Get your licks in

Some foods just taste better out-of-doors. Ice cream, for example, on a warm summer evening is a sweet treat indeed, especially when rolled expertly into an icy cold mound and perched atop a crispy waffle cone. So when word got out that ROGER’S ICE CREAM AND BURGERS had reopened, it was no surprise to see the line snaking across the sidewalk on a recent August night.

Sure, the supermarket across the street has ice cream, maybe even Ben and Jerry’s or Haagen-Dazs, the stuff that reignited our love affair with this icy foodstuff. But as easy as it would be to pop into the market, it’s not the same.

At Roger’s, cones start at $1.50 and top out at $3.50 for a double, either cone or cup. There’s the usual strawberry and mint chip, and then the texturally laden pecan praline, bear claw and almond mocha fudge — 18 flavors in all, including huckleberry when it’s in season, and berry-pomegranate sorbet for those wanting something lighter.

We were there for the ice cream — but the smell of burgers on the griddle was heavenly, too. Burgers include lettuce, tomato, onion and special sauce (starting at $2.50), and fries are freshly made, not frozen ($1.50).

The menu hasn’t changed much from the previous ownership. A Coeur d’Alene landmark since the ’80s, Roger’s was recently reopened by Mark Randolph, who is the latest in a long line of owners since the restaurant was first established in Moscow in the 1940s.

Only outdoor seating is available — a few rows of benches on either side of the building — but that’s not a drawback: Folks seem preoccupied by their individual race to the bottom of the cone.
Their licking, biting and wiping methods are complex enough to warrant an anthropological study. Or maybe it’s more than that… maybe it’s something akin to reverie. We’re all lost in a rare little moment of icy cold joy. — CARRIE SCOZZARO

Roger’s, at 13th St. and Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene, is open Mon-Thu 11 am–9 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-10 pm, and Sun 11 am-9:30 pm. Call (208) 930-4900.