Seasonal Eateries

It's hard to believe that so many delightful eateries close during the period of time considered to be off-season. Small establishments in tourist areas and a lot of ice creams shops are among these places.

Whether their service is located outdoors or situated in more traditional places with indoor seating, families patiently wait for their reopening at the beginning of their season. People travel from near and far to flood these restaurants as soon as they know they can indulge in their favorite comfort food. Once they finally get to their anticipated food destination, it seems as though every other customer who loves the treats they serve decided to arrive at the same time because the lines are extra long. In fact, they always are.

These fun, innovative eateries are places where first dates take place. These cozy business are the places where moms and dads bring their young children to because they promised to reward them for whatever their little ones did to make them extra proud. These are the places where pleasant memories reside because a visit causes one to think of happier bygone times.

Like the beautiful sunlight that wraps the earth in warmth but slowly disappears when it's daily work is done, a time comes when seasonal food stands and restaurants must bid a farewell to their loyal customers. And when people young and old make their final seasonal visit to enjoy their absolute favorite delicacy, the cycle of waiting for their reopening begins.

Good news exists for dedicated customers like me who find it hard to wait months and weeks to satisfy a craving for foods that only their favorite seasonal eatery diner provides.

Here Is My Backstory and This Is What I Did

I have been visiting my favorite ice cream shop since I was a very young girl. Located in a very unlikely place, it is found underneath an old cement train trestle on the corner of an extremely busy road. This tiny establishment has maintained a wonderful reputation for making the best soft serve ice cream in the metropolitan area where I reside. While the family business has been in existence for many decades, they have developed creative ways to feature their ice cream in a variety of ways that satisfy their customer and keeps them coming back for more and for generations.

A first glance, outsiders probably wonder why so many people from far and near constantly flock to that ice cream shop. Entering and exiting the establishment is always challenging because the road is always filled with rushing traffic. Parking is typically a challenge, too. Many times potential customers are forced to leave and return at another time because all the parking spots are occupied. But, it's the delicious quality of the ice cream and the other foods that have resulted in returning customer and strong patronage.

I have developed a longing for various ice cream toppings, flavor combinations, and novelty treats over the years. Crunchy coatings, flavorful shells, and delicious sprays have been among these things along with cookie, waffle, dipped, and traditional ice cream cones. But there has been one treat that I have been unable to get enough of in recent years.

The ice cream shop makes the most delicious chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich that I have ever had. It is simply the best. Two very large and thin flavorful homemade chocolate chip holds an extremely thick layer of creamy vanilla ice cream. The rim of the entire cookie sandwich is rolled in miniature chocolate chips. So, each bite provides an explosion of pure goodness. Each ice cream sandwich is so large that they can be cut into smaller portion sizes and enjoyed.

When my appetite screams for one of these treats, I want to satisfy my urge to eat one. But, I am unable to if the shop is closed for the fall and winter seasons. So, I decided to do something about it.

So soon as I found out the upcoming date that this eatery would close, I ordered one dozen of them to preserve in my freezer for a time that I would have a taste for one. Once I brought the bags filled with the ice cream treats home, I covered each one with another layer of wrapping and stored them.

Now I won't drive past the ice cream stand while they are closed thinking about my favorite snack and wishing for a bite of one. All I have to do is go to my freezer to get one because there's enough to last for several months.

So, Why Did I Tell You This Story?

Sometimes we have to think outside of the box when it comes to special foods that our family members love. Whether it involves seasonal restaurants or those located at vacation destinations that we don't have access to, we just have to find ways to extend the culinary enjoyment of our loved ones.

Arranging to purchase favorite food in bulk like I did and preserving them in the freezer for later is a great option. But, there are two other ideas that I would like to share.

1. Delivery services that specialize shipping specialty items from popular eateries throughout the United States provides a wonderful choice. Delicious foods carefully packaged in dry ice from bakeries and restaurants arrive to customers within days eager to devour what they crave. These foods can be thawed and heated to give family members eating pleasure. These food can also be stored in the freezer just like my ice cream sandwiches currently are.

2. Moms and dads can rely on their imagination to recreate their beloved dishes and the snacks that their children are crazy about from their favorite eating establishments at home. Many times the recipes and preparation strategies end up being perfect replicas of these foods.

Here is my final point. Just eat what you love!

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Thank you.