Sometimes the road knows where we’re supposed to go better than we do. We set off toward the mall but a closed exit shot us south until we found ourselves on Old Orchard Beach. After too much time in the arcade, and walking barefoot on the beach, the ice cream place there was closed so we stopped for a Brownie Batter cone as we got back to Rt 1.
Located where traffic heading South from Portland turns to point toward the beach, Dairy Corner is exactly what its name says – a dairy bar located at a major intersection. This is the sort of place that seems like it has been around for people’s entire lives. With options to fit every possible permutation of frozen dessert options, Dairy Bar stands boldly with its yellow and blue paint job.
I’d stopped to check this place in April when I did a full scan of the shopppes on Rt 1, No one seemed to have words about this place, but every time I have driven by, there have been lines extending into the parking lot. The mystery is increased because there is no way to see inside. Every window is plastered with signs representing all of the different things they can and will do with ice cream. Thankfully the hot dog and milkshake combination keeps those two items separate from each other.
As seems to be the case here in Maine, Labor Day marks an end of sorts. While Dairy Corner isn’t closing for the season like everything North of Portland seems to be, the flavors available were getting knocked off the list of options pretty quickly. Standing in line and seeing kids cry because their favorite favor isn’t there is an odd occurrence, though it is amazing how quickly tears dry up when an alternative appears in their hands.
I had to skip out on the samples since the Pumpkin and Black Raspberry Truffle were both empty by the time I got to the window. A reevaluation of the flavors landed me on brownie batter without much idea what that would actually be. The ice cream was milk chocolate stuffed with chunks of uncooked brownie and a fudge swirl. After Toots the day before, and a lobster dinner earlier in the evening, this was a bit of a letdown. This was a perfectly fine cone after a day on the beach, but nothing spectacular that would make this a true destination.
The strangest part of this cone was the drip guard that came with it. The cone came in a plastic cone that jutted out so drips from the cone wouldn’t land on your fingers. I’m not sure who convinced the Dairy Corner that this was how they should present their cones. It may serve utilitarian functions well, be the idea of holding onto plastic when I was eating a cone truly distracted from the experience and the flavor that were inside.
Cone – small $2.76 medium $3.18 large $3.64
Sundae – small $3.27 medium $3.97 large $4.49
Shake $4.02 thick $4.30
Dairy Corner
612 Us Route 1, Scarborough, ME 04074
207 883-6939
Open year round / seasonally
Daily 11a-11p
[...] to stop at on the way back from a day of sun and sand. Even though the weather has cooled down, Dairy Corner is still open on the weekends and the choices are mind boggling for such a small [...]
[...] to stop at on the way back from a day of sun and sand. Just as the weather is about to heat up, Dairy Corner is perfect after a warm day at the beach with your family and the choices that they have are [...]