660989 Tue Oct 20 13:07:02 -0700 2009 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 5117860 What is special about the hot fudge sundae is the being able to step back and become a part of SF history …to taste, touch and hold hands with the past … to join generations of San Franciscans who made the pilgrimage as children for this San Francisco treat. Ghirardelli still makes the hot fudge on-site. Go to the back and you can watch the process. The ice cream is a special recipe made for the shop by Dreyers. Yes it is over-priced ($7.95) and possibly not the best hot fudge sundae in the world. But it isn’t bad. Get the dark chocolate fudge. The milk chocolate version doesn’t have much flavor. The vanilla is as good as any of the mid-range SF ice cream makers such as Swenson’s Bud’s or Mitchell’s. It tastes fresh and doesn’t have the gluey texture of regular Dreyers ice cream. They did a nice job of putting it together the two scoops, covered with hot fudge, topped with aerosol whipped cream and finished with chopped almonds and a cherry … all neatly contained in the large glass goblet. Here’s a photo and recipe for the hot fudge sauce http://www.ghirardelli.com/bake/recipe.aspx?id=1031 If you are lucky, it will be brought to your table by the gentleman with the handle bar mustache who has worked at the shop for a decade who will recall with affection how he came almost weekly with his parents for ice cream. I wish I had caught his name. He is a treasure. As he sets the Sunday down he asks where people are from. Every time he knew a little something about the many corners of the country and world. He had the true SF spirit of making visitors feel welcome. He loves SF … and Ghirardelli … and wants you to love it too. The hot fudge sundae was one of the first things I had in SF when I moved here a few decades back. That along with Buena Vista Irish coffee, dinner at North Beach restaurant, pizza from Tommasso’s, Swedish pancakes from Sears, Chinese from House of Nanking … and then I threw my Zagat guide out never to buy another. I was from Boston which was and is a great ice cream town. The Ghirardelli sundae at that time wasn’t even in the same league as Brigham’s. Even the New England Friendly’s chain was way better. So I never went back. However, separated from the tour book (and Ghirardelli) hype and not expecting much … it was surprisingly pleasant. Orders are placed at the register before entering the shop after selecting from a large colorful menu http://www.ghirardelli.com/shops/menu3.pdf You get a number and take a seat. The shop has changed subtly over the years. It is not quite as charming as on my first visit, but it still has a nice old time ice cream shop feel. In the back there is a small self-guided tour explaining how chocolate is made. There are four sections – cocoa bean roasting, mills, melanger and conching. Various machines with streams of chocolate demonstrate. I’m assuming that is the fudge sauce. There are Ghirardelli shops across the country. There are even three at Ghirardelli square. However, it is more about the place. I’m not at all saying it is a SF must do. However, there are worse ways to spend time, money and calories in Fisherman’s Wharf. What made me return? For years a SF native who is poster on Chowhound has been recommending the sundae, sometimes to the scorn of Chowhounds. I’d thought I’d [put it on my list to revisit. Thanks himbeer. Tue Oct 20 13:07:02 -0700 2009 10264 rworange 1 5117952 Great description. We justify our indulgence by walking from our hotel room in Chinatown to Ghirardelli (and back) so we can say we burned up a good portion of the calories. Tue Oct 20 13:35:40 -0700 2009 5117860 10131 Chandavkl 2 5117981 Nice rationalization that almost works if you share the sundae, 2 scoops hot fudge about 530 calories, 3 mile walk at brisk pace, perhaps less than 200. No sharing doesn't work. :-) Tue Oct 20 13:48:27 -0700 2009 5117952 105235 wolfe 3 5118010 We do split the sundae and it's 2 miles round trip, so we're getting there. Tue Oct 20 13:54:13 -0700 2009 5117981 10131 Chandavkl 1 5117984 Ahh! Brigham's...I used to get the Irish Coffee ice cream with butterscotch sauce...thanks for the memory! Boston was a great city...real canolli's and Southern-Italian-American food, and shellfish...but oh those winters...when i was graduating..I thought I would like to live in a town just like Boston, but without the cold...and so S.F. here I am! Crab instead of Lobster (I still prefer lobster) Northern Italian instead of Southern Italian (I still prefer Southern Italian)...but the depth of Asian cuisine more than makes up for it..and positively 'balmy' winters in comparison.....(I also still prefer Irish Coffee ice cream to the alcoholic drink..but then, I do prefer eating to drinking)! Tue Oct 20 13:48:35 -0700 2009 5117860 10485 ChowFun_derek 2 5118341 I too, miss Brigham's..... Are they even around anymore? The one in the town I grew up in clsoed a long time ago Tue Oct 20 16:17:32 -0700 2009 5117984 292347 vulber 3 5118371 27 stores and ice cream available at local markets. http://www.brighams.com/about/ Tue Oct 20 16:25:47 -0700 2009 5118341 105235 wolfe 1 5118137 Kudos, your post brought back memories. This was one of the first places I visited when we moved to the Peninsula in 1968. And I had the Hot Fudge Sundae! Tue Oct 20 14:41:39 -0700 2009 5117860 96274 dhoffman1421 1 5119861 I last had this a couple years ago and I too was impressed with how good the sundae is. Definitely one of the best tourist bets in the wharf area. I recently tried one at AT&T Park but it was not the same quality. Michael Wed Oct 21 09:50:07 -0700 2009 5117860 10707 mdg