Man, I consume a lot of ice cream.
MANHATTAN
Tico Time Ice Cream (Ice and Vice)
pink guava, chili lime plantain chips
—Guava and plantain chips – who knew?
Splinters Ice Cream (Ice and Vice)
smoked whiskey barrel wood ice cream, cracker jack brittle
—A 21+ flavour. I had to show identification to order it, despite not tasting any alcohol. The house-made Cracker Jack brittle is [Italian chef kiss].
(Ice and Vice)'s winter 2016-17 series is…something. From best to worst:
Thai-Phoon Sorbet (Ice and Vice)
thai tea, mango, sumac jaggery
—Tea is an underappreciated ice cream flavour.
On the Rocks Ice Cream (Ice and Vice)
persian black lime, cola, cherry pop rocks
—Pop rocks and Coke with lime.
Photo Bomb Ice Cream (Ice and Vice)
chlorophyll, citron marmalade
—Chlorophyll ice cream? Chlorophyll ice cream.
Colt .45 Ice Cream (Ice and Vice)
toasted barley, chicory root, spiced molé
—Yecchh! One of the least palatable ice creams I have ever tried.
Mexican Neapolitan Paleta (La Newyorkina)
—Oaxacan chocolate, Mexican vanilla, and local strawberry.
(La Newyorkina) specialises in artisanal paletas.
Chamoy-Filled Mango Paleta (La Newyorkina)
—Like a chamoyada on a stick.
The Red Hook Paleta (La Newyorkina)
—Stumptown coffee ice cream with chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough. Scrumptious.
(Superiority Burger) pairs an ever-changing gelato with an ever-changing sorbet as a dessert item.
Milk Toast Gelato / Yellow Peach Sorbet (Superiority Burger)
—The pairing when I visited. Peaches and cream and bread.
Chocolate Chip Passion Fruit Soft Serve (Milk Bar)
Cranberry Limeade Soft Serve (Milk Bar)
I don't love Milk Bar, but its soft serve is on point.
BROOKLYN
They Scoop Gilmores, Don't They? Ice Cream (Ample Hills Creamery)
coffee chocolate pudding ice cream, snickerdoodles topped with pink sprinkles
—A Gilmore Girls-inspired flavour. I could not detect any snickerdoodles in my scoop.
Cranberry Gin Fizz Sorbet (Ample Hills Creamery)
cranberry purée, lime, gin
Ants on a Log Sorbet (OddFellows Ice Cream Co.)
—Celery sorbet with peanut butter and raisins. Nope!
Miso Cherry Ice Cream (OddFellows Ice Cream Co.)
Saffron Passion Fruit Ice Cream (OddFellows Ice Cream Co.)
—Selections from an Asia-inspired series.
LOS ANGELES
Bone Marrow Ice Cream with Bourbon Smoked Cherries (Salt and Straw)
—Didn't taste like anything.
Peanut Butter Ritz Apple Pie Ice Cream (Salt and Straw)
—All I tasted was peanut butter.
Raspberry Nutella Ice Cream (Gresescent)
—Disappointingly anemic on both fronts.
Lemon Bar Ice Cream (Gresescent)
lemon-infused ice cream, freshly-baked lemon bar cookie bits
—The best lemon ice cream I have ever tried.
Blackberry Mint Mojito Ice Cream (Gresescent)
OAKLAND
Ham Solo Ice Cream (Little Giant Ice Cream)
—Honey-baked ham ice cream. It tasted just like honey-baked ham.
Green Bean Casserole Ice Cream (Little Giant Ice Cream)
fresh green beans, sautéed button mushroom base, french fried onion inclusion
Asparagus Ice Cream (Little Giant Ice Cream)
Mango Mezcal Sorbet (Little Giant Ice Cream)
Hard Apple Cider Sorbet (Little Giant Ice Cream)
—Delectably refreshing, if barely hard.
Buttermilk Cranberry Swirl Ice Cream (Little Giant Ice Cream)
—Too much buttermilk ice cream, not enough cranberry jam.
Ugly Sweater Ice Cream (Little Giant Ice Cream)
jameson whiskey ice cream, pineapple compote, cranberry sauce, holiday m&ms
—Waaaay too much Jameson in its Jameson base. The taste of whiskey overwhelmed everything else.
SAN FRANCISCO
PB&J Ice Cream Pie (Tartine Manufactory)
fior di latte, concord grape sorbet, grape pâte de fruit, candied peanuts, peanut cookie crust
—Deceptively hefty. It needed more grape pâte de fruit or some peanut butter to break up its shit ton of grape cream soft serve filling.
Thank You for Being a Friend Ice Cream (Humphry Slocombe)
dark chocolate cheesecake ice cream, amarena cherries, house-made graham crackers
—A Golden Girls-inspired flavour.