Miami's weather forecast for this weekend (and the next two months) is pretty much the same: hot and sticky with a side of rain. You could sit directly in front of your open refrigerator door, but a much more delicious option is cooling off with some ice cream.
Luckily, Miami has wonderful shops offering everything from boozy flavors to nitro-wonders. Here are five stories to help your search for a blissful brain-freeze.
Courtesy Serendipity
As Miami's temperatures soar, we can't help but crave a scoop of ice cream. And though some consider this cold, creamy blend a special treat, Miamians deem it a necessity. From Serendipity in Wynwood to Nanndi in Downtown Dadeland, let your closest ice-cream parlor serve as a sanctuary for the scorching heat and relentless humidity.
Courtesy Mr. Bing
Mr. Bing, the popular Miami food truck selling shaved ice cream, has opened its first standalone shop.Toward the back of the Sterling Building on Lincoln Road in South Beach, Mr. Bing is the first tenant of Sterling Market, a food hall slated to open in the former Design Within Reach furniture store space, next door to Books & Books.
Courtesy Serendipity
For Serendipity's Jessica Levison, ice cream is more than a scoop of chocolate or vanilla. As the owner of artisanal ice cream stores in Surfside and Wynwood, she spends most of her time in a production kitchen inventing new flavors. There have been flower-infused creams like lavender orange; coconut-based vegan varieties without refined sugars; and a steady roster of booze-charged flavors made with local brewers like J. Wakefield.
Courtesy Nikki Beach
Almost a year ago, Nikki Beach, a South of France-style lounge and eatery, relaunched its indulgent Sunday brunch feast. Now the restaurant says it's ready for an upgrade — this time in the sweets department. Last year, the venue added a customizable bloody mary bar featuring a medley of handcrafted libations. Due to popular demand and Miami's scorching temperatures, Nikki Beach recently launched a rolled ice-cream stand, available Sundays during its $49.99 brunch extravaganza.
Courtesy Instacream N7
Instacream N7, a Hialeah-born nitrogen ice-cream store, looks like something straight out of a comic book. An image of a yellow-haired, goofy-looking animated scientist, holding a bubbling pink-and-blue flask, commands the store's wall. A few steps away, metal pipes dangle above the shop's counter; behind it hangs a large red-and-white flavor menu. A light white smoke, a product of making nitrogen ice cream, envelops the cartoonish scene.
