chicago | the scoop.

comebacks are big this year: mickey, britney and now icream. the wicker park ice cream shop that briefly opened doors last august, with its high-tech approach to frozen treats, has finally worked out the mechanical kinks and is ready to, um, dish it out.

get ready to scream with the rest of them for customizable frozen yogurt, sorbet and, natch, ice cream made to order molecular gastronomy-style. what does that mean, exactly? it's freeze-framed with with liquid nitrogen (moto's homaro cantu and alinea's grant achatz are big fans of the stuff). sure, the mostly white interior may give the place a sci-fi feel but the out-of-this-world experience really takes place behind the glass-enclosed counter. six fancy-pants mixers are ready to follow your every command. techno whiz-kids can place their order via touchscreen, others can be walked through the three-step process by a helpful employee. either way, when you add up your options between base (ice cream, fro-yo, sorbet), flavor (burnt sugar, chai, hazelnut), mix-ins, toppings and color it comes to 100,000-plus possibilities for your bespoke bounty.

second chances never tasted better. icream. 1537 north milwaukee avenue. near north honore. 773.342.2834. opens mid february. www.icreamcafe.com