Cold stone: ice cream with attitude added.(Up front: news / trends / advice)

Cold Stone is hot. Founded in 1988, the ice-cream chain now has more than 900 stores, where you choose a flavor, pick from among more than 40 toppings and mix-ins, and watch while a server creates your concoction on a cold granite slab. The Cold Stone crew sings when they get tips, and the Web site suggests that "the "entertainment Factor" is meant to lend a fun, festive atmosphere in our stores."

The concept isn't new: In the 1970s, Steve's Ice Cream near Boston featured cold stones and mix-ins, and today, Cold Stone faces competition from Marble Slab Creamery But Cold Stone is the current leader, so we checked it out.

Four trained tasters compared the unadorned vanilla and chocolate at Cold Stone with those at Haagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry's, and Baskin-Robbins. They also sampled some Cold Stone concoctions.

WHAT WE FOUND

The sum of a Cold Stone creation was better than its parts. Tasted plain, the chain's vanilla and chocolate ice creams were definitely not as good as those from Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's, and not quite as good as those from Baskin-Robbins. Cold Stone's ice cream was gummy and fairly mild-flavored. Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's ice creams were creamier, with higher-quality flavors. The Quick Ratings, above, gives the details.

With mix-ins, Cold Stone's taste improved dramatically. Freshly added fruit and nuts masked defects in texture and added complexity.

THE BOTTOM LINE