Heaven on the Hill
After seeing the "Coming Soon" sign for over a year, Church Hill's It Must Be Heaven ice cream and eatery finally opened in the fall. And I'm here to tell you that if you love gourmet ice cream, the name is true.
Featuring Richmond's favorite Gelati Celesti Ice Cream , this incarnation of heaven features banana splits with clouds of whipped cream, fanciful sundaes, and ice cream so smooth that you'll swear it just came out of Grandma's churn. The charming black and white color scheme is punctuated with pops of blue, reminiscent of childhood days at your favorite beach-side ice cream parlour.
Despite the fact that it was 30 degrees outside, I couldn't resist the old fashioned banana split, but I should have brought three friends to share the mammoth boat. While it may seem pricey at $6.75, its large enough to feed a family of four, and the creamy French custard vanilla, dark chocolate, and strawberry ice cream were so good that I was tempted to break into a hallelujah chorus. Cups of the Gelati start at eight ounces for $3.99 and sundaes are in the $4 to $4.50 range.
What surprised me was not the great ice cream, but the great soup. Owner Stan Jones (she's a woman by the way) has a killer recipe for Jumbo Lump Crab Soup. Made fresh daily, the peppery and piping hot soup is loaded with big chunks of delectable crab and served with a warm piece of garlic bread. Pricing is by the ounce ($1 per) and my eight-ounce bowl was worth every penny. Stan also offers a chicken muddle soup, as well as a potato, bacon and cheddar and a mushroom, and after my delicious bowl of crab, I'll be dropping by to try all of the other varieties.
Other lunch items include Hebrew National jumbo beef hot dogs, an organic turkey dog, and sides of baked beans and cole slaw. The daily lunch special of a jumbo dog, beans, slaw and a bottle of water is a deal at $6.99.
The front counter was laden with homemade German-chocolate, lemon and praline cakes ($3 a slice) and everything (even the banana splits!) is available for take-out. The service was excellent and ultra-friendly, making this a great place for a family outing or for going solo.
It Must Be Heaven may still be somewhat of a secret, but I'm betting that come warm weather, you'll have to wait in line to try their heavenly menu.
If You Go:
2505 E. Broad St.
(804) 788-8158
Non-smoking
Hours:
Tuesday: Noon to 5 p.m.
Wednesday through Friday: Noon to 7 p.m.
Saturday: Noon to 8 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 7 p.m.
Closed Monday
Five stars
Please sign in to respond | | Register