Baby, it’s hot outside, and we can think of nothing more appealing than a fresh frozen treat on a stick from Steel City Pops, a burgeoning popsicle enterprise from Alabama that just added another location (and the first Houston one) two weeks ago in The Heights.
Founder/owner Jim Watkins had a vision for all-natural, healthy popsicles – something like Mexican paletas – and opened the first Steel City Pops in his family’s hometown of Homewood, Alabama. Now various other locations in Alabama, Kentucky and Texas have opened their doors, too.
I had not eaten a popsicle since the eighth grade, so I was giddy to try one of Steel City’s best. The pops menu is divided into “creamy” and “fruity,” and all the options rotate based on the season. Since it’s July, the fruity spectrum features choices such as watermelon, blood orange and cantaloupe while the creamy side offers peach cream, coconut and avocado.
I chose a lavender lemonade pop, curious to discover how the floral and citrus flavors work together. The overall impression was very bright, the lavender subtly complementing the lemonade’s sweet-tart base. Not surprisingly, perhaps, it wasn’t very sweet.
Steel City excels at accurately producing the flavor that the name calls for. Peach cream, for example, was just that – a pastel orange concoction of rich dairy and peach flavors.
The pops ($3 each) average 185 calories for the creamy version and 100 calories for the fruity, which makes Steel City pops an all-natural, healthful dessert choice. Buy 10 pops (accounted for via a stamp card) and you get a free popsicle. The company also offers espresso drinks and novel cookie pops ($4.50) as well.
There’s plenty of air-conditioned space to enjoy your pop indoors. Streams of customers, especially families, walked in while I was there. Tip: Hold your popsicle horizontally when it starts melting, to escape the drops of juice. I had quite the sticky fingers after finishing mine.
Steel City Pops, 420 E 20th St. between Columbia & Arlington, 832-497-1471, steelcitypops.com Hours: Sun.-Thurs. noon-10 pm, Fri.-Sat. noon-11 pm.