After stuffing ourselves with sushi at Blackstone’s sushi restaurant, Butterfish, my friends and I left and began our walk to our cars. Suddenly, after being outside for only a few seconds, rain began to heavily pour on top of us. With nowhere else to go, we quickly ran into Coneflower Creamery as it was the closest place to us. 

As a first timer at Coneflower, I glanced around the creamery, my eyes moving back and forth from the smiling workers to the shirts and the menu that were hanging on the wall. Having spoken with a friend about the owner of Coneflower and learning about his experiences and where he worked previously, I was expecting a little more than what there was. 

Although I was expecting to see the infamous long line of people waiting to be served ice cream, the line was rather short due to the weather. I also noticed that there was not much room in the small creamery, feeling more cramped rather than cozy. 

Turning to my friends, I asked if they would like to get something while we waited for the rain to die down. With each of them nodding their heads, we hopped into line and began to read the menu on the wall. 

With a wide variety of both classics and out of the ordinary flavors, I decided to get a waffle cone with one scoop of my favorite flavor, chocolate chip cookie dough, as well as a scoop of a flavor that I had never tried before: cinnamon cheesecake crunch. 

After placing and paying for my order, I quickly grabbed a spot on the bench  for my friends and I to eat at. While sitting by myself, I realized that I had failed to notice someone before. Brian Langbehn, the owner of Coneflower who not only worked as the executive chef at 801 Chophouse but also cooked in Italy’s Amalfi Coast, had just served me. 

Ecstatic to try the ice cream after my realization, I anxiously waited for my friends. After they got their orders and sat on the bench with me, we began to indulge on the ice cream. 

I first started off with the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Every bite was filled with several pieces of cookie dough and beautifully made vanilla ice cream, leaving a heavenly taste in my mouth. 

Within minutes of the first bite, I had finished the scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough. Worried that I wouldn’t enjoy the cinnamon cheesecake crunch ice cream as much as the previous flavor, I hesitantly tried the first bite of the ice cream. 

My taste buds were in disbelief. The ice cream melted in my mouth perfectly, leaving behind the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. After not having my favorite cereal in quite some time, this ice cream flavor truly made my night. 

Before leaving the store, I made my way back into the line and got a pint of the Cinnamon Cheesecake Crunch, as well as a pint of the Blackstone Butterbrickle–a flavor one of my friends highly recommended for me to try. 

Overall, despite my first thoughts on the place, Coneflower did not disappoint. If in Blackstone or close to the area, help yourself to a scoop or two of Omaha’s greatest ice cream. I know I will.