Philadelphia Weekly

FOOD

You're Quite the Dish: Maple Leaf Rag Sundae at Franklin Fountain

By Cristina Perachio

Add Comment | Comments: 2 | Posted Sep. 21, 2011

Maple Leaf Rag Sundae at Franklin Fountain, you’re quite the dessert!

Tell me about it, doll! Folks are sayin’ I’m just nifty, just fizzy! Better to frequent the soda jerk than end up pinched for gettin’ splifficated at the speakeasy, my dear.

Beg your pardon, but Prohibition ended close to 80 years ago.

No matter, as I always say, I’m so tasty I could give any moonshine a run for its money. Afterall, I’m named for Scott Joplin’s famous 1899 “Maple Leaf Rag”—a real hoot! I’m two scoops of homemade banana ice cream served in a maple syrup lined parfait glass, topped with maple walnuts, fresh crushed pineapple and a hefty dollop of whipped cream.

Sounds dreamy! But what makes you the real deal?

Eric and Ryan Berley, brothers and owners of this here soda fountain, were inspired by the Maple Leaf Sundae in the Dispenser’s Formulary of 1915 along with soda fountain recipes all over the country. Maple and pineapple are what Ryan calls the “long lost flavors of soda fountains.” In my heyday, pineapple was an exotic fruit and this was a popular combo.

Tell me about your, er, nuts.

Well I sure didn’t take you for a floozy! Mine are English walnuts soaked in pure maple syrup from Dufresne’s Maple Sugar House in Williamsburg, Mass.

Any tricks the Berley brothers use to get you just jake?

The secret of a true soda jerk is fresh and homemade ingredients. Everything, from my ice cream to my whipped cream, is made from scratch, in-house.

Now, banana ice cream is seasonal at Franklin Fountain so must we wait until spring to have a taste?

Jeepers creepers, no! Banana ice cream will be around for a few more weeks, but then I get a winter makeover with chocolate ice cream. Pair me with a European drinking chocolate and you’ve got a keen cure for the winter blues.

Franklin Fountain, 116 Market St. 215.627.1899. franklinfountain.com