NOLA Snowball Tour: Papa Sam's

Posted by Benson

The second stop on our NOLA Snowball tour is a popular snowball spot on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain: Papa Sam's.

Papa Sam's is a Mandeville institution.  The stand has been around for as long as I can remember, and has always had a large and dedicated following.  The Papa is located on the Highway 190 service road on the edge of a large residential area between Highway 22 and I-12.  For those of you not intimately familiar with Northshore geography, this means Papa Sam's enjoys a superb location that is close to the highway, but can be easily and safely accessed by foot or bicycle.

Papa Sam's immediately jumps out with its new bright blue paint job and yellow umbrellas.  There is adequate seating, but the stand suffers from a cramped and awkward parking area.  During busy hours, it can be easier to park on one of the nearby residential streets and walk over.

What really distinguishes Papa Sam's is the flavor selection!  Papa Sam's has just about every snowball flavor and option you can imagine from a wide selection of cream flavors and toppings to unique offerings like the Mandeville Skipper (a personal favorite).

So many to choose from!

The Mandeville Skipper is really just shorthand for a particular two flavor snowball.  Getting two flavors is at any snowball stand is common practice, and many people develop their own preferred blends.  A two flavor snowball is constructed by the simple expedient of pouring one flavor of syrup onto one side of the snowball, and a second flavor onto the opposite side.  It can be tricky to do well, but Papa Sam's excels at it.

Ah, the Mandeville Skipper.  Liz did not believe it really was Blue Bubble Gum and White Wedding Cake.

The Mandeville Skipper is half Blue Bubblegum and half White Wedding Cake; a combination that sounds terrible according to my wife, but which I absolutely love.  The flavors pair well because both are very sweet, but Blue Bubblegum is sharp and immediate, whereas White Wedding Cake has a richer, more creamy flavor that is subtle and hangs around the palate longer.  In combination, you get a rich, sweet snowball with plenty of kick without being tart or cloying.

Just the right melt rate right there!

Papa Sam's hires friendly and efficient staff, and is generally very consistent in terms of quality.  Sam's uses just the type of ice I prefer: closely shaved without being powdery.  This gives you some texture without being mushy.  Sam's is also generous with the syrup, although my wife feels that they could be more generous with the condensed milk (Liz never thinks anyone uses enough - I keep telling her to ask for double).

Ieuan Demands to watch his snowball being prepared

There is one quirk about a Papa Sam's snowball.  The straw is usually jammed with a slug of ice that you have to clear before you can use it.  I think this comes from putting the straw into the snowball before the syrup, but I cannot swear to it.  Nevertheless, it is a small quirk that adds a bit of character.

 Ieuan goes double snowball with his Red Raspberry and the Red Cotton Candy

Liz got White Wedding Cake with condensed milk, Ieuan got Red Raspberry, and I got a Mandeville Skipper and a Red Cotton Candy.  All four were well-made thoroughly enjoyed.  I have to say that prior to writing this I had not been to Sam's very often.  I was a Yummies man, of course, much to the chagrin of my co-workers.  But having sampled plenty of snowballs in an effort to find a new go-to stand, I have to say that Papa Sam's came out on top! 

Ieuan also enjoyed splashing in the puddles, which ended in a screaming meltdown of epic proportions