Bear has been home with us for about 2 weeks now, and somehow, we've been lucky to have another incredibly easy going, angelic little baby. We love the joy and wonder and peace he's brought to our home again, even amidst all the late nights, poopy diapers and time adjustments. We love our boy, and are glad he's finally here.
That said, we are working on finding a new routine, with some of the old stuff mixed in with the new. So in trying to practice getting out the door and and being out and about with 3 kids, we have been doing an ice cream tour of the bay area. In posting pictures here and there of it, several people have asked for a list of favourite places. So, here is that list, going from our favourites down-I feel like the top 5 ones are constantly shifting spots, bc alot of them are made in small quantities, and it can change from batch to batch. This list is based on taste, texture, and method [as in how they made the ice cream and how it feels after the fact haha]. Remember, these are just our feelings on it!
1. Posie
This one is actually in Marin County, and the only top one on our list outside of SF. It was a hard call, but it hits all our criteria best. It has a mix of unusual flavors [like grass fed, miso pear, cognac brown butter maple] and more traditional ones [like burnt vanilla, blueberry magnolia, cookie monster, Mint Cookie] and the texture is our favourite. Its icy and creamy and super delicious, and has a surprising depth of flavor. Each batch is hand made, and uses seasonal ingredients, so each batch is unique. Its like the perfect textural mix between gelato and ice cream, and unlike a lot of the ice cream, it doesn't leave a cloyingly sweet pain in the back of your throat, or make you feel a sugar rush or then crash afterwards. They also have delicious baked goods, home made cones and toppings [some of which they incorporate into their ice cream], and its right next to a little park in the redwoods if you want to play or eat your ice cream there. We love it, and feel like its worth the trip over the gorgeous bridge to get some.
2. Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous
I LOVE love love this place. It is also small batch, and of course, that means almost everything is homemade and delicious. Because they are small batch, the flavors can change in the middle of the day once they've run out of things, but still-its delicious. Some of my favorites their have been blackberry, amaretti [both with hot fudge and whipped cream], fresh pine, sweet cream [with their pineapple topping], and tahitian vanilla. They also have more interesting flavors like ghost pepper vanilla, and chicory coffee, basil chip, etc etc. So if your adventerous, you can usually find something-and if your not, you are also good bc they have classic flavors as well! The ratio of fat content is a little higher then Posie, making it a bit heavier going down, but also a bit creamier then others. If your hesitant about flavors being to far out there, or you don't want to cross the bridge, this might be the place for you. I love it.
3. Marco Polo
Lester and his family have been going to this place since they first moved to America-it is on Taravel, and is actually gelato, and its flavors our delicious. They have several Asian flavors [like lychee, red bean, ube, etc] but some main stream ones as well. My favourite combination here is a scoop of banana and a scoop of dark chocolate. Heavenly.
4. Humphrey Slocombe
This one has a cult following in SF, and they are a bit more about textural effect, and boozy flavors. They are most known for their Secret Breakfast, but I their salted caramel dark chocolate best [although Isla likes their toast and jam one]. I think the texture seems a bit softer to me then others, which is one of the reasons its in third not second. But it is solidly good, and delicious, and unlike the others, has a few locations throughout the city. That said-the customer service is not great haha. Just wanted their to be full disclosure-Lester still thinks its worth a visit though.
5. SF Hometown Creamery
This is actually one of the first ever small batch, artisan ice cream places in the city. We opted for a flight so we could try as many as possible. Lester liked their unusual flavors like maize with chile powder, and their chocolate sorbet was absolutely delicious-me and Isla actually battled it out for the last bite haha. I also love their fresh mint, although I know that is not everyones favorite.
6. Powder-This is essentially Taiwanese 'shaved ice cream'. It is achieved by having half diary, half water, so then it can be frozen in to a block and shaved down into mounds. It is so beautifully light, and fun with the different toppings, and still packed that indulgent ice cream taste we were looking for. My favorite is to get the pumpkin or horchata flavors with toasted almonds and TCHO chocolate. Lester loves their Ube flavor with sweetened condensed milk [their strawberry one I felt like was the weakest, and had a slightly artificial taste]. And if you want to relive you days as a kid, they have one combo called 'cereal snow' that was delicious. I would actually highly recommend trying this one anyone whose interested-I loved it and didn't feel gross after eating it. Honestly, we go their fairly often we love it so much haha. So so good.
7. This is one of the more famous ones on our list, and is SF staple. Their serving sizes are generous, the taste is deep and delicious [their mango is my favourite, but even their basic chocolate is wonderful] and it is often crowded as a result. It is on the heavier side though I would say, which is one of the many things that make it taste so good, but may bog you down afterwards.
Honourable Mentions
Salt and Straw- [this one is particularly popular in Southern CA, and now has locations throughout SF.] I thought their flavors were some of the best we had, and they were texturally sound-but my issue was with how it went down. They go so heavy on the fat content [their milk shakes each have 1 whole pint of ice cream in them, and it feels awful afterwards]. So for that reason, it didn't make our official top list.
Let It Roll-While not as nice of a location as its similarly styled competitions [see below], we actually preferred this place. We felt like their flavors were better as they used fresher ingredients [like berries] and their topping options were better. That said, neither made our main lists, as we felt like the freezing temperature when rolled on the anti griddle makes the ice cream texture funny [just like ice creams that use liquid nitrogen or dry ice], and somewhat hard to eat. Still, props to them and others for trying something new-its definitely aesthetically pleasing.
Rolled Up-see above for method info, but on the plus side, they did have a delicious ube soft serve that is worth checking out. They had their soft opening this week, and officially open their doors next week if your in that area. I don't think its necassarily worth a detour, but hey, ice cream is ice cream right? If your there, get you some. -UPDATE-CLOSED
Godiva-Not many people know that Godiva chocolate makes soft served ice cream, and dipped cones. They only have three options-dark chocolate, white chocolate and swirl. But I find myself going back often with my stamp card because it is so so delicious-I still have yet to have a soft serve that packs that much flavor. You can find one that serves it at the Stonestown Mall if your looking!
Others: Smitten's, Bi Rite, Milk Bomb, Cream, Loving Cup [their rice pudding is yummy], Polly Ann Ice Cream, Fenton's, Three Twins, Rocko's Ice Cream Tacos Food Truck, Frozen Kusterd, Super Duper Burger [for Soft Serve], Soulva [Greek Yogurt Soft Serve-we love the baklava and honey topped one], Honey Creme, Garden Creamery [they are known for their churro cones, which they only make for a few hours on Saturdays], Ice Cream Bar [known for their pairings of ice cream and alcohol] and those are just some of the ones in the SF area.
[Smitten's]
[Soulva Soft Serve w Olive Oil and Salt]
[Garden Creamery]
