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I have a good friend from college who grew up in Boston before coming to Marquette.  If you don’t want a list of the best of everything in Boston according to her, don’t ever bring up Massachusetts, Boston, or anything that rhymes with either one---I actually sat here for a minute to try to think of a rhyme for Massachusetts and I had nothing…maybe “give us two sets”…of plane tickets? :0) ---  But I digress, the whole thing is, she constantly tells me how awesome this restaurant chain is called Friendly’s.  Friendly’s is an east coast based old-fashioned style family restaurant, famous for it’s ice cream as well as it’s burgers and sandwiches.

I also have a boyfriend who grew up in Greendale, Wisconsin.  If you want a list of his idea of the best of Milwaukee and the surrounding suburbs, he will tell you Ferch’s Malt Shoppe and Grille in Greendale is vying for his number one spot.  Ferch’s, now with a second location in Franklin, is a 50’s style malt shoppe boasting over 1 million custard combinations and excellent burgers and wraps.

I myself have been to Ferch’s on a number of occasions.  I won’t deny that I am a huge fan.  My Boston friend and my boyfriend have gotten into numerous debates about the two restaurants, especially over their longstanding battle over whether custard (from Ferch’s) or ice cream (from Friendly’s) is better.    

I usually play the role of Switzerland in an attempt to keep things on an even keel and balance out the hostilities.  But which one is better?  I’ve decided I need to enlist and join in the battle.  I need to make a trip to Boston to make an honest comparison and once and for all end the Ferch’s/Friendly’s feud and finally establish which is the better of the two frozen treats…ice cream or custard.  Only a recession buster trip from AirTran and OnMilwaukee.com can solve this mystery.