Adrian's voted tops for 'Savory Summer' 'Best Frozen Treat'

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

Our readers have spoken. They’ve chosen Adrian’s Custard & Beef as the “Best Frozen Treat” in the “Savory Summer” food contest.

Niagara Frontier Publications asked readers to vote for their favorite warm-weather places to eat, selecting winners in seven different categories.

Adrian’s earned the crown for the summer’s coolest frozen confections.

Owner ToniMarie Amantia said they have a wide variety of frozen treats at the restaurant, located at 2352 Grand Island Blvd.

“We offer Perry’s ice cream and Perry’s custard, and then we make a lot of frozen treats in-house – ice cream cakes, ice cream cupcakes.”

Adrian’s also offers homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches and its very popular ice cream pies, either as a full pie or by the slice.

Amantia said Adrian’s also offers all those same tempting treats in vegan, gluten-free form.

All these goodies are available from the restaurant’s “treat freezer,” which sees lots of action during the hot summer months.

Of course, ice cream sundaes, cones and milkshakes are also in demand from customers who line up at the windows or order them in the dining room.

On a typical summer day, customers, including local sports teams, put in the orders, then enjoy the treats outside at picnic tables graced with colorful umbrellas. Dining is available inside, as well.

The restaurant’s fall hours are now in effect. Adrian’s is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. Plans are to shut down for the season in mid-October.

“It really all will depend on staffing,” which always drops in the fall, Amantia said. “Our college kids are gone and our high schoolers play fall sports. We go from 40-45 employees (to) – I think right now, we have 12 of us.”

Adrian’s traditionally reopens sometime in early to mid-March. As the sun gets hotter, the crowds return.

“We do have a very loyal following,” Amantia said.

And what do they ask for?

 “Our customers, they love the cakes – they say how delicious and creamy they are. They love the cupcakes because it’s a single-serve option – you don’t have to have a big group,” she said.

“They love that we make all our cookies homemade and they’re not out of a package. And then the vegan-gluten-free people go crazy over that, because it’s hard for them to find ice-cream treats they can eat that are vegan, gluten-free and soy-free.”

She said those are huge allergens for a lot of people.

Summing it up, Amantia said, “People love that it’s all homemade. People love that it’s all Perry’s.”

Favorite kid flavors for Perry’s hard-scoop ice cream are pretty consistent.

“It is always cookie dough and cotton candy, neck and neck,” Amantia said. For the soft-serve, “We do a lot of twist (chocolate and vanilla swerved together). We do a lot of rainbow sprinkles – they’re very popular.” Grape and cotton candy have been featured custard flavors over the summer.

The “fun flavors” popular with adults have included pistachio, orange chocolate and salted caramel.

“We’re working on pumpkin over the next couple of weeks,” Amantia said. Cold treats also served are ice cream floats, banana splits and lemon ice.

Also on the menu at Adrian’s are hot dogs, hamburgers and a wide variety of sandwiches, including beef on weck; barbecued beef; chicken; pulled pork; Reubens; Italian sausage with or without peppers and onions; Polish sausage with sauerkraut; BLTs; a veggie sandwich and veggie burgers.

There are many kinds of fries to choose from, as well as onion rings and fried pickle spears. Fresh, seasonal side dishes include tuna mac, Greek and Italian pasta salad, loaded potato salad, coleslaw and chili. Beverages include soda, bottled water and tea.

“We had a great summer and we always enjoy seeing all of our loyal customers – and the kids – all the baseball teams and the soccer teams,” Amantia said. “We love being a community spot!”

Adrian’s also came in third in the “Best Hot Dog” category of the “Savory Summer” food contest.

The other contest categories were: “Best Summer Dining Spot,” “Best Beef on Weck,” “Best Hamburger,” “Best BBQ (ribs, chicken, pork)” and “Best Fries.”

The contest, which just concluded its fourth year, is open to all restaurants, bars, street vendors and social clubs headquartered in Western New York.

Those who cast ballots also were entered in a drawing to win a monthly prize from an area business.

Contact Adrian’s Custard & Beef at 716-773-9242 or online at https://www.adrianscustardandbeef.com/.