Tag Archives: the ice cream bar

#cityweekly : We All Scream for Ice Cream

Ready for our second #cityweekly? I know I am.

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Confession… I have the biggest sweet tooth.
No matter how full I am from lunch or dinner my body still craves something sweet to end the meal. And as I mentioned before , ice cream is my treat of choice no matter the options.
I have tried most every ice cream shop I see . You never want to miss out on an opportunity to indulge in the perfect ice cream cone.
I know Emily shares this philosophy with me so we decided the next top 5 category would be ice cream shops!

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1. The Ice Cream Bar (Cole Valley, SF) – This shop was, again, referred to me by my foodie of a sister. We ate here a couple hours after our amazing brunch at Zazie. It is also located in the Coal Valley area of SF and usually has a line out the door. The retro decor and set up make you feel like you are back in the 50’s sharing a milkshake in your poodle skirt. What I love about The Ice Cream Bar is they have vegan options (their chocolate almond coconut ice cream is bomb), the flavors are unique & homemade and menu is diverse with flavored sodas, ice cream style sodas & sundaes. The options are endless and never have I ever found one to be less than divine. We tried an array of floats, phosphates and ice cream cones and each thought, again, ours was truly the best (it was hard to pick between them). I would recommend trying their phosphates and floats since it is unique to their shop.

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2. Smitten Ice Cream (Whole Foods, Los Altos) - I had to try Smitten Ice Cream once I heard they bought all their ingredients locally (including strawberries from Swanton Berry Farm — member B and I picked berries from there in the small town of Davenport?).  Smitten Ice Cream’s first location was in San Francisco and had so much success that they have expanded down the peninsula and to the east bay. Smitten Ice Cream is made to order by way of liquid nitrogen.  This method ensures the ingredients are fresh and creamy. Smitten’s offers about 5-8 flavors and then recommends what type of topping to pair your scoop with for the full experience. I personally enjoy the Hot Stuff Truly Smitten Sundae. I figure the menu already offers the most tried and true pairings so why mess with success.

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3. Bi-Rite Creamery (Mission, SF) – Bi-Rite is a San Francisco classic ( you can tell by the mile long lines on the weekends). Those mile long lines are there for a reason because their ice cream is out of this world.  I love when ice cream shops provide floral or spice flavors and Bi-Rite has some of the best! I recommend balsamic strawberry, honey lavender, basil and salted carmel. Do skip the popsicle options, it is not worth replacing for any scoop of the heavenly ice cream!

4. Nirvanaah (Sunnyvale) – If you are wanting to expand your ice cream horizons, Nirvanaah is the place for you! Nirvannah serves authentic Indian style ice cream. I am a lover of all things Indian whether it be food, movies, clothing, customs (I am somewhat obsessed and intrigued by this country as a whole) so I knew this would rock my world. Sure enough it did! The worker saw how interested I was in all the unique flavors and  gave me a brief summary and sample of the flavors. There are about 30 flavors (including some original American flavors). There were many flavors with Indian names that I cannot pronounce nor can remember, but I do know I loved every sample I tried. The mixture of spices brings a new twist on the classic cold treat. I finally chose a creamy, buttery Indian flavor and Ferrero Roche. Both were excellent!

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5.  Tin Pot (Palo Alto) – Tin Pot is located in a shopping center fairly close to Stanford University. Its’ modern chic decor make it an inviting space and instagram worthy. I love all the different flavors and toppings they offer. Do note, the flavors are not overly sweet so if you are into that it may not be your spot. I recommend cookie monster and honey lavender.

Don’t forget to check out Emily’s DC picks!

 I didn’t include Penny’s Creamery because technically it is not located in the Silicon Valley, but it is one of the best I have tried! If you are ever in the Santa Cruz area do try!

Also, there are a few shops I haven’t had the opportunity to try, but they are on my list and may have to be added to the top based on reviews: Humphry Solocombe, DeLise and Fenton’s. I will let you know my thoughts once I try!

What are your favorite ice cream shops?

Linked: Local Adventurer

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