First Looks is, as the name implies, a first look at a new restaurant. This isn’t a review, because it takes a while for new businesses to get their feet underneath them, but it should give you an idea of what to expect if you visit.
When Capitals Ice Cream opened in Midtown, people went absolutely insane. Authorities were called. Several people were hospitalized. Oklahoma will never be the same.
Nah, actually, people just really like the ice cream. And I get it. They have crazy flavors and tons of mix-ins and you just walk away thinking, “That was some great ice cream.”
Winter is tough in the ice cream biz, but even when it’s cold outside, it’s not like ice cream sounds bad. Especially good ice cream. And now Capitals is opening a second shop, called Cities Ice Cream, up in the Edmond Railyard.
Like The Collective and Parlor before it, Edmond Railyard is a food hall—like a mall’s food court without the mall—and Cities is the second location to open inside, following Hott Wings (a spin-off of Eddie’s Bar & Grill) and preceding incoming restaurants Gogi Go, BlueJ’s Rollin’ Grill, and Oak City Pizza Co. and cigar-and-cocktail bar 1884.
It’s actually a prime spot for Cities, because, much as I love ice cream, it’s not something I always seek out on its lonesome. But if I’m getting a big, honking burger from BlueJ’s or a slice from Oak City with my friends, then grabbing dessert at Cities makes all sorts of sense.
Currently, Cities is doing “Christmastime in the Cities,” with a menu full of holiday-themed ice cream treats that I’m low-key obsessed with.
During the soft opening, I tried Home Alone ($6.50)—which is like ice cream mixed with pecan pie and maple syrup and topped with whipped cream. Visually, it’s not the craziest sundae you’ll ever see, but it tasted amazing.
Here’s the thing about ice cream: most of it is good. I’m not about to tell you that Braum’s sucks or something ridiculous like that. I’m pretty wild about Roxy’s Ice Cream Social, too. What Cities (and Capitals) is doing is taking a great base product—very rich, very creamy ice cream—and mixing in some inventive flavors and textural flourishes to give you a dish that is both exactly what you’re expecting and something decidedly new.
New to Cities are freshly made cookies, said co-founder Landon Ferguson. I tried the “peanut butter” which, I’ve got to say, has to be the biggest undersell in the world.
It is a peanut butter cookie. That’s true. But on top is a glaze of soft, mocha-chocolate frosting and a crumble of Reese’s peanut butter cups. At $4, it’s a lot of cookie, and probably one you’ll want to share.
The prices at Cities reflect the quality of the products, of course, but also the amount you’re getting. I might not want to spend $10 on ice cream and a cookie just for me, but if I’m with my kids, that’s a dessert that will feed us all.
