A Saturday Night Visit To Fenton's Creamery, Oakland
Saturday night, in Oakland on business from the East Coast, I found myself looking for dessert after a mediocre dinner at Kincaid's Bayhouse. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember an article I once read about Fenton's Creamery. Obsessed with ice cream, having several times eaten my way through Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Boston, Northampton and a number of other calorically intense towns in search of the Holy Grail of Creameries, I went.
The parking lot off of Piedmont Avenue had a line five or six cars long tailing out into the street, waiting for someone to leave. Thoughts of a similar experience two years ago in St. Louis at Ted Drewes flashed through my mind. As at Ted Drewes I parked illegally on a side street and walked the block to Fentons. The two "dining rooms" were full and a handful of people were stacked up at the ice cream cases in the front of the building. I noted that several of the flavors really looked interesting: "chocolate chip cookie" had chunks of what looked like real cookie dough along with Greaeter's size chunks of dark chocolate buried in the vanilla base. Sundaes averaged about $8.50 with the menu capitalizing the word GENEROUS, advertising that a small cup was not quite as small as someone blowing a diet might have hoped.
I ended up living up to my true calling and went for a personal record of over 2,000 calories in one guilt free sitting with three "small cups" of different flavors: chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream and vanilla. I thought about adding a sundae to this indulgence conceding that the likelihood of my returning was rather small, but, reality set in and I settled for the nearly one quart of ice cream that I was served in three separate cups.
Fenton's base is not rich nor particularly distinctively excellent. Certainly not in league with Badiani in Florence or even Bart's in Northampton. Flavorful, but probably 13 or 14% butterfat and simply not exceptional. However the cookie dough and the cookies and cream were another matter. The cookies and cream had whole, softened oreos (well, maybe Hydrox) with a ratio of two parts ice cream base to one part huge chunks of oreos. This was serious oreo ice cream. Butterfat aside, the overall flavor was among the best oreo I've ever had. The real test however was the cookie dough. The standard here is Cincinnati's Graeter's which has an 18%+ base with its own one inch long, 1/4 inch thick dark chocolate chips. My cup of cookie dough, six inches high, was topped with huge lumps of what tasted like real Toll House dough, along with round discs of dark semi sweet chocolate. This was awesome! So awesome that I even thought about going back and sacrificing a notch on my belt for another 1/2 pounds plus of it!
But sitting in my car, thinking about this, I decided that Fenton's ice cream was not extraordinarily good, just extremely, enthusiastically likeable. The ice cream itself, lumps, chunks and mix-ins aside, was really only very good-not any better. It was their formula for excessive amounts and excessive lumps, chunks and mix-ins that put it over the top.
No, for me, it won't replace the guilt free thousands of calories I've had in Cincinnati, Northampton or Milwaukee (Kopp's). But if I lived in or near Oakland I am certain that I would weigh much more than I do now in my ice cream and frozen custard deprived suburban Washington, D. C. Fenton's was worth the calories. Not the best but a wonderful experience with an appreciation for a local tradition still going strong. If only Washington's tradition, Gifford's, were still around.
Joe H.
May 09, 2004 08:29PM
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Joe, I'm glad you got to try Fentons. This was an interesting read because I don't think I know anyone who has gotten an unadorned cup of ice cream there. I appreciated your assessment of the flavors and ice cream alone. Personally, I avoid the vanilla. Fentons is about tradition and the indulgence of the sundaes et al dressed up with syrup, whipped cream and nuts and lots of it. The ice cream itself doesn't come close to the area's better offerings, imo. But the whole is greater than the sum of the parts here.
I've linked my post from last year on the scene at the reopened Fentons...some pictures for your scrapbook.
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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Thanks, Melanie. I'm certain that eventually I'll return and I'll hve the brown and tan sundae but on my first visit anywhere I always have only ice cream and usually three, even four separate small cups each with a different flavor. I know it's crazy but I really want to taste the vanilla and some of the specialty flavors. I also have a genuine love for real ice cream parlors especially thehandful like Fentons that have survived from another era.
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Remember to ask for your black and tan with ALL toasted almond ice cream. Otherwise, you'll get vanilla and toasted almond. For many of us, all toasted almond is the way to go. (g)
Also, be sure to take up Ruth on her offer of Tuckers in Alameda. It's a gem, and the ice cream on its own is better, imo.
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Not only is the ice cream better (especially if you can snag one of their wine ice creams left over from an event at Rosenblum -- doesn't Rosenblum have an openhouse coming up?), but their jarred fudge sauce is the best I've ever had -- better than Scharffenberger, among others.
Besides, it's the kind of small-town place that sponsors youth sports teams and where, if you've lived in Alameda any time at all, on a busy evening you're likely to see someone you know.
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Yepper. Open House this weekend. See link below.
Link: http://www.rosenblumcellars.com/may04...
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So mark on your calendars to drop by Tucker's Monday to see if you can score any leftover Zinfandel ice cream. Although good as it is, I think the Syrah was better.
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Glad you enjoyed it!
The base ice cream at Fenton's is indeed light. It's primarily designed as a canvas for the mix ins and for making gigantic sundaes. The true Fenton's experience is sitting down with their tall sundae glass overflowing with their signature Black & Tan.
Next time you're in the area, you should also find your way into Alameda for a visit to Tucker's.
Sorry about Kincaid's. Can you post a new message telling what you did and didn't like about it -- people ask about it fairly regularly, but no one has reported on a meal there recently.
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Would you believe that I first cancelled a reservation for one (!) at Boulevard, then later changed my mind NOT to go to Danko's and sit at the bar at 5:30 (link below about an earlier experience) but decided after five hours at Paramount's Great America (I sold them Boomerang Bay) that I was exhausted and would just go straight to the hotel (Oakland Marriott-I got a cheap ticket on United into Oakland).
Anyway, by the time I got there I found myself wandering around Oakland's wharf and a collection of restaurants in Jack London Square (?). I've been to Kincaid's before just south of the San Francisco airport and for a situation like this (i.e. alone and a fairly quick meal) it seemed perfect. I had blackened ahi tuna slices with garnishes and some type of peanutty sauce for about $13.00 and then fresh grilled salmon with asparagus for about $20.00. The tuna was decent and the salmon very good but the portion was anemic as was the amount of wine they poured in my glass. Somehow, sitting at the bar for a 45 minute meal, I managed to spend $75.00 with tax and tip. It may sound strange after my discussion of Fentons but I really didn't want a caloric splurge, at least not at Kincaid's, so I focused tuna and salmon. I really blew it though at Fentons-but it WAS worth it.
By the way, and my apologies for those on this board, but while I LOVE the Bay area I am not a fan of Oakland. My opinion of Kincaid's may be influenced by this since I really much prefer the other one near the San Francisco airport.
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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If only we'd known... there are a handful of really decent places where one could dine alone in the Jack London Sq area (I live in one of the lofts there, and we're always prowling for food).
Soizic is always a good option, and I've also heard good things about Fat Lady recently. Everett & Jones (while it doesn't meet your calorie-saving requirement) is damn good barbeque. Yoshi's is very good sushi, though overpriced.
While we don't have the plethora of higher end "good eats" that San Francisco has, we have a wonderful subculture of exceptional asian (Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai).
Hope you'll give Oakland another try - perhaps next time you can give us a heads-up and we'll organize a Chowdown to let you sample the "Best of".
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Thanks for the suggestions, they are appreciated. I love all food actually, even (gasp!) In 'n Out Burger.
The link is below.
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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If you were going to end up on Piedmont Ave. anyway, you could have done a lot better there. There are several little neighborhood "bistros" and cafes, various ethnic places, and one member of the East Bay trinity of California cuisine.
Next time let us know and we'll help you out.
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Speaking of which, has anyone been to Ninna's on Piedmont Ave? Sort of a French/Med- Thai fusion place? I'm curious....
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Re Ninna's: I remember my one and only dinner there, about a year ago, as pleasant but not outstanding. Service was slow. Very small and somewhat cramped. I think JoJo's up the street, that I love, is only a little more expensive (?) and would probably choose it, or Dopos, which I haven't tried yet but that keeps getting good reviews on this board, instead.
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I meant to mention: cuisine is different at JoJo's (bistro), Dopo (italian), but I was thinking more of price range (with a question mark on price, since someone else was buying at Ninna's) and ambiance. However, in any case, the asian influence was minimal in whatever I had at Ninna's: based on my experience I'd say it is more Med/California fusion than Thai.
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Thnaks for the feedback!
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Piedmont Avenue looked REALLY interesting, Ruth. As soon as I neared Fentons I realized what a mistake I'd made at Kincaid's.
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I'm a San Franciscan, and I fully support Ruth's and Fatemeh's spirited defense of Oakland and the environs. Such diversity and quality, plus lower prices and less attitude than in the City, so I'm happy to cross the bay for chow. Berkeley in particular has very high standards for food, hard to go far wrong in that town.
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I originally tried to get into Chez Panisse (not the cafe) and could not get a reservation, even a month ahead. My only real regret is that I could have skipped Kincaid's and had an extra pint at Fentons.
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I guess my point is that Chez Panisse is only the tip of the Oakland/Berkeley ice berg. In fact, I'd say that the real strength of the area is in the low/mid-price restaurants and casual Asian/Latin eateries. Their food would be the best place in town in other American cities.
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I must admit I've never had plain vanilla at Fenton's either. Usually its a black and tan for me....
Although I will confess that I've eaten there and not had ANY ice cream. In high school we used to go there and eat the crab salad sandwhich. Somehow in those days that was sophisticated...and it was good. My friend in LA still asks about that sandwhich...so, is it still on the menu? I haven't been since they reopened after the fire. I used to have family living a few blocks from there, and my kids were always bugging me to take them when we visited. No such luck anymore......
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Check the link in my post below for a description of the crab sandwich.
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$12.95: "THE HOUSE SPECIALTY Crab Salad Sandwich. Still made the old fashioned way with REAL tender flavorful crab meat blended with mayo and celery. Try it with cheese. Add $1.00."
I thought enough of Fentons to bring back a menu.
It's frankly amazing that there aren't more places like this still around.
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What's amazing to me is that any places like this still exist. A friend of mine ordered the crab sandwich and the crab was reeking.
The ice cream's OK but overpriced. The way they serve the sundaes in undersized bowls is stupid--most of the sauce spills out and cools off. The fudge sauce is inferior.
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I didn't have a sundae but I do have a great deal of respect for not only tradition but the taste of something from another time. Fenton's ice cream was not great ice cream-based on the base. But when I factored in the "mix ins" (long before there was a Steve Herrell's in Boston) and the overall taste, crunch and obsessive need to lick the plate, Fentons is an American classic.
I'm serious.
I put it in the same category as St. Louis' Ted Drewes, Rochester's Abbott's, Cincinnati's Graeter's (although their ice cream is better in and of itself) and a handful of dairies and creameries around the country (Toft in Sandusky, OH, Richardson's north of Boston, Longacres south of Allentown on orute 100). There are so few left of these that when I find something that reminds me of what every city had several of in the '50's and '60's I virtually say a prayer of thanks. Serious.
No, the ice cream is not overpriced. I make it from scratch with a 35 year old White Mountain freezer which I crank by hand and freeze the custard with rock salt and crushed ice. It costs me over $25 to make most batches of ice cream (three pints!). Have you priced heavy pasteurized cream lately?
No, Fenton's base isn't the best. But it was awfully good. And although I didn't grow up in Oakland I did grow up in a city (Silver Spring, Maryland-suburban D. C.) that had it's own version of Fenton's (Gifford's) that locals here still talk about. Gifford's closed over twenty years ago and is still missed.
I'd suggest going back to Fenton's and taking a second look. I think you're lucky that you're so close. I live 2,450 miles away and won't make it back for a while. But if I lived nearby I'd try a sundae there tonight.
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I always thought they had a wonderful B.L.T....but I haven't been back since the re-opening...has anyone tried it?
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Funny, some friends of mine and I were at Fenton's on Saturday -- and we had dinner before we hit up the ice cream. In short, their burgers are mediocre at best, but their ice cream is pretty damn great. I'd recommend the sundaes.
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hi there. just wanted to say that I really enjoyed reading your post since this mirrored my experience to Fenton's a year ago exactly. I really wanted to
-taste- the ice cream while everyone told me to go for the black and white. I got the Vanilla and Mango, both of which were good but not close to superb. But the atmosphere was definitely worth the trip
btw, I am always looking for Vanilla ice cream where you can really taste the beans, preferrably accessible from stores like trader joes since I love stocking them and is not close enough to any majorly great ice creamery - do you have any recs on good store bought options?
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I buy the whole bean, like Spice Islands, etc. if I am making vanilla.
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We stopped by Fenton's about a week ago after hitting Dopo (recommended). None of us had previously heard of Fenton's, just saw the line. My two companions thought the ice cream was great (none of us knew to get sundaes), but I really found the ice cream kind of grainy or ice crystal-y. Anyone else? Am I imagining this? I did not need any willpower to keep from finishing my cup...
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I agree. My hubby loves the stuff, but I am so much more partial to local Double-Rainbow, or even Coldstone, for that matter.
I just like higher butterfat ice cream, and figure if i'm blowing the calories, I want to go all out.
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The real key to the answer to your question, imo, is in your statement that you had never heard of it, but stopped because you saw the line. At least for me, and I suspect for many others who are Oakland born and raised, Fenton's is as much or more about tradition as it is about the ice cream...yes, you can certainly get better ice cream in the bay area, but that would miss the whole point of Fenton's.
When my kids were young and we lived nearby it was a 'must go' after school events, which of course was when it was at its most crowded. They would see all of their friends there, get stuffed on black and tans, the parents could catch up on gossip, get stuffed on black and tans, etc. I really hate waiting in line, so I would have to remember back to my own childhood and high school trips to Fentons in order to refrain from begging my kids to let me pick up high end ingredients at the nearby grocery store, and making them the sundaes at home. I may even have stooped so low as to insist we do that, but not often.
oh well, I guess my sacrifice is one reason I had two young adult children at my door with groceries and mimosa fixings to make my Sunday brunch this weekend :-)
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Fair enough. Of course, it's one of those times that as soon as I go to the place, I notice a long Chowhound thread about it...
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Yes, certain flavors of the ice cream are fluffy and grainy with too many crystals. Need to cover that up with whipped cream and sauce. (g)
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I haven't thought about Gifford's for years! Thanks for bringing back a memory of a raspberry soda with shredded coconut ice cream.
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Swiss sundae, "Big Top" sundae that was a dollar in 1962. Do you remember Weile's in Langley Park? Blair?
For what it's worth I graduated from there in '64. Of aalmost 1,100 people in my graduating class almost 40 (!) moved to the Bay area. In fact I almost did-I was accepted at Berkeley as a transfer student in '68 but couldn't afford the tuiton nor qualify for a scholarship. Still, in the late 1960's San Francisco was arguably the most exciting place on earth to live! Especially for someone like myself growing up in suburban Washington, D. C. when tere were still temprorary buildings on the Mall and if you crossed he Potomac River "old timers" had a Southern accent.
If I had known about Fentons I may have found the tuition money!
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Sorry, I was a Virginia girl. My dad used to take me to Gifford's in Arlington, I think. I went to George Mason and used to drag my roommates to Burke where they had a shop for a short time before they closed for good.
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My wife, also a native born Washingtonian, went to Wakefield.
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