Soda Jerks

Do yourself a favor. Go to MacAlpine's in Phoenix.

I had to exchange some promotional materials with a Moms Demand Action friend today. She lives all the way in Cave Creek, which is probably close to an hour from us, so we decided to meet in the middle. I suggested this cute, old-fashioned soda fountain shop near downtown Phoenix, and she was all for it.

I'm not a foodie, but I do have somewhat of a restaurant life list. It's not long. It's not filled with five-star restaurants, either. But the Phoenix area has quite a few notable spots that I long to try. I've knocked a few off the list over the years: Pizzeria Bianco, Cork, Cafe Boa, Vincent's on Camelback, and Matt's Big Breakfast. Some of the others still on the list are House of Tricks, Quiessence at the Farm at South Mountain, Sweet Republic, and Tammy Coe Cakes. I'll get there. In the meantime, I was happy the kids and I put a check mark next to this place today.

MacAlpine's has been on 7th Street since 1928. It was originally a pharmacy, but now it's a restaurant known for its sweet treats. I don't think the decor has changed much, and the retro boutique and antique stores attached on both sides help transport you to another era. You'd love it.

You'd love the sodas even more. Though they have 99 different syrup flavors so that you can create any concoction you could ever want, we all chose one of their suggested combinations with a cute title. Matthew had The Dark Side (vanilla and chocolate ice cream with a chocolate root beer syrup). Elizabeth had the Harry Potter-inspired butter beer soda (vanilla ice cream with butterscotch syrup). I had The Classic because, you know, I'm so classic. It was vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup. Classics are classics for good reason. My friend Kathleen had the I Dream of Jeannie (vanilla ice cream with Dreamsicle syrup).

I tried three of the four, and they were the best floats I've ever had. Kathleen said hers was scrumptious, and I believe her. Now you need to believe me and get to MacAlpine's.