I Tried The Most Expensive Ice Cream Cone in Tampa

And my credit card is still saying to me... "Seriously?" Last week, I wandered around the tough streets of South Tampa. Not tough in the sense that there's violence or danger. South Tampa is tough on your wallet. There's no better example than the most expensive ice cream cone I've ever seen.

The day started with my first meal at Goody Goody Burgers. Listeners have been bugging me to try it ever since it opened. It's got that Tampa history dating back to the 1920s so it brings a sense of nostalgia for those who grew up here. I didn't. Maybe that's why it didn't do much for me. Much like St. Pete's nostalgic burger joint, El Cap, the burger at Goody Goody was forgettable. There wasn't that off the grill taste I love. It wasn't particularly juicy. The texture was just kind of gooey. The french fries were a little better than ok because I liked the seasoning.

Goody Goody is also well known for their pies. But I wasn't in a pie mood. Ice cream sounded better.

I took a stroll around the neighborhood and watched the fabulous and beautiful chowing down at Meat Market. I chuckled at the prices on clothes in the windows in the boutique stores. But before departing South Tampa, I wanted to get that ice cream fix taken care of. That's when I spotted OddFellows Ice Cream Co.

This "small-batch" ice cream company got its start in Brooklyn, according to their website. When I walked in, I saw they were active with human rights groups. Big plus. The place was brightly lit and clean. Another big plus. And the ice cream flavors were filled with unique names and quirky adjectives. I like weird, so I was thinking I'm gonna love the place. Until I saw those prices. I was about to consume the most expensive ice cream cone I've ever seen.

Now keep in mind I'm a Publix BOGO Ben & Jerry's kind of guy. But it's South Tampa. I'm not expecting to find any bargains. But $11.28?! This better be the most incredible ice cream experience of my LIFE. Spoiler. It wasn't. It was as forgettable as that Goody Goody burger I had earlier.

I went with 2 scoops, in case I didn't like the first one much. In my twisted logic, one scoop for about $8 or 2 scoops for $10... that second scoop somehow seemed like a fiscally smart decision at that moment when it was my turn to order. I went with one scoop of "Banoffee Pie" with banana ice cream, graham "soil" and dulce de leche. The other scoop was one of their new flavors "Fluffy peanut butter." I'm a New England kid so Fluffernutters were my childhood. It's marshmallow ice cream with peanut butter swirls.

No. It wasn't bad. It's hard to find bad ice cream. Ice cream is inherently awesome. You have to work hard to mess ice cream up. And OddFellows didn't. It was good. Was it $11.28 good? No. No ice cream is. Not even Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream is $11.28 per serving good.

By the way, I should mention that the $11.28 does include the taxes and the tip. Yes, they do that super annoying thing were they make you predict how good your service and ice cream will be by making you tip before you take that first lick. I hate pre-tipping. But by the time I got to the register, it was too late. The second scoop was getting plopped onto my cone and that annoying touch screen was in my face with 3 suggested tip amounts.

Needless to say that was my last OddFellows visit. The ice cream was great. I love that they support important causes. And the staff was friendly. The ice cream wasn't bad. And honestly, I have no idea if it really is the most expensive ice cream cone in Tampa. Let me know if there's one pricier. I'll probably be dumb enough to try it. But $11.28 for an ice cream cone is absurd. That's about what my burger and fries cost at Goody Goody. It was not a goody goody day for me. I just think I'm not a South Tampa material.

Publix today announced their new lineup of limited time summer ice cream flavors you'll see in stores soon. There are 8 new summer Publix ice cream flavors in total. 5 have my name written all over them. The other 3 you can have.

You may already have some of these in the freezers at your Publix now. But the limited-time summer flavors will disappear August 30, according to the Publix website.

You might see a Publix ice cream truck with the new flavors There are 3 Tampa are stops coming up. Look for them in Lakeland June 29 at Common Ground Park, in Tampa at Sparkman Wharf June 30, or at the St. Pete Pier July 4.

Related: 10 Tampa area ice cream spots to beat the Florida heat

Before I get to the 5 summer Publix ice cream flavors I've gotta try, here are the 3 runner ups that aren't so much for me... but you might like. I'm not an almonds fan so Coffee Almond Fudge will be a no for me. I'm not so much into pecans either so I'm going to pass on the Caramel Turtle Cheesecake. And my lack of love for nuts continues... I'm going to say "no thanks" to Hula Hula Macadamia.

Now, here are the 5 I'm going to be definitely looking for that BOGO on.

This one doesn't take me back to my childhood so much like the others do.  I didn't become a coffee drinker until way late in life.  It started when I was a morning guy on the radio in California.  That caffeine kick was a necessity when I had to be up every morning at 5.  A mashup with chocolate sounds good to me.  Publix describes this one as "cold brew coffee flavored ice cream with crème filled chocolate cookie pieces throughout."  So is it ok to eat this one first thing in the morning?  Asking for a fri... me, asking for me.

I didn't get a chance to get over to Plant City for the Florida Strawberry Festival this year.  So this will have to do.  Publix describes it as "strawberry flavored ice cream with ribbons of strawberry flavored sauce, studded with pieces of white chocolate flavored strawberry pecan bark."  Now I mentioned I'm not a big pecans fan.  But I'll still take this one for a spin for sure.  

Any dessert with peanut butter and chocolate is an instant yes for me.  I'm Team Reese's Peanut Butter Cups all the way.  This one isn't affiliated with the candy, but it sounds like the ice cream equivalent to me.  Publix describes it as "peanut butter ice cream loaded with chocolatey covered peanut butter buckeye candies and swirls of thick fudge."  I'm 100% in.

The ice cream truck menu only needed one thing to make me happy as a kid.  Ice cream sandwiches.  As simple as they are, that's what summer tastes like to me.  So I'm way into this one.  Publix describes it as "chocolate ice cream with decadent chocolate cookie crumb swirls and chunks of flavored chocolate sandwich cookies."

You probably heard me talk about this one on the show today. This one's got my name all over it. I love lemon flavored desserts. And being a kid from Maine, blueberries have always been a part of my life. Blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, I'll even buy blueberry coffee when I see it. So to see these 2 flavors together? Psh. No brainer. I'm all in. Publix describes it as lemon crème flavored ice cream with lemonade flavored flakes and blueberry flavored swirls.