First stop for ‘Summer of Ice Cream’ is a Dandy

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This article was published 25/07/2024 (517 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the summertime, when the weather is high, you can stretch right up and touch the sky. When the weather’s fine you’ve got ice cream and some burgers on your mind.

With apologies to Mungo Jerry for all but butchering his lyrics, there’s something to be said for a little creative license, particularly when it comes to summertime treats in the small towns and communities that dot western Manitoba.

Perhaps it’s a well known ice cream joint that’s been in operation for years  that keeps you coming back, or perhaps something new to the community down by the lake or the cottage that has piqued your interest.

Over the next several editions of Westman This Week, I’ll be visiting some of those great little ‘treateries’ that so often help to give our summers a little sweetness.

OAK LAKE — If you’ve never been to Joe Dandy’s Drive-In, it’s time to treat yourself.

Located just off the Trans-Canada Highway about 40 minutes west of Brandon in the town of Oak Lake on First Avenue, this pleasant little eatery opened in 2020 — right in the middle of the pandemic four years ago.

Since then, the good word has gotten around about this drive-in restaurant, which specializes in great-tasting burgers and a variety of ice cream treats.

The restaurant building sits on an open lot with a large gravel drive-in parking lot. Ordering is done at the front window or online at theirjoedandys.com website.

When I arrived at the window on July 17, it was mid-week and mid-afternoon, well past the normal lunch rush. Nevertheless, business was brisk with customers waiting in line nearly the entire time I was there. Clearly there’s a buzz about the place.

From the spiffy black menu board to the right of the take-away window, to the bright pink “Ice Cream Solves Everything” neon sign that’s surrounded by hand-written ice cream flavours that the business offers, the outside presentation looks clean and upbeat. And the smell of grilled burgers fills the air when you walk up to the window.

The burger menu offers six different favourites, with the drive-in’s signature Manitoba Burger at the top of the heap. I chose the Big Mike burger for $13 — two four-ounce beef patties with bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato, crispy onions, mayo and Joe Dandy’s house-made Dandy sauce.

Order this if you happen to have a hearty appetite — it’s got some heft to it. And if you enjoy a good barbecue flavour, the tangy Dandy sauce is worth the bite.

There’s plenty of other offerings on the menu too, from chicken sandwiches and buckets of fried chicken to classic poutine, perogies and an array of fried side dishes.

One of the more unique items on the menu, however, falls under the hard ice cream category — and it’s not on their online menu. Lots of breweries and bars these days offer customers a chance to try several varieties of beer at once on what’s called a beer flight, usually in small quantities on a wooden sampler tray. Joe Dandy’s offers their customers an Ice Cream Flight — four scoops of your choice of hard ice cream in a cardboard dish for $11.

Warning: Unless you have a huge craving for ice cream, you’d best have some friends or family with you to help you eat this one, (and accept the offer of extra spoons from the helpful front window attendant). This thing has to weigh at least two pounds, if not more.

I asked the server to give me the top flavours that customers most often ask for. These include cherry cheesecake, chocolate fudge brownie, lavender lemonade and mocha almond fudge.

I have to say that I wasn’t the only one asking for the lavender lemonade. At least two others before me had asked for the same flavour, and I can see why. Think of it as a cross between ice cream and sherbet. Plenty of other flavours to try, however, including a black cherry flavour that is sugar and lactose free.

There’s also the usual summer favourites too — everything from soft serve and dipped cones to milkshakes and sundaes.

Make sure to take your order out back to the grassy picnic table area that fills a town block to the south of the building. And if you’re there in the evening as the sun goes down, there’s a couple of tables that have outdoor lights strung up for a pleasant outdoor atmosphere.

There are several recycling and garbage bins around the building, so there’s no excuses for littering. Overall, it’s a truly pleasant spot in a welcoming little community. Definitely should be on your list of places to stop as you travel down Highway 1.

Other spots to check out:

• 83 N’ Main — If you happen to be in the area, don’t miss 83 N’ Main in Birtle which comes highly recommended according to comments on its Facebook page. This place makes up homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches and drumsticks infused with caramel. They also offer homemade pizza, quesadillas, fresh sandwiches and fresh-baked buns.

• Ice Cream Island — A little further west along the Trans Canada is Ice Cream Island in Virden, a privately-owned ice cream shop and take-out food restaurant that also happens to be part of the Prairie Gateway Burger Week event July 22-28. A new specialty item at the restaurant is their ice cream nachos with waffle cone chips, soft ice cream and hot fudge dipping sauce.

• Popes Drive-In — A little further north of the Trans-Canada is Hamiota’s Popes Drive-In, which sports fresh-cut french fries, burgers and “delicious milkshakes” according to one reviewer. Another said Popes makes the “best mozza mushroom burger I’ve ever had.” Can’t get much better than that.

» mgoerzen@brandonsun.com

» X: @MattGoerzen