The ice cream's sweet at Papa's shop

The Papa’s Ice Cream Cookie sundae is made with a chocolate chip cookie, black cherry ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and peanuts at Papa’s Ice Cream in Washougal. (Steven Lane/The Columbian)

Why: Papa's Ice Cream is a modern shop with an old-time sensibility. The restaurant's main attraction is its selection of 32 flavors of Umpqua ice cream and frozen yogurt. For those who don't want to live on sweets alone, there's a limited menu of breakfast and lunch items. Papa's also works to make itself a gathering spot. It hosts kid-friendly parties, complete with decorations and balloons.

Atmosphere: This no-frills shop has concrete floors, a black, open ceiling and a thick, sugary aroma in the air. Seating is limited to metal chairs with vinyl-topped cushions. Dishes are neatly stacked on shelves that reach floor-to-ceiling behind the service counter. Thirty-five flavors of old-fashioned hard candy sticks add a splash of color atop the coffee and espresso bar. The selection of Papa's Ice Cream T-shirts and sweatshirts for sale is a touch of softness in the utilitarian surroundings.

Menu: Ice cream flavors range from the hard-to-find black licorice to basic chocolate. The ice cream is served plain in a dish or can be ordered in a waffle cones, sundaes, milkshakes, malts and floats. A popular menu offering for party-goers is the Papa's Big Dish — a selection of ice creams served in a large bowl topped with whipped cream. Hot dogs, chips, chili, soup, sandwiches, bread sticks, salad, apples, carrots, bagels, Zippies (a bagel calzone), cookies and brownies round out the menu. Ten different Party Packs, which include various combinations of ice cream, food and drink items, are offered to help make party planning a snap.

What I Tried: My companion and I ventured to Papa's Ice Cream for a meal and dessert. I decided on a cup of creamy chicken dumpling soup with bread sticks and my dining companion chose a pizza Zippie. For ice cream we tried two of Papa's inventions: Mommy's Death by Chocolate sundae and Papa's Ice Cream Cookie sundae.

The chicken dumpling soup's flavor was true to its name, but not memorable. Perhaps that's because the soup isn't made on site at Papa's Ice Cream, but instead comes from a can. I ordered a cup, rather than a bowl, but still I was surprised by how small my 4-ounce serving seemed. The bowl is 8 ounces.

The bread sticks were made with focaccia that was buttered and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and heated in the oven. In contrast, the pizza Zippie was heated in the microwave, so the bagel pocket became somewhat gooey instead of oven-crisp. The Zippie had a generous amount of filling — bell pepper, sausage, ham, onion and yellow and white cheeses — a combination that imparted the pizza flavor, but was dominated by the bell pepper and sausage. It was served with marinara sauce that was taken directly from the refrigerator. The sauce would have been better heated.

It was when we started our ice cream course that I began to appreciate Papa's.

The Mommy's Death by Chocolate is a layered concoction of chocolate and caramel syrup, Chocolate Thunder ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. It's topped with a chocolate-covered potato chip, which was novel, but my dining companion and I didn't think the flavor made it worth the calories. Other than the potato chip, the sundae was a hit with us. Surprisingly, the combination wasn't too rich and the sprinkles added a wonderful texture to the invention.

The Papa's Ice Cream Cookie was fabulous. For this sundae, you choose a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie, ice cream and toppings. We chose a chocolate chip cookie, black cherry ice cream and chocolate syrup, whipped cream and peanuts. The flavor combination was perfect and the heat of the cookie paired with the cold ice cream was very appetizing. As we dug into this dish, the cookie absorbed the ice cream and became a chewy sweet treat.

The ice cream was without question the highlight of our meal, which we rounded out by sampling the coffee and a brownie. We tried the featured coffee of the month, Papachino, which was mild and smooth. The brownie, however, was a bit dry.

Quick Take: I wouldn't venture to Papa's Ice Cream just for a meal. The food reminded me of the snacks served at a ball park, including the premium prices. But this impressively clean shop is definitely worth the trip to Washougal for its selection of sweet treats and coffee. The premium ice cream is sold at value prices, and the sundaes are standouts.

Cost: Ice cream in a dish or waffle cone starts at $1.85 for a child's serving and tops out at $4.85 for three scoops. Sundaes range from $3.35 for one scoop to $22.50 for the Papa's Big Dish. Milkshakes are $3.35 for small and $4.85 for large. Malts are $3.60 for small, $5.10 for large. Beverages start at $1.25 for milk or soda and top out at $4.95 for a fresh fruit smoothie with protein added. Cookies and brownies are $1. Other food items start at $1 for a bagel and top out at $4.95 for a salad. Sandwiches are $3.95 for half, $5.95 for whole. Coffee and espresso drinks cost $1.25 to $4. Candy is sold by the piece and by the pound and ranges from 25 cents for a jawbreaker up to $15.68 for a pound of sugar-free chocolates.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Where: 1700 Main St., Suite 130, Washougal.

Contact: 360-835-8555 or papasicecream.net.

Health Score: Papa's Ice Cream received a score of 0 on Oct. 9. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants that score 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.