their former reservations about ice, snow and all other things cold. And there it waits, that little wooden shack with its picnic table, its gumball stand and its rainbow of flavors.

You’ll find everything here from A to Z. Well, okay, from A (almond) to W (white chocolate chip) but who’s counting? And yes, those are the snowball flavors. There are your tranditons (cherry, orange, sprearmint, etc.) but also some more esoteric stuff like fuzzy navel, banana and almond smash. Marshmallow cream, chocolate and other toppings are available. You’ll also find Edy’s ice cream which comes in cups and waffle cones, with sprinkles and Oreo pieces.

We hit Icy Delights on a broiling Thursday afternoon and sandwiched ourselves between a uniformed transit employee, a mom and daughter, and a yuppie from the nearby townhouse development, all of whom looked desperately in need of cooling off.

Our choices were the large size (served in a 32-ounce cup) snowballs in cherry with cream topping, and sugar-free egg custard. The ice was finely ground and softly packed, meaning there was no waiting for anything to melt before it was ready to eat.

The cherry was sweet and bold (and appropriately red, which turns your tongue and lips the same color). The cream topping provided a nice, smooth counterpart and added a bit of fullness to the flavor.

The egg custard was vanilla-y, sweet and rich-tasting. It may have been sugar-free, but there was no telltale bitterness, as there often is with diet flavors.

Both flavors caused instant brain freezes, a hallmark experience of summer. (Face it; it just wouldn’t be vacation unless you had at least one occasion to massage the space between your eyes and squint).

Really. Don’t you need a snowball (and a gumball) right about now?

Icy Delights is located at the corner of Fleet and Grundy. It’s open daily from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

—by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com