writer, editor, teacher
Parfait in Ballard with Jenna! I had two scoops: Meyer Lemon and Lavender Caramel. Jenna had Rosemary Almond Brittle.
I sampled nearly half the menu (again, I say, ice cream flights should be a thing). Parfait uses a lot of herbs in their recipes. They grow them in the planter boxes in front of the store. Thanks for the recommendation, Jenna!
Torta Paradiso at Nutty Squirrel Gelato in Phinney.
I accidentally deleted my list of other flavors sampled. Guess I’ll have to return soon!
Avocado Lime at Fainting Goat Gelato in Wallingford. The woman ahead of me in line was buying ice cream for 6 kids. While her crew was working out the best of the 972 possible flavor combos, I made a list of flavors to sample.
I’d pay to just sample one bite of each flavor. Why is this not an option, Ice Cream People?
Anyhow, I settled on Avocado Lime because I skipped dinner and avocado is a meal, right?
A scoop of Persian Rose from Sweet Alchemy in the U District.
Made with cardamom, rose water, and pistachios. I’d never heard of this shop before and I’m so glad I came across it! The people working there were the most excited ice cream staff I’ve met yet this month.
Day 8 at Ice Cream Social in Tacoma with my pal Amy. Amy had mango coconut and I had Fresh Mint. I also sampled a Roasted Banana and a Lavender, both worth the trip.
Fresh Mint won my heart because it instantly evoked the smell and taste of the mint in my grandfather’s yard. It was perfectly ice creamy and slightly savory.
Mom sent me an article about ice cream filled donuts and I briefly considered skipping the mortgage for a ticket to LA.
Instead, I stick with the plan and try Homemade Watermelon Sorbet, which was booed by more than one friend following my progress. I booed, too, after tasting it. This was not a good experiment, it came out too mushy.
Day 6: Mexican Street Corn at Nue. I asked twice and then I finally said in my best PA accent, “Are you saying ‘STREET? CORN?’”
So you get the full picture, know that I am at a chichi fusion theme restaurant in the bottom of Gentrification Condos, the staff were puzzled that I’m dining solo, the waiter looks like the guy who played the Ice Truck Killer in Dexter, and I am wearing a tee shirt with a picture of pizza on it.
But also: the meal was extraordinarily tasty, the Ice Truck Killer is a great waiter, and this ice cream is the most interesting thing I’ve put in my mouth since Mooseballs™.
Day 5: Hot Cakes on Capitol Hill. Vanilla scoop with peanut butter fudge crumbles on top (and a peanut butter cup chocolate lava cake). I want to go back to try their chocolate shell.
Sidenote: Hot Cakes carries coffee from one of my favorite roasters, Blue Star Coffee Roasters in Twisp!
Day 4: Cupcake Royale, which has ice cream in the summer! We stopped into the Capitol Hill location.
Tom had Triple Vanilla and I had Pride Sorbet. The sorbet was berry tangy (delicious). The vanilla was good, too. I sampled two other flavors while we were there: