417034 Mon Jul 02 00:52:04 -0700 2007 22 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2712285 Don't forget to celebrate. http://www.idfa.org/facts/icmonth/page1.cfm What's new this year? What are your current favorites? The newly opened Cici Gelato in Mill Valley is fabulous http://www.chowhound.com/topics/417033 There are currently uphill reports on Ici http://www.chow.com/topics/386012 http://www.chow.com/topics/414747 Bi-Rite Creamery opened to strong applause http://www.chow.com/topics/397144 http://www.chow.com/topics/352044 http://www.chow.com/topics/364819? Snicker if you will, but Carvel came out with a nice Italian ice http://www.chow.com/topics/399781 National Ice Cream month and day 2006 http://www.chow.com/topics/313959 http://www.chow.com/topics/309762 Mon Jul 02 00:52:04 -0700 2007 10264 rworange 1 2722137 I revisited Ici. I've change my mind. Definately worth it. I highly recommend the Santa Rosa Plum sorbet and the cardemon orange ice cream. It is not ice cream, but don't miss the coconut macaroons ... probably the best I've ever had. http://www.chow.com/topics/386012#2722169 Thu Jul 05 14:21:43 -0700 2007 2712285 10264 rworange 1 2771780 I stopped by Bovolo in downtown Healdsburg this evening for a gelato fix. The apricot sorbetto is sublime, brimming with soft, squishy, ripe fruit pulp. The ginger gelato has quite a kick to it. Sat Jul 21 21:41:01 -0700 2007 2712285 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2788092 Had my first visit to Ici in Elmwood this afternoon. Sampled the chicory-chocolate chip ice cream and it didn't do much for me. Liked the burnt caramel, takes it right up to the smoky edge of charred but without the bitter, and with rich buttery flavors. Liked the Santa Rosa plum ice cream even more (yes, ice cream and not sorbet) but not as fruit-packed as Downtown's seasonal fruit ice creams. Loved the cones, very tasty and cookie-like texture, and the pleasant surprise of gooey chocolate in the bottom (was expecting a hard coating). Thu Jul 26 22:06:24 -0700 2007 2712285 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2792221 I finally tried Three Twins Ice Cream because they carry it at Bobby G's Pizza. I loved it! The cookies and cream and mint chip flavors were nostalgic and satisfying; like a gourmet version of the ice cream I ate as a kid. I think they do a much better version of the "upscale Ben & Jerry's" than Bi-Rite, which I found to be obscenely sweet and rather boring. Now that Three Twins is selling at the Tuesday Berkeley market, I imagine I will pick up a pint on occasion. Sat Jul 28 14:49:17 -0700 2007 2712285 10793 Morton the Mousse 2 2793317 Don't know if you noticed, but Three Twins was selling homemade ice cream sandwiches last week at the Tuesday market. I didn't have dinner yet, or I definitely would've tried one... they looked good. I think the flavors were chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream and oatmeal cookie with, oh I can't remember, chocolate ice cream. Either way, check them out and report back. Sun Jul 29 07:37:32 -0700 2007 2792221 25012 chemchef 3 2798821 Links for the Three Twins shop and Sebastopol Berry Farm: Mon Jul 30 23:37:03 -0700 2007 2793317 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2792316 Had my annual blueberry ice cream fix from Sebastopol Berry Farm this morning, $3 per scoop. Won't last much longer. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/309849 Sat Jul 28 15:44:01 -0700 2007 2712285 10039 Melanie Wong 2 2792909 You reall gotta ... gotta try Cici when traveling down that road ... not much of a detour and so worth it. Sat Jul 28 21:35:35 -0700 2007 2792316 10264 rworange 3 2798812 Slid into Cici tonight at 9:45pm, and it was doing a good amount of business at that time. i tasted the hazelnut (too sweet), peaches and cream (nice but too faint for me), and then strawberry and cream and toasted almond which I picked as my two flavors for a piccolo size ($4.50). Generous serving size here heaped over the top. Eased back on the sugar, clean and pure flavors although I had to stretch to find them somewhat. Serving temperature is too cold, making the gelato too stiff and numbing the tongue excessively. I was in a hurry tonight and didn't take the time to sample much. I'll return to try more some time. Mon Jul 30 23:32:03 -0700 2007 2792909 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2792964 Don't forget about Screamin' Mimi's! July ain't over yet, and I think they still have their famous lavender ice cream available. Heavenly! http://www.screaminmimisicecream.com/ Sat Jul 28 22:17:57 -0700 2007 2712285 93480 chocolateninja 1 2795230 My plans for blackberry ice cream from Downtown Bakery & Creamery in Healdsburg got derailed today. So disappointing. But my mood changed when our dinner hostess announced that dessert would be warm blueberry cobbler and homemade blackberry ice cream! She foraged the blackberries from a patch along Kinley Drive near Alderbrook winery in Healdsburg on friday. A couple tips I got from other dinner guests: 1) collect the blackberries into a container no larger than a coffee tin so they don't squash down, and 2) bring a 5' ladder, as the low-hanging fruit will have been harvested by passers-by. Sun Jul 29 23:15:38 -0700 2007 2712285 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2802125 My last entry for National Ice Cream Month 2007 - stopped at Rick's Ice Cream in Palo Alto this afternoon hoping to find seasonal flavor, blueberry. It's been at least three years since I've managed to be there at the right time. It's in the case now, but, it left me flat, all fluff and way too sweet. Has it changed or have I since experiencing Sebastopol Berry Farm's version? However, the kulfi was as great as ever and I also really liked the coffee molasses chip, very strong coffee-flavor with slightly salty crackly candy. A single mini scoop for $2.25 or a double-mini with two flavors at $3.50 makes Rick's one of the local ice cream world's best values. How did others celebrate today? Last fall's visit to Rick's, http://www.chowhound.com/topics/324137#1862043 Tue Jul 31 21:01:29 -0700 2007 2712285 10039 Melanie Wong 2 2802354 I had to pick July as my eating on $3 a day month ... no ice cream for me. However, coming home tonight it looks like there might be a new gelateria opening near the Grand Lake Theatre ... Gelateria Firenze. Anyone have any info about it? It is across the street from where the farmers market is located. Tue Jul 31 23:49:27 -0700 2007 2802125 10264 rworange 3 2802362 Oh no, ice cream deprived! I've been waiting to hear about your whipping up a batch of freezer ice cream from bruised bargain fruit and marked-down sweetened condensed milk from Grocery Outlet or making kulfi with powdered milk. Now I'm sorry I wasn't more forthright in suggesting it. http://www.cooksrecipes.com/dessert/creamy_vanilla_ice_cream_recipe.html Also, no tasting reports on the new gelato stand on Broadway in SF Chinatown. Wed Aug 01 00:01:40 -0700 2007 2802354 10039 Melanie Wong 2 2804997 I've got to plug Tucker's in Alameda. Mostly straightforward, traditional flavors, but done very well. But, once a year they do a Rosenblum Zinfandel ice cream with raspberry and chocolate chip - it's incredible! Wed Aug 01 16:35:28 -0700 2007 2802125 80769 David Carlson 3 2805126 I'm a fan of Tucker's too, and yes, the Rosenblum zin ice cream is fab! There've been some special editions using JC Cellars wine too, no? Wed Aug 01 17:15:13 -0700 2007 2804997 10039 Melanie Wong 4 2810055 I haven't seen them, but I don't get in very often and it's always busy when I do, so I haven't had much chance to talk to the owners. I've been trying to convince them to do a Scotch ice cream... Fri Aug 03 06:10:16 -0700 2007 2805126 80769 David Carlson 5 2810720 Great idea! I'll ask the owner there (Kate) and also suggest it to Hanger One: I think they should do St. George Scotch with walnuts (and maybe a little caramel - or is that too much?); it would be a local-item cross-promote like the Rosenblum. Fri Aug 03 09:43:15 -0700 2007 2810055 91247 foodeye 6 2811567 David would be the easier half to convince, as he's a Scotch fan himself. I'm not sure St. George's whiskey is the best for an ice cream, though. I'd try a Macallan first - if that worked well then maybe try a more complex Scotch. Of course, for parties they will do custom flavors in 5 gallon batches on site... Fri Aug 03 13:19:53 -0700 2007 2810720 80769 David Carlson 7 2812121 It takes some skill to get a wine-flavored ice cream to churn and freeze properly. But with its experience, I'd imagine that if anyone could make a whiskey ice cream, Tucker's can. Fri Aug 03 15:58:20 -0700 2007 2811567 10039 Melanie Wong 8 2835161 Arcadia in San Jose (a Michael Mina restaurant) used to make a Jack Daniels whiskey ice cream with one of their desserts. It was amazing. Especially when they made a rootbeer float with it and sarsaparilla sorbet. Fri Aug 10 21:12:33 -0700 2007 2812121 117743 Luthien 9 2837382 Ooh, that does sound good. I had some stout gelato today, to round out our alcoholic ice cream selection! Sat Aug 11 23:33:32 -0700 2007 2835161 10039 Melanie Wong