We all scream for ice cream

The news that Centre Street in West Roxbury is getting not one, but two ice-cream shops ends a two-year ice cream drought on the street. But even before iScream and Champs open, West Roxbury is already the nexus of an ice-cream/frappe constellation. Here’s what’s available just a short ride from Centre Street:JP Licks, 651 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury. Same great ice cream as the original JP Licks, but in a fraction of the space – not the place you want to go with a crowd.Emack and Bolio’s, 2 Belgrade Ave., Roslindale. Ice cream plus sandwiches, free WiFi and a couple of comfy couches.Friendly’s, Dedham Plaza, Rte. 1 (or whatever they call it these days), Dedham. Good ice cream and the same slow service that was probably a big part of the reason the Centre Street Friendly’s closed back in 2005.Ron’s Gourmet Ice Cream and 20th Century Bowling, 1231 Hyde Park Ave., Hyde Park. Combines both things Centre Street now lacks: ice cream and bowling. What more could you ask? Possibly the smallest bowling alley in the state – maybe 10 lanes.Ron’s Gourmet Ice Cream, 559 High St., Dedham Center. Same ice cream, but in a more traditional parlour setting. Closed in the winter.

A La Carte Ice Cream and Bakery, 1231 River St., Hyde Park. OK, I admit it, I’ve never been here (I think “ice cream in Hyde Park,” I think Ron’s). Has anybody tried it? And any places I missed?