A dedicated consumer of ice cream treats could indulge in a lifetime of daily visits to Any Given Sundae in Wexford without exhausting all its possibilities.
On any given day, there are 16 flavors of ice cream and more than a dozen add-ins and syrups waiting for customers to combine in custom-made sundaes.
Father-and-son owners Scott and Austin Smith change and rotate the selections at least seasonally — or as inspiration strikes.
The Smiths have to limit the selection of ice cream flavors to 16 because that's the number of slots available in the freezer display case. Cool Mint, Heath Bar and Cookies & Cream were some of the choices on a recent visit.
“I wish I had more spots to rotate flavors,” Austin Smith says. “I hate to take favorites out.”
The Smiths make their own ice cream while adhering to Pennsylvania restrictions. That means they add their flavorings and garnishes to commercially produced chocolate and vanilla frozen bases.
In addition to perennial best-sellers chocolate and vanilla, the store's most popular flavors are Cookies & Cream and Birthday Cake.
Whenever possible, they use fruit that's grown nearby. “Last summer, we made a really good peach ice cream with fruit from Soergel Orchards,” says Austin Smith, referring to the fruit-and-vegetable growers whose store is across the road from their store in the Franklin Village strip mall.
Any Given Sundae opened on Labor Day weekend in 2011. Going into business was the next logical step for what had previously been a hobby for the father-and-son team.
“We made ice cream at home and enjoyed it,” Austin Smith says.
They chose the shop's name for its cleverness.
“But it works out, because we can make any given sundae,” he says.
The store sells cones, sundaes and milkshakes. But its signature item is what the Smiths call “The Brain Freeze,” a spoonable frozen ice cream treat that's best eaten slowly, as it not only chills your brain but numbs the tongue.
If you've always thought that Butter Pecan ice cream would taste better with some bits of walnut and a ribbon of peanut butter running through it, this is your chance to find out.
Using The Frost Top, a commercially made deeply chilled granite slab, Austin Smith can hand-mix a customer's choice of bits and pieces such as chocolate chunks, M&Ms or cookie crumbs into his or her preferred ice cream flavor while keeping the ice cream spoonably solid.
If you'd rather have some guidance in your choices, there's a list of suggestions posted on the wall behind the ice cream freezer case.
On a recent visit, we chose the Strawberry Shortcake, a nicely balanced mixture of strawberry ice cream, crisp and crunchy nuggets of graham-cracker crust, and fresh strawberries in syrup with a dab of whipped cream on top.
Sundaes with add-ins come in four sizes and range in price from $2.60 for a mini to $4.95 for a large. Those without add-ins are $2.10 to $4.30.
For those who would rather drink their dessert, Any Given Sundae offers frozen drinks ($3.25 for 16 ounces) in a variety of flavors that include Orange Creamsicle and Cotton Candy.
We liked the 20 Below Frozen Hot Chocolate, a mixture of milk, powdered chocolate flavoring and ice cubes, whirled and crushed into a thick, frosty beverage. One patron said, “They should call it The Throat Freeze.”
Any Given Sundae is at 2612 Brandt School Road, Wexford. Hours are 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Details: 724-759-7454 or www.agsundae.com
Alice T. Carter is the theater critic for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-320-7808 or acarter@tribweb.com.
