I was in a bit of a funk this week, so I decided to throw caution to the wind. This week (or should I say weak), instead of looking for some food to warm me during the cold, I visited local premium ice cream shops. Likes be cured by likes, as they say in homeopathy – and what a cure it was.

It wasn’t so much the ice cream itself as it was the clever little offerings each shop has during those slow cold months that many of us may not know about. So here’s the scoop.

At Bruster’s Real Ice Cream on Scottsville Road across from Greenwood Mall, if it is raining or snowing at the time you order your ice cream, the second scoop is free. It was actually raining when I ordered at the drive through, but I was taking advantage of another one of its winter specials, two hand-packed pints of ice cream for just $6. I took home caramel cashew and chocolate peanut butter buckeye.

I will refrain from using the word creamy to describe any of these ice creams, because they were all clearly made with real cream.

What I liked about Bruster’s was that the ice cream itself and the ingredients had a dual goodness about them. The ingredients that made up each ice cream flavor acted as a complement to the already first-rate ice cream. The cashew caramel was a caramel-flavored ice cream with a generous portion of whole cashews and a hint of caramel swirls. Each flavor had its own delicious moment. The same was true of the chocolate peanut butter buckeye. It featured light (instead of dark) chocolate, swirls of peanut butter and bits of chocolate-covered peanut butter (for a burst of flavor). Someone at Bruster’s has really done their homework when it comes to combining palate pleasing combinations of flavors and textures.

Over at Baskin Robbins on U.S. 31-W By-Pass, there was a special no one could resist. For a limited time it is offering $1 scoops of ice cream after 5 p.m. Tuesdays. I’ll also give you the skinny on another new promotion: Baskin Robbins has a new premium churned light ice cream. I decided to order a scoop of the regular chocolate peanut butter and a scoop of the chocolate premium churned light. Baskin Robbins’ peanut butter chocolate has long been one of my favorite ice creams. It uses deep, rich chocolate with thick frozen swirls of peanut butter in a combination I’ve never found anywhere else. And I have to say, the lower calorie chocolate was just as good. I couldn’t tell the difference as I went back and forth from one to the other.

Baskin Robbins flavors change each month and it offers regional, seasonal and classic flavors and flavors of the month. I also ordered the seasonal flavor, Love Potion 31. This is white chocolate and raspberry creams with a raspberry ribbon and chocolate chunks. Baskin Robbins really hit the mark with Cupid’s arrow on this one – if Valentine’s Day had a flavor, this would be it.

My final stop was at Culver’s on Scottsville Road, which offers fresh frozen custard with the claim that it’s better than ice cream. I don’t know if I’d say better, but I would say different. For me, the frozen custard offers the fluidity of soft-serve ice cream, but with the density of a premium ice cream. It actually reminds me of a family-owned, homemade ice cream shop when I was a kid. The flavors were so fresh, tangible and dense that anyone who ate it ended up with a layer of flavor on the roof of your mouth that lasted for about an hour.

Culver’s offers vanilla and chocolate frozen custard each day and an additional flavor of the day. When I went, Culver’s was offering “Pay Day,” a vanilla custard with Spanish peanuts and caramel swirls. Culver’s specials include an online club. If you join, you’ll be sent the flavor of the day via e-mail, as well as some coupons for special and free food.

Well that’s the scoop (yes, I had to use it twice) during these cold winter months. Now if you’re screaming at me – not because we all scream for ice cream but because you’re trying to lose weight after the holidays – you can use these treats as incentives for the spring or both Baskin Robbins’ and Bruster’s low-cal and sugar-free alternatives in the meantime. Or if you’re like me, you can visit the frozen health food section at Kroger for some Tofutti Cutie ice cream sandwiches or Rice Dream ice cream made with frozen rice – which, after tasting all that ice cream, is where I’m headed after I hit the gym!

— Our anonymous food reviewer gives new restaurants a six-week grace period before reviewing. To comment, contact Managing Editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235 or via e-mail to malexieff@bgdailynews.com.

Baskin Robbins

1705 U.S. 31-W By-Pass

781-5684

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream

2712 Scottsville Road

842-9839

Culver’s

4903 Scottsville Road

901-0221