Get the Scoop on Ice Cream Season

I scream, you scream…well, you get the idea. Ice cream season is officially open, people. Okay, not that you can’t gorge on ice cream year-round with the local weather, but I like keeping up the pretense to avoid stuffing my face with cold creamy calories year-round. Come June though, all bets are off. Considering said lovely weather, I was surprised to find a relative lack of tasty, high quality ice cream options when we first moved to the area. There was a Baskin’ Robbins here and there, some overpriced, mediocre gelato, and not much else. But in the last couple years, to my delight, a number of new spots popped up in the vicinity, bearing much more exciting offerings. Notably, the latest trend in the world of frozen treats – microcreameries, and LN2 (liquid hydrogen) ice cream. And I’m doing the footwork to give you the scoop (ha-ha) on the most delicious of them. You’re welcome.

Now, you may be asking, what exactly is liquid hydrogen doing in my ice cream, and why do I want to eat something that sounds like it came off the periodic table?  As it turns out, nitrogen cooled down to a chilly – 321 degrees has the ability to freeze cream ultra-fast – which means extra-small ice crystals and no added air, which in turn means the smoothest, densest, creamiest ice cream you’ve ever had. Churning cream in liquid nitrogen tank machines also allows you to make small batches at a time, which opens up a world of rotating flavors – not to mention the fun of watching your order being made in front of you, shrouded in mythic clouds of cold vapor.

The Bay Area’s undisputed LN2 ice cream pioneer is Robyn Sue Fisher of Smitten, who went from selling her ice cream from a little red wagon on the street to setting up shop in Hayes Valley. Robyn was first to patent Smitten’s liquid nitrogen ice cream maker, dubbed Brrr™, which they use to whip up seasonally-changing flavors – in the coming summer, we have Olive Oil with Lavender Shortbread, and Julhoney Nectarine to look forward to. No stabilizers, emulsifiers, or preservatives are used – this one’s for the purists.

I had to stop by Smitten when I heard they opened up a location in Los Altos; out of only five available flavors we tried a pure vanilla, and a seasonal rhubarb crisp. Our scoops were whirled-to-order in the big complicated-looking machines, providing fascinating entertainment for my four year old as we waited. As promised, the smooth velvety texture was certainly superior to “regular” ice cream, coating the tongue in a most satisfying way. The vanilla was simple, creamy and lovely, and the rhubarb had a refreshing tart edge, perhaps a tad less flavourful than I would have preferred. Our single scoop portions were humongous albeit not cheap.

After this first encounter, we decided to explore another newcomer LN2 ice cream spot, Scoop, on Palo Alto’s University Avenue. Scoop calls itself a microcreamery, referring to the small portions in which they make their product throughout the day. The flavor menu changes daily: classic vanilla bean, made with homemade Madagascar vanilla extract, is always a standby, as is chocolate; other choices range from Turkish coffee to olive oil and pignoli, maple bacon crunch, and saffron. In addition to the vanilla, which was delicate and flavorful, we sampled the Hella Nutella – indulgent but a bit sweet for my liking – and banana and brown sugar, which tasted delightfully of real, sun-ripened bananas. With bolder flavors and more variety, Scoop’s selection won my vote over Smitten in the LN2 category.

And what if the hot summer day doesn’t find you in a liquid-nitrogeny mood, and you just want some regular ol’ ice cream? If you’re lucky enough to be in the city or vicinity, you can try one of the 80 or so flavors at Mission’s legendary Humphry Slocombe, grab a cone at Bi-Rite Creamery, The Ice Cream Bar, or Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous. But we can’t justify a painful trek from the Valley for a scoop, so it was back out to Palo Alto for more chilled goodness. In Town and Country Village, we found Tin Pot creamery, an artisan “scoop shop” serving up handcrafted small-batch ice cream in flavors like Four Barrel Coffee with Cocoa Nib Toffee and Mexican Hot Chocolate with Toasted Marshmallow. And close by on University Avenue there is Cream – just follow the line-up stretching down the block, all anticipating ice cream sandwich nirvana. Choose from the shop’s ten different types of warm cookies and twenty ice cream flavors. Snickerdoodle with salted caramel or chocolate chip with cookie dough – whatever the combo, you can’t go wrong with ice cream and cookies.

Feeling the heat yet? Get out and grab yourself one of these tasty frozen treats. That way I won’t feel as guilty about loading up on mine.

Kate Missine is a domestic diva, shopping addict, and worshiper of all things delicious. When she’s not chasing after her toddler son, Kate can be found stirring things up in the kitchen, scouring grocery aisles for strange ingredients, or indulging in much-needed retail therapy. She holds a B.A. in Communications and Publishing and accepts pastries and shoes as currency. 

By Kate Missine