Graeter’s March mystery ice cream flavor is from a bakery

Cincinnati-based ice cream maker Graeter’s has announced that this year’s mystery ice cream flavor will be … Cheese Crown. Cheese what?

“The flavor is inspired from our bakery. A lot of people don’t realize our stores in Cincinnati have a full bakery,” said Nick Whitney, Graeter’s marketing director. (Which made me wonder why Lexington’s Graeter’s don’t, … but I digress.)

The Cheese Crown was inspired by a creation of third-generation ice cream maker Dick Graeter in the 1950s, Whitney said. Graeter fixed cheese danish in muffin tins, making it look like a crown. “It’s our No. 1-selling baked good,” Whitney said.

Graeter’s tested the flavor last summer, and it was a hit. It will be at the Graeter’s at 836 Euclid Avenue in Chevy Chase and 1925 Justice Drive in Hamburg in March and April. It will come to Kroger shelves in mid-March.

He recommends topping it with strawberry or black cherry for a kind of cheese danish sundae.

If the flavor is a hit, it might make the permanent lineup: Last year, Graeter’s debuted Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip as the March mystery flavor, and it has been added to the full-time roster. It’s not the same bourbon ball flavor that we get in Lexington, but it’s pretty good.

▪  Lexington Restaurant Week will return July 24 through Aug. 6, organizer Connie Jo Miller said. Restaurants will offer dinner specials for two for $26. That’s a dollar more than previous years, but the extra dollar will go to LexArts. The partnership with the arts means diners might catch a “pop-up performance” at a few restaurants during the event. More specifics will be released later.

▪  In honor of Casimir Pulaski Day on March 7, Alfalfa, 141 East Main Street, will feature Polish cuisine for Wednesday’s International Night. On the menu from 5:30 to 9 p.m. March 2 will be bigos (Stone Cross Farm kielbasa simmered with cabbage, onions, bacon, celery, carrot, garlic, herbs and beer), pork cutlet, potato cheddar and mushroom pierogis, stuffed cabbage, and potato cakes. For info, call 859-253-0014.

▪  Blue Stallion Brewing, 610 West Third Street, has launched three porters: Robust, Ya Damn Skippy (peanut butter), and Kama Sumatra (made with locally roasted Sumatran coffee from Magic Beans Coffee Roasters.)

▪  Doodles, 262 North Limestone, is teaming with the nonprofit Nourish your Neighborhood, which helps to feed students and families in need. Beginning this week, 5 percent of sales every Thursday will go to Nourish Your Neighborhood.

▪  Country Boy Brewing, 436 Chair Avenue, has been invited to Cigar City Brewing’s Hunahpu’s Day on March 12 in Tampa, one of the most prestigious beer festivals in the South. The Lexington brewery also has been selected to return to SAVOR, a food and beer pairing festival sponsored by the Brewers Association, June 3 and 4 in Washington, D.C.

▪  Bour-Bon, 616 Main Street in Paris, is serving light bar bites and cocktails from 5 to 10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. Call 859-987-1662 for info.

▪  Wine + Market, 486 West Second Street, will have a wine tasting on March 22 with Brandon Allen of SLO Down Wines, the mastermind behind the popular Sexual Chocolate zinfandel blend. Call 859-225-0755 or email renee@wineandmarket.com for price and to make a reservation.

▪  Jersey Mike’s Subs, at 867 South Broadway, is joining with DanceBlue, the University of Kentucky Dance marathon to raise money to fight pediatric cancer. During March, customers can donate to Dance Blue at Jersey Mike’s, and the restaurant will donate 100 percent of its March 30 sales to Dance Blue. The dance marathon, held last weekend, raised more than $1.6 million.

▪  Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown has released a limited-edition single-barrel bourbon, the third special release from the Sazerac distillery. The 98.6 proof 1792 Single Barrel, according to master distiller Ken Pierce, has butterscotch and caramel notes, with hints of fruit and toffee. Its suggested retail price is $39.99.

▪  On March 3, the Kentucky Science Center, 727 West Main Street in Louisville, will premiere ‘hypotheSIPS,’ combining science, socializing and spirits. HypotheSIPS will focus on wine and spirits, including Buffalo Trace bourbon, Wheatley vodka, Hendricks gin, Flor de Cana 7-year-old rum, and Old 502 Winery and Wight-Meyer wines. Featured drinks will be paired with experts whose presentations illuminate an aspect of the science behind each sip. The event is 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $20 for Science Center members, $25 for non-members, and include six drink tickets; go to KYScienceCenter.org.

▪  The Fayette County Extension Office, 1140 Red Mile Place, has a lineup of monthly cooking classes for 2016. The Food for Thought programs begin March 21 with Fixin’ to Eat, quick and healthy meals that can be prepared ahead of time. All classes are $10, or $5 for current extension homemaker members. Other classes will include Let’s All Eat Green, Asian Greens, Beef Up Grilling, Delicious Cool Desserts, and Pasta (taught by guest speaker Lesme Romero of Lexington Pasta). A full list is online. For info, call 859-257-5582.

▪  Planning a summer garden? Don’t forget to can your produce. The Fayette County Extension Office has a free lecture on basic food preservation 6 to 8 p.m. May 16. For $15, you can get a copy of the Ball Blue Book. You can take hands-on food preservation classes, too: jams and jellies on May 31, then pickles, tomatoes, pressure canning, vinegar and salsa, relishes, chutneys and drying. For info or to sign up, call 859-257-5582.

This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Graeter’s March mystery ice cream flavor is from a bakery."