LUV-IT FROZEN CUSTARD
You know a place has got the goods when you can get your ex-spouse and present paramour there, at the same time, to sample the wares.
When Hugh Alexander Curtas (D.O.B. 10-15-84 – The Official Number Two Son Of ELV) was leaving town the next day to resume his flight from reality to the cosseted confines of academia (i.e., for grad school), there was no other place he wanted to go for his last taste of Vegas than LUV-IT FROZEN CUSTARD.
So after a splendid repast at Raku, he, along with Julia Mandeville (his Official Fiancee), Food Gal Number One (his Official Mother) and The Food Gal® all piled into the car for a taste of frozen custard heaven.
This place has been in the same location since the seventies, but believe it or not, there are folks out there who’ve never been.
Which is a shame, since the line outside Greg Teidemann’s little window on Oakey Blvd. is always chock full of interesting folks from all walks of life: from cops to tourists to families to the ladies of Olympic Garden, in whose shadow Luv-it sits.
Standing there with our grown-up son, put Food Gal Number One and ELV in mind of days gone by, when he was but a small fry, lining up with us at Dr. Mike’s Ice Cream — an iconic/ice-creamic institution in Bethel, Connecticut.
Made famous by Jane and Michael Stern in their first edition of Roadfood, Dr. Mike’s was (and is) about as big a deal as ice cream can get in the Northeast (the ice cream capital of America), and people from five states make pilgrimages to its storefront to get big scoops at a tiny store mere hours after it is made.
Any time it was open, there was always a queue snaking its way out of its flimsy screen door.
And standing in line last week, waiting our turn with our son, as we did on so many nights twenty years ago, reminded us of soft winds and New England summers. Of chocolate lace and cream, Nantucket beaches, roadside hot dogs and lobster roasts.
In other words, it was almost like small-town Connecticut in 1989.
With strippers.
LUV-IT FROZEN CUSTARD
505 East Oakey Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89104
702.384.6452
Restaurant reviews, quips, picks and pans-with some seriously salivating history-from the man who eats his way through Sin City every day.
August 13th, 2009 at 10:15 am
I grew up in “small-town Connecticut” (and in fact have been to Dr. Mike’s), but I don’t recall it ever being 97 degrees at 9 PM at night as it has been the last several times I have waited in line at Luv-It. I get the same thing every time (Raspberry Royal sundae with vanilla custard, unless they have raspberry custard that day). Fantastic place!
August 13th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
OK, I’m about to get beaten to a bloody pulp, but I was a bit disappointed by Luv-It. It might have been due to such high expectations, but the flavors (other than Vanilla) had too much of that artificial, extract-in-a-bottle taste. On the positive side, I liked the sundae that had hot fudge, caramel and nuts.
All in all, I think of Luv-It more as a place to go for its history than for its quality.
My last visit was in 2004. Has it improved since then?
August 13th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I’ve been here 5 years and am sort of embarrassed I’ve never heard of this place, because this is the second recommendation I’ve seen in 5 days. I feel compelled to get in the car and go check it out now… thanks for the suggestion on a hot day.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Stick to the specials and you won’t be disappointed. It is a little hard to find but isn’t that what makes it special?
August 13th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Good stuff, but it doesnt hold a candle to Ted Drew’s in STL!
August 15th, 2009 at 9:02 am
I have to hit Luv-It at least once anytime I am in LV. I have been known to venture out at late hours to the dicey neighborhood for a Jimmie Scotch fix. I can never find the place but I always find the White Cross Drug store and Luv-It is right across the street. They have never been able to explain to me exactly what ” fresh frozen” strawberries are.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Great ice cream…but bring a knife and pepper spray