A relative new kid on the block, Bar Harbor’s buzzy ice cream stand goes all in on experimental flavors and counterintuitive pairings—think nectarine Prosecco, blueberry basil, and chocolate bergamot (a bergamot being a green Italian orange). Some may say the secret is fresh ingredients and organic cream, but really it’s MDIIC’s “why not?” attitude.

“I went with coconut,” Obama said as he walked out of the shop. Licking his cone, he said: “This stuff is terrific. Excellent. I strongly recommend it.” 

At this artisanal ice cream shop founded in 2006, the tagline sums up the approach: “fearless flavor.” Nowhere else will you find Blueberry Basil, Maine Sea Salt Caramel and Bay of Figs ice cream, all on one menu. This is summer.

It takes one bite of the insanely rich Maine sea salt caramel ice cream to win you over forever, but don’t overlook sorbet flavors like grapefruit tarragon and cantaloupe on sweltering summer afternoons.

Oh my! Crazy rich, crazy good, crazy flavors. Try “Bay of Figs,” “Cinnamon 7 Layer,” lavender–white chocolate, blackstrap–banana, and other small batches of deliciousness.

After dinner, grab a cone on Exchange Street at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream.

Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, which has a store in Portland, uses fruit from The Apple Farm in Fairfield and honey from Aroostook Valley Honey Farm in its Honey Baked Apple ice cream. It's hard to keep this best-seller in stock, so consider yourself lucky to get a lick. 

Granite cliffs meet the Atlantic Ocean and Colonial Revival cottages line the quiet streets in this city. Walk along the Shore Path, which hugs the chocolate-box coastline and runs from the Town Pier toward Mountain Desert Island. Then sample something sweet at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream (7 Firefly Ln, Bar Harbor, ME; 207-801-4007, mdiic.com)—just look for a bench painted a Victorian-y shade of purple.

Come mid-October, Maine's national park will become a dazzling mix of evergreen, gold, and red. Explore the forests on the historic carriage roads, or enjoy sweeping views of Mount Desert Island from Cadillac Mountain. Continue the seasonal celebration with a scoop of Maple Walnut or Pumpkin Caramel ice cream from Mount Desert Island Ice Cream.

We’re pretty sure that President Obama would have gone for the beet ginger sorbet, or the apple parsley perhaps, if he hadn’t gone for the coconut ice cream at this popular Maine ice cream eatery. Eat Drink Lucky editors love nothing more than to get a scoop and walk down to the water to sit in the summer sun. We’re waiting for Mr. President to join us later this summer.

Yes, the blueberries are hand-deseeded and the basil comes fresh from Downeast Maine.
Like we needed to ask...

Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, which has already been lauded as one of the country’s best ice cream makers by the ABC talk show “The View” as well as Food & Wine magazine, is adding another voice to those singing its praises.

Against all climatic odds, New England has long been a hotbed of ice-cream ingenuity. Mount Desert Island Ice Cream—Linda Parker’s artsy, blue-hued trio of scoop shops in Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine—honors that heritage, combining the quaint charm of the seashore with a cosmopolitan flair...

Summer means peak season for two of my favorite things: eating ice cream and visiting the beautiful Maine coast. Thanks to Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, one of the top artisanal ice cream producers in the nation, you can do both in one visit to either Portland or Bar Harbor, as well as at restaurants throughout the state

Ice-cream-loving Mainers know Mount Desert Island Ice Cream for its delicious and often exotically flavored varieties, which have won the company national recognition, including a place on 2011 Food & Wine magazine’s list of Top 25 Ice Cream Parlors.

Cinnamon-cardamom. Chocolate-wasabi. Thai-chili. Mt Dessert gives you unexpected pairings in the most creative and savory combinations.

This relative newcomer sits on Bar Harbor Green in a setting one customer described as "gloriously small town." Pick a bench and enjoy a cone, or try a tasting flight: four one-ounce scoops of different flavors. The small-batch producer uses premium, organic ingredients, both for old-standby flavors and many bolder ones like Blueberry Basil sorbet...

Once you’ve had your fill of boutiques and galleries, you can always escape to the beach, to the trails, to the carriage roads, or even to the peaks of Acadia. Wherever you venture, it is comforting to know that a scoop of blueberry-buttermilk from Mount Desert Island Ice Cream awaits at the end of the day.

Downeast Magazine,  Fall 2013

“MDI hasn’t been around all that long, but it’s earned kudos far beyond Maine for its ultra creamy ice cream in ultra creative flavors. MDI crafts its ice cream in small batches, sourcing milk and cream from Maine’s Own Organic Milk Co., and making flavorings by hand.”