Maroon 5 has a new song out and as one of my niece sings the edited version, “This summer’s gonna hurt like a mama…..mama”. (I dread the day she learns the right words).
They are all right though, this summer is has been brutal. I’m not a fan of 90 degree weather. Unless I’m on a restaurant patio with a fan, on the golf course or playing sand volleyball, I prefer to be indoors with modern day air conditioning. But when two of your nieces call you and ask when they can go out to get treats again, it’s hard for me to say no. So I’m forced to get out of the house, make two drives to two different houses, grab their booster seats, make sure they are properly buckled in, let them gossip about family for a little bit and have them tell me, their personal driver, where to go.
After our visit to Yo-B Yogurt and Burgers, I was hoping they’d choose a place with a lactose free option so I would actually get to participate in our next review.
One of my nieces, Cylee, mentions that there is a shaved ice place out in Andover. She didn’t know the name of it but upon further investigation there’s one at Central and Andover Road called Summer Snow.
They have a Facebook page here. They are open Monday – Friday 1 pm – 8:30 pm, Saturday 1 pm – 7:30 pm and on Sunday from 1:30 – 5:30 pm. Please note they do not accept credit or debit cards. I asked the girls if any of them had cash since I didn’t have any on me. Bella informs me I could go to this place called “A Bank” and get cash for free. Cylee also tells me I can go to something called “An ATM” and get money out of a machine. Being a man, I followed the girls’ instructions and got cash.
Before we arrived, I was asking other friends about Summer Snow and everybody raved about them. I could quote many people saying “Summer Snow is the best shaved ice in town.” and “You will be able to tell the difference in quality”. Now, to me it should be all the same. It’s ice, shaved down with liquid drizzled on top. Guess we will find out.
When we arrived there were a handful of high school kids in line, so it gave us time to look at their menu.They have 80 different flavors and many set creations with different names. A small 12 oz. size cost $1.50, a regular 12 oz. cost $2, and the large 16 oz. is $2.50. Cream topping is 25 cents and additional or extra flavors are 25 cents. It’s all very affordable for any family.
Before ordering, Cylee made it a point to peek her head inside the window and say hi to the staff. Apparently she was just there the other day and wanted to introduce herself again and her cousin, Bella. Lo and behold, the staff recognized her. Looks like Cylee is becoming quite the foodie celebrity around town. I don’t know if I should be concerned if there will be a competing food blog when she learns to spell and type.
Cylee and Bella both ordered the Cotton Candy and based off of suggestions from friends, I ordered the Tiger Blood (strawberry and coconut) and Godzilla (blue raspberry and mango). I couldn’t decide between the two so just asked for both of them. I tried to talk them into ordering two different kinds so they could try different ones but they were having none of that business.
Within minutes of getting our shaved ice, there were by my count twenty brain freezes. There is no shortage of over-dramatizing in my family. As usual, everybody tried everybody’s. Here’s how this conversation went.
Bella: I like mine a lot
Cylee: I like mine a lot too!
Bella: (trying Cylee’s cotton candy) Oooh I like Cylee’s a lot too!
Cylee: (trying Bella’s cotton candy) Bella’s is good!
Eddy: You girls are aware they are both the exact same thing right?
Cylee: I like it though
Bella: (trying my Godzilla) That’s good too
Cylee: (trying my Godzilla) Is this God’s ice cream?
Eddy: No, Godzilla is a monster that’s in the movies.
Cylee: Zilla?
Bella: (laughs) Zilla Zilla Zilla!
Cylee (trying my Tiger Blood) Ewwww
Bella: (trying my Tiger Blood) that doesn’t taste like blood.
Eddy: That’s cause it’s strawberry and coconut.
Bella: I like my Cotton Candy
Eddy: So what do you girls think of Summer Snow?
Cylee: It’s good
Bella: Yeah
Please note, there’s only two descriptions for places from the girls. It’s either “good” or it’s “bad”; that’s about as descriptive as they get. So if a place is called “good” that’s a winner in their books.
One amazing thing Bella noted is that the Shaved Ice at Summer Snow, you can not only just eat BUT DRINK!!!!!
Mind. Blown.
Of the three we ordered, the two favorites were the Godzilla and Cotton Candy. Since the Godzilla was one of the favorites that of course meant, I didn’t get to have much of the one I ordered. I’ll agree though, the Godzilla was definitely the best. It’s just too bad, I was forced to stick with the Tiger Blood and a spare Cotton Candy because the girls always get their wish.
If you like Pina Colada’s, you’ll love the Tiger Blood.
During our time eating on one of the benches by the small little building, big lines started to form. I ran into a couple co-workers who brought their family. One of them told me, sometimes the line can get 30 people deep. It’s an easy distance in Andover for many people to get to by walking or bicycle. Plus it’s very cheap for a snack; considered by many to be the best shaved ice around town.
Taste wise, it’s definitely better than Rita’s (reviewed here). The girls really liked it so that’s enough for me to give this place two thumbs up. We will certainly be going again and trying different flavors like the Barbie, Turtle Power and the Ashley.
Need a refreshing treat to deal with this hot weather? Head on over to Summer Snow. It truly is one of the best in town.
Trust me, you’ll need it because this Summer’s Gonna Hurt Like a Mama…………
Happy Dining
Best shaved ice in town!