Who doesn’t love a good sundae (or five) for dinner?

A group of more than 20 Little Rock foodies met at the Green Corner Store last Thursday evening for the Loblolly Creamery Sundae Extravaganza. This was our third such meet-up in the past several months, the others having been held at The Pantry and Guillermo’s Coffeehouse.

What did Loblolly’s crew of Sally, Rachel, and Dan have in store for us? The answer…five fabulously unique sample sundaes:

Ice cream sundae: Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream with Rock Town Distillery smoked whiskey caramel, smoked pecans, whipped cream, and house-made maraschino cherry

Custard sundae: Saffron custard with cardamom poached figs, toasted almonds, and candied rose petals

Non-dairy sundae: Ginger coconut ice cream with dark chocolate drizzle, whipped coconut cream, and black sesame toffee

Sorbet sundae: Local strawberry and elderflower sorbet with champagne cake and Chantilly cream

Sherbet sundae: Lime basil sherbet with roasted mango sauce and crushed meringues

…and the non-dairy sundae.

Each sundae had wonderfully distinct ingredients, such as the whiskey caramel, cardamom and poached figs, and roasted mango sauce. The sherbet-based sundae was my favorite. The texture of the crushed meringues blended so well with the sweet mango sauce and cool, citrusy sherbet. The sundae was both light and refreshing and provided a perfect end point to the tastings.

One component that really blew the audience away was the candied rose petal on the custard sundae. This beautiful crystallized creation just shattered in your mouth upon consumption–a very cool sensation.

Also, the ice cream-based sundae deserves some recognition. With five main components, it definitely had the most going on, but it all worked. Other members weren’t as enthused when caramel sauce froze, but I loved it! And don’t even get me started on the maraschino cherry! It was pure perfection!

Loblolly’s love and attention to detail permeate throughout their ice cream, custard, sorbet, and sherbet.

What this place adds to our food scene is immeasurable. Not every city has an amazing artisan creamery.

Little Rock does.