One of the main reasons I started this blog was to give exposure to the unsung cuisine heroes of Florida. In other words, try to give fame and popularity to underground and under-the-radar eateries that deserve more recognition. In this tough economy, sometimes very good restaurants suffer the unfortunate fate of having to close. Orlando has had many examples of good food ceasing to exist because it just didn’t deliver enough customers. Ragetzu, a popular local Japanese restaurant on International Drive fell to the economy last year. But the saddest moment in recent times came when our only Whataburger in the lower Orlando side shut down all of a sudden. I still go to therapies on Fridays because of this.
And now we bring you a tiny little ice cream joint known as Hurricanes. Located in a massive plaza with an empty Target, an excellent GameStop, a clustered TGI Fridays, and an ever-popular Cracker Barrel in the Hunter’s Creek area, Hurricanes has been around for a couple of months. Becoming the sole competition against the Steak n’ Shake not too far across the street, Hurricanes is in a prime location for some good ice cream vending. I wanted to visit to see just what this place can offer against the norm.
Inside, the place looks like there’s a lot of unmet potential. The place consists of a couple of tables, many board games, a water fountain, and that’s about it. There’s an extra empty room, no paint, not much pizazz or personality. The owners were more than friendly to us though. The menu is your typical ice cream parlor menu: cones, shakes, malts, slushies, sundaes, etc. Their specialty is their hurricanes: which is ice cream mixed in with one of several potential items. In other words, their version of McDonalds’ McFlurry treats (not the best ice cream in the world) or Dairy Queen’s enormously popular Blizzard treats (which is one of the greatest desserts in a quick service spot….ever).The only menu setback is the variety of ice cream; which is reduced to vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.
Kyle orders his dessert: a strawberry milkshake. Kyle is very impressed, as he calls it the second best milkshake he has ever had (First place is a no-brainer for you frequent readers) in his life. Michael orders the peanut butter sundae; which consisted of vanilla ice cream, peanut butter sauce, whipped cream, and peanuts. Michael enjoyed his sundae, as it’s his second-favorite peanut butter sundae (First place…yep.) The ice cream is thick and creamy, and ranks up there as some of the best ice cream you can find in quick-service eateries around Orlando. It resembles the very thick ice cream of Steak n’ Shake, and lacks the watery texture of McDonalds and Burger King shakes. The peanut butter sauce was nice and warm, and complimented the vanilla quite well. There’s just something magical about good peanut butter.
I ordered one of their specialty sundaes, the brownie sundae. It consisted of brownie pieces topped with ice cream, and served with whipped cream, hot fudge, and peanuts. Like Michael’s sundae, the ice cream was nice and thick, the hot fudge was good, and the brownie pieces were an added plus. However, at nearly $4, the size leaves a little to be desired. If it was an entire brownie, fine, but they were a couple of small chunks. On the other hand, Kyle’s milkshake was well-priced ($2.49) and so was Mike’s sundae ($2.89). I also tried out the vanilla milkshake, which was quite filling. This dessert is the perfect compliment to the bar/grill food of the restaurant located next door.
The highlight of this place isn’t just the ice cream; it’s the presentation it’s trying to convey. This is very family-friendly location, as there are little games sprinkled everywhere to keep the tykes entertained for a little while the parents relax. There was a hopscotch area; some connect four, a chessboard, an air hockey table, and smaller games on some of the tables. I am sure with time if more families discover this; it will become a nice getaway from your normal ice cream joint. This is an ice cream place with a charming yet quietly subtle personality.
Bottom Line: The place is new, so it has a lot of potential to grow. With a little improvement in its presentation, Hurricanes can become a successful Hunter’s Creek staple amongst the several thousand citizens that live in the surrounding neighborhoods. They can paint the place a little, use that extra room for something, just make it stand out a bit more in the Target plaza.
It is in a prime location—next to pizza, video games, and wings. Similar to what Little Caesars and Tijuana Flats does to Rita’s Italian Ice on the other side of Hunter’s Creek, Hurricanes can benefit from the lunch/dinner places closeby like TGI, Marco’s and Cracker Barrel. All it needs is a way to entice customers, get their attention. They have the ice cream quality part pat down; all they need is a few more flavors. Other than that, their ice cream is delicious and not too expensive. I wish this business the best of luck in these tough times, because they have the potential and the ability of becoming a smash hit parlor.
Final Verdict: Recommend
Hurricane's Ice Cream
2061 Town Center Blvd.
Orlando, FL, 32837
407-888-0686
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