It’s safe to say my favorite meal of the day is dessert. Whether it is fudge brownies with chocolate chips, German Chocolate cake or deep fried Oreos, I am a fan. I could eat peanut butter cups for breakfast, Twinkies for lunch and mix it up with some Flan for dinner. But the one dessert I always come back to, the one that never gets old, the one that goes with everything, is ice cream.

Ice cream, for those who can tolerate lactose, is one of the most satisfying, delicious and comforting foods ever. It comes in hundreds of different flavors and is usually the first dessert I turn to.

This brings us to this week’s competition; I will be throwing my scale away and indulging in three of Sacramento’s finest ice cream parlors. While there are many different frozen concoctions to try I will be sticking with a staple: the classic Ice Cream Sundae.

Leatherby’s

Leatherby’s has always been about family, well family and ice cream. Family is great and all but I came here to get a sundae, and a sundae is what I got. I ordered the Matthew’s Small Sundae, which is two scoops of ice cream; I chose Rocky Road and their delicious Vanilla, topped with the would-probably-taste-good-on-everything hot fudge and whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. This sundae was served in a tall glass rather than a bowl like the other two and the difference did little for me. In fact I feel like the amount of ice cream and toppings was pretty disproportionate to the amount I received in the other two. Don’t get me wrong, this sundae was awesome, but I am a man who likes his whipped cream and I like a lot of it. While the ice cream to cost ratio was a bit off here I still enjoyed my experience. The atmosphere was nice, the ice cream was good and I left full. I would recommend Leatherby’s to anyone, but only if you’re tired of going somewhere else.

Gunther’s

A neighborhood fixture of the Curtis Park area, Gunther’s has been serving ice cream since 1940. The diner is filled with ancient wooden booths showing off people’s names and messages etched in to the wood from the years and years of visits. For my visit my sundae consisted of Black Raspberry Fudge, Fudge Brownie and Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, raspberry and marshmallow toppings and topped off with a heaping dose of whipped cream, nuts and of course, a cherry. Diving in the fudge gushed over the sides of the bowl and though I didn’t slow down, it didn’t seem like I was making any progress. I eventually finished the three scoop sundae really savoring the mixture of the hot fudge and the marshmallow sauces over the fruity taste of the raspberry ice cream and sauce. I could feel the cavities forming. Overall Gunther’s was very tasty and had a wonderful atmosphere, I plan on going back and maybe leaving a little message on my booth.

Burr’s Fountains

Going into Burr’s I wasn’t expecting a lot. I had heard good things but I didn’t know how this place would stand up to the tried and true Gunther’s and Leatherby’s. To my surprise and elation Burr’s more than carried it’s own weight. I ordered the two scoop sundae with Rocky Road and Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream, hot fudge and strawberry sauces, which had real strawberries in it – amazing, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. It came out to me with strawberries and sauce dripping over the sides of the bowl and while I could be wrong, I’m pretty sure it was calling my name. From the first bite of this sundae the chocolate and berry flavors mixing together was my best combination so far. While it only had two scoops, the scoops were huge and the quality of the ice cream was very good. The nuts were actual chopped almonds and added a layer to the sundae the other two lacked. Overall, this sundae made me a believer.

And the winner is…

Now this is a competition, and I have to choose a winner, but honestly if you’re on your way to get ice cream you’re already a winner. For this soiree of the sundaes though my winner is Burr’s Fountains. I loved this sundae. The quality of the toppings including the real strawberries floating in the absolute heaven that was this sundae made me wish I was there right now eating another one rather than writing this column. The ice cream itself, my favorite Rocky Road, and the ever so delicious Strawberry Cheesecake blended together perfectly with the hot fudge and strawberry sauce to form a concoction that would rival ancient Rome! If ancient Rome was an ice cream flavor.

This sundae was so good I wanted to make it into a house so I could live in it. I wanted to take Beyonce’s advice and put a ring on it. I wanted to take it home with me and introduce it to my family. I wanted to make a critically acclaimed but short running sitcom starring this sundae. Mostly though I wanted to eat it, and at the end of the day, or even the beginning, that is what ice cream is good for.

If you do not agree or want to share your ice cream adventures, comment or write me at [email protected].

For next week’s challenge, Sacramento’s best sushi!

Matt Rascher can be reached at [email protected]