Date: Fri 27-Aug-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

River-Cone-Laczko-Sandy-Hook

Full Text:

Ice Cream Once Again Floats To The River's Edge In Sandy Hook

(with photos)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Where else can you get a scoop of ice cream for a nickel? At the River Cone

Ice Cream Shop in Sandy Hook, the second scoop is just five cents.

That's the kind of community-minded approach Jeff and Neal Laczko are taking

as they open up the first ice cream shop in Sandy Hook since The Golden Peach

ice cream parlor closed its doors for good back in the late 1920s.

Located about as close as you can get to the Pootatuck River without getting

wet, the "River Cone" is aptly named. Everybody loves ice cream and the Church

Hill Road store is expected to be a big hit. The store will celebrate its

grand opening this weekend.

"It's been packed every day since we opened. There was a line out the door

last night," said an excited Mr Laczko last Friday.

All smiles as he loaded up a cone with peanut butter fudge, the new owner has

transformed himself from former ChemLawn salesman to ice cream man in just a

couple of months. And he and his wife of just two months are loving every

minute of it.

The River Cone officially opened its door August 18 in a building renovated

and restored by builder Mike Porco. The addition of the ice cream shop and the

newly opened barber shop next door has helped Sandy Hook in its continued

efforts to revitalize the area. It was Ray Castanza of 100 Church Hill Road

who provided the inspiration for the ice cream shop.

"I really think they're going to do well here," he said late last week.

"You've got the right combination -- a lot of fat in the ice cream, the

location is great and just look at the view of the river."

Currently, the store offers 24 ice cream flavors with that number expected to

double in the coming months. Also on the menu are an abundance of sundaes,

banana splits and frappes.

"They call them frappes up in Massachusetts," Mr Laczko explained.

As for the granita, a fruit slush, "It's the killer of all killers," shouted

the ice cream man.

And then there is the already legendary Sandy Hook mud sundae, a delicious

blend of chocolate ice cream and coffee.

"People go crazy over it. They just love it," Neal said. "It'll knock the

socks off you."

The River Cone is more than just an ice cream shop, though. It also carries

baked goods from the Arthur Avenue Bakery Company in the Bronx. Delivered

fresh every morning, the list of Arthur Avenue goodies includes panella bread,

coal oven bread, bastoni with seeds, kaiser rolls, muffins, danishes and

cookies.

Inside, you can also pick up regular coffee or espresso and cappucino. In the

winter, the River Cone will serve hot soups, sandwiches and chili.

A key aspect to the owners' optimism is the new and improved parking in the

rear of the store. Access to the back of the building is much easier now, and

customers can enter the building through a rear entrance.

So, if you like ice cream and enjoy relaxing outside on a deck overlooking a

meandering stream, the Laczkos suggest you visit the River Cone.

The River Cone is open year-round, seven days a week from 6:30 am to 11 pm.