National Ice Cream Day – The Best Ice Cream in Los Angeles

I know it’s Wednesday, and Wednesday is supposed to be “Salad Wednesday”.  Tonight, we will be having salad, but today is National Ice Cream Day.  How can I write about salads when today is all about Ice Cream?  Ice cream is one of those foods that no matter what country you live in or whether you are young or old, it creates joy.

Last week, I was comparing my baked bean recipe to my friend, Sally’s over at A Food Centric Life.  At the bottom of her post she linked to a fabulous website that lists all the national holidays.  How crazy it is it that their is a “holiday” for cold cut day, or nut waffle day, or even cheese-ball day? Almost everyday of the week celebrates a certain kind of food. Life is good!

Ice cream day could not come at a better time.  For the past two months, my children and I have been trying all kinds of ice cream places in and round the city.  After Eli’s post on finding the best hamburger in Los Angeles over at my other site, BigMouthLA, he made his own editorial calendar of what foods he wanted to critique next.  Ice cream, pizza, macaroni and cheese, and burritos are at the top of his list.

As today is National Ice Cream day, here is his list of favorites:

Milk
This place is Eli’s obsession.  Since his first taste over 2 years ago, according to him, nothing beats Milk. The extensive menu of both sweet and savory has something for everyone(and ironically their salad’s are some of the best).  From a Milky Way Shake to a Warm Ooey Gooey Chocolate Sundae, to the Citrus Vanilla Float, everything is off the charts good! The Mint Chocolate Crunch Shake was his latest tasting; mint ice cream, chocolate chips, and crunch malt balls.  For a 13 year old that is one heck of a cocktail.  Milk is one of our family favorites.  For me it is always the Scooter Pie(marshmallow sandwiched between two cookies and covered in chocolate), but it is their logo that sends me to the moon and back!

Carmela
We stumbled upon Carmela Ice Cream at the Hollywood Farmers Market.  The guy serving up small scoops could not have been any nicer and tasting almost every flavor was the most fun of all. Not only did we eat our fair share at the FM, but we took home two pints to enjoy for dessert that night. Salted caramel and dark chocolate cocoa nib were the two that we picked, yet if I had it may way, we would have brought home a dozen flavors.  Their flavors are unique, the texture is so smooth, and the taste is as good as any ice cream you find throughout Europe!

photo shot on iphone -sorry!

The Gelato Bar
Every Wednesday night, Isaac and I venture into the “valley” for a class that he attends.  We usually leave a bit early and eat at Casa Vega, Umami Burger, Loteria, or grab some random Thai food. His class lasts 2 hours and afterwards he is inevitably hungry.  On occasion, we stop for a yogurt or an ice cream.  I had read about The Gelato Bar and had it on my list of places to eat. It’s very close to his class and on our way home (how convenient). It is the quintessential ice cream parlor. Little tables with mismatched chairs, silver ice cream bowls, and one can even purchase a soda – in vintage style bottles.  The best part for both Isaac and I was the little cookie that came with our ice cream!

Scoop
We discovered Scoop a few years back.  The original Scoop is next to L.A. College and for my family of 5, it was a planned outing. Flavor profiles like tomato, basil, cream cheese, coffee and Guinness, and other crazy combos were on the menu the night that we went.  We all found something to suit our palette and we did agree that the ice cream was better than most.  Last year, a second location opened about 2 miles from my house.  We were some of their fist customers and stop by frequently.  We pass by Scoop Westside on our way home from Target.  After loading up on household supplies, ice cream is the perfect therapy for forgetting how much I just spent on daily necessities!

Sweet Rose Creamery
Sweet Rose is located in Brentwood Country Mart.  The country market, home to Reddi Chick, an old fashioned post office, Edelweiss Chocolates, and countless other stores, reminds me of something that should be nested in the Midwest, but instead it’s in the heart of L.A’s finest.  Sweet Rose Creamery is part of the Huckleberry and Rustic Canyon family and their ice cream doesn’t disappoint.  The ice cream sandwiches are a favorite and I particularly like the bon bons.  Dinner at the local sushi restaurant isn’t complete without dessert at this fabulous creamery!

Coolhaus
Following the Coolhaus truck via Twitter is one of our favorite past times.  With long summer days upon us and the kids staying up way, way past their bed time, driving 5-10 miles to get an ice cream sandwich happens more than I like to admit.  Coolhaus sandwiches pack a lot of ice cream between each cookie, almost too big for my kids little mouths. However, they some how find a way to consume the whole thing and the best part about these is that my kids actually stop talking for the 15 minutes or so it takes to consume them. Could these be the new pre-teen pacifier? Can I patent this idea? Hmmmm!

More Ice Cream Favorites:
Mashti Malone’s
Bennett’s Ice Cream
Al Gelato

And if you are ever in Paris, the trip would not be complete with a visit to Bertillon.  This ice cream is some of the best that I have had, anywhere, and was the perfect reward after touring Notre Dame!