Mount Desert Island Ice Cream Opens a "Friend-chise" in Mt. Pleasant

By Thomas Martin, EdibleDC

The mount desert ice cream team: Brian Lowit, Melissa Quinley, and Linda Parker

Just in time for summer, the Maine-based Mount Desert Island Ice Cream is opening a new "friend-chise" in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Founded in Bar Harbor by Linda Parker in 2005, Mount Desert Island was named one of the "Best Ice Cream Spots in the U.S." by Food & Wine this year. After having opened two additional locations in Maine, the Mount Desert Island team is ready to storm the District with unique flavors such as blueberry basil, Maine sea salt caramel and cinnamon cardamom. Brian Lowit and Melissa Quinley, DC locals and longtime friends of Parker, will helm the new DC location.

"We like to pair unexpected flavor combinations but not at the expense of being sensational," Lowit said. "We also honor the classics such as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry."

The Bar Harbor location received national attention when President Barack Obama and his family stopped in for cones while on vacation in Maine in 2010. President Obama ordered toasted coconut ice cream in a cone, the former First Lady chose chocolate.  

Mount Desert Island Ice Cream will offer a rotating cast of flavors, both traditional and unconventional, as well as vegan options. The Mount Pleasant branch will also sell hand-packed pints of ice cream to-go, and will introduce drip coffee and espresso in the coming fall.

The store is located at 3110 Mount Pleasant Street NW, and its hours will be 12-9 pm Sun-Thu, 12-10 pm Fri, 11 am - 10 pm Sat.