I’m from Canton, Ohio–the meat-and-potatoes middle of the country. A town most famous for being home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and lots of cream soup–based casseroles. It’s the kind of Midwestern place where the food is abundant and uncomplicated, often forgettable and occasionally sublime. The Canton-born Bittner, a 90-year-old ice cream sundae, falls into the latter category and remains one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten, beating out my new favorites like Milk Bar’s cereal milk ice cream and my old standbys like Nestle Drumsticks.
The Bittner is a sundae created by Taggart’s Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor that opened its doors in 1926. Taggart’s looks nearly the same almost 100 years later—blue and white tile floors, sticky wooden booths, and a marble bar—and it’s still serving the same kind of food it was serving during the roaring 20s: overflowing sloppy joes, thick malts, tuna melts on white bread, and tangy phosphates from the soda fountain. The whole place is a trip back in time, but the thing people get most nostalgic for is the Bittner, a frozen delight that’s kind of like a sundae, sort of like a milkshake, and a little bit like a Wendy’s Frosty®.
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