The Best Frozen Custard in Los Angeles, Part 1

On Friday, I was strolling through Westwood. I popped into Helen’s Cycles, which is a pretty awesome bicycle shop. I was wearing my Ted Drewe’s Frozen Custard t-shirt, and Chris, the guy who was helping me, asked about it. He’s from Milwaukee, and he lamented that living in Los Angeles doesn’t give one a whole lot of options when it comes to frozen custard. Hell, in Wisconsin, even the fast food joints have awesome frozen custard.

That’s me on the left… psyche – I’ll never be that cool.

I had to agree. I haven’t once encountered a frozen custard (that I noticed anyway) joint since I moved to Los Angeles over five years ago. So I started poking around Yelp, Urban Spoon, Chowhound, Yahoo!, and the other usual spots to see what people were saying. It looks like there are basically four spots worth trying:

1. Big J’s Frozen Custard in Orange: Sadly this place is now gone. It was replaced by a Pinkberry.
2. Lickety-Split: There were several locations at one time. The most visible one was next door to the Egyptian theater in Hollywood. But their website, www.lickety-split.com, is no longer live, and I can’t find a phone number. If anybody knows anything about this establishment, please let me know.
3. Lucky Devils in West Hollywood: I’ve been dying to try their hamburger, which has become rather notorious among local foodies. And now I find out that they have amazing frozen custard? Awesome! I’m there.
4. Silky Smooth at the Beverly Center: I basically hate the Beverly Center more than immunization shots, but I’ll take one for the team. What the hell.

Here is the main problem: Frozen “custard,” is defined by semantics. Custard differs from ice cream in that it is made with egg yolks. This gives it a smoother, richer texture and taste. But guess what? Most “ice cream” is also made with egg yolks, which technically makes it custard. It’s pretty hard to know whether or not an ice cream place is slinging custard or not. And since the term “frozen custard” doesn’t carry the same cachet around here that it does in the Midwest, I have a feeling this is going to be a challenge.

During my research on the subject, I learned something interesting. Many excellent frozen custard stands, including Ted Drewes, use honey to sweeten their product. It’s more expensive, but it gives the custard a unique and well-rounded flavor that is unmistakable. I wonder if anybody around here does that.

I’ll keep the blog up-to-date as I try the different options out there in our fair city. And once a winner is crowned, I’ll put up a special review. In the meantime, please give me any feedback you have about the subject, as I’m going to need all the help I can get.

Now Read Part 2 —>