One of my FAVORITE spots for ice cream is a teeeeny organic ice cream shop in Fairfax, CA called the Fairfax Scoop. Not only do they create their own unique flavors from scratch daily, they also make their own waffle cones and bowls. The Scoop was my inspiration to begin making my own ice cream, and it's their deliciously simple, yet unique, flavors that keep customers lining up.Another reason I adore the Scoop is the integrity of their business. In addition to using only the best organic dairy and produce, they also help support local businesses by sourcing much of the ingredients they use from Bay Area dairies and farms. My favorite flavor..? Tomales Bay Strawberry. Now that's what I call delicious sustainability.
Ok, so most of you from Southern California may not know what TCBY is. In fact, I'm not sure they even exist down here but if I had to compare it to something you might recognize, Golden Spoon would have to be the closest thing. Fine, so you don't get an actual golden spoon at TCBY but you can get a parfait, which is essentially 3 layers of topping, and three layers of frozen yogurt, all intertwined into one delicious dessert. The best part of a parfait is that each layer can be something different, allowing you to get pretty creative. Despite the many options, my perfect parfait always consisted of alternating layers of white chocolate mousse and Reese's peanut butter cups. You say boring, I say delicious.
Cherry On Top
Ok, so I'll admit that I fell in love with this place from the moment I walked in the door. Around 10 flavors of frozen yogurt and an endless array of toppings ranging from chocolate chips and butterscotch sauce to granola and fresh fruit, all at your disposal. Did I mention it's self-serve? Similar to the sundae bar at Sizzler, (anyone??.....anyone??) but on a much larger scale, this fine establishment allows you to customize your own ice cream sundae.
The downside of Cherry On Top is that you need to possess a fair amount of self control, which I admittedly have not one ounce of. Otherwise, you end up with a ridiculously obscene amount of ice cream, and a weary gaze from the teenager weighing your beastly treat to determine the price. Yes ma'am, I WILL be finishing it all, thank you very much.
San Anselmo Gelato
I will tell you that I've never actually known the name of this gelato place, or that it had a name at all, only that is is AMAZING and the owner gives you a free triangle shaped wafer cookie when you get some of his delicious gelato. Also, he's for sure 100% Italian which makes his ice cream, ahem, gelato even more enjoyable. This place is located in my home town and it was where I had my first exposure to gelato. It's also the first time I found out gelato was different than ice cream, very different.
They have the most amazingly decadent flavors, my favorite being Chocolate Caramello Crunch. Anyone remember that candy bar? Well this gelato place somehow has a secret reserve of it on premise to make their gelato and it's a good thing they do. It rivals Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie as my all time favorite flavor, and that's saying something.
What are your favorites? Why not give your hometown spots a shout-out? I'm always looking to add to my list!!
The downside of Cherry On Top is that you need to possess a fair amount of self control, which I admittedly have not one ounce of. Otherwise, you end up with a ridiculously obscene amount of ice cream, and a weary gaze from the teenager weighing your beastly treat to determine the price. Yes ma'am, I WILL be finishing it all, thank you very much.
San Anselmo Gelato
I will tell you that I've never actually known the name of this gelato place, or that it had a name at all, only that is is AMAZING and the owner gives you a free triangle shaped wafer cookie when you get some of his delicious gelato. Also, he's for sure 100% Italian which makes his ice cream, ahem, gelato even more enjoyable. This place is located in my home town and it was where I had my first exposure to gelato. It's also the first time I found out gelato was different than ice cream, very different. They have the most amazingly decadent flavors, my favorite being Chocolate Caramello Crunch. Anyone remember that candy bar? Well this gelato place somehow has a secret reserve of it on premise to make their gelato and it's a good thing they do. It rivals Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie as my all time favorite flavor, and that's saying something.
What are your favorites? Why not give your hometown spots a shout-out? I'm always looking to add to my list!!
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