Saturday, April 11, 2009

On a Mission at Scoops

Scoops
712 N Heliotrope Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 906-2649


After heading home from Hungry Cat the other night, hungry as it were, we decided to stop by the growing ever more famous Scoops for one or two of their unique flavors. I have heard about Scoops, but I hadn't tried it.

Bear in mind when looking at this price list, that the "one scoop" is actually two scoops. $6.00 a pint might be a lot, but if it is ice cream you love, and it is unique, and it is delicious, and it is not going to languish and get freezer burn it seems like money well spent. Do you notice they offer "refills"? What food service establishment offers refills on its main product? Although, who could really eat that much ice cream?

I levitated toward the magnetic pull of the kiwi-lychee. This was delicious. A lychee martini in ice cream form. Better, I think, than the lychee ice cream at the Dave's Ice Cream and Espresso & Cream at the Ala Moana mall in Honolulu. And I love the lychee ice cream at Dave's. I think this was better. Or maybe I was just really happy.

I took a peek at the infamous brown bread ice cream. According to yelpers, this is a staple at Scoops. According to CJ, this is amazing. Ice Cream Ireland blog published a great recipe for brown bread ice cream. I would consider making this at home. Reports say it tastes reminiscent of grape nuts, but in an ice cream format.

Both D and I became irrevocably committed to the salty chocolate. He went for the whole two scoop scoop.

I padded mine with this lovely, soft tasting mascarpone flavor. The two together were heaven in a cup. I thought the mascarpone would taste a little cheesier. It was delicious and definitely NOT vanilla flavored, but it was milder than I thought it would be.

I adore this board they have at the front of the shop. It is a suggestion white board for flavor inspiration. I thought about adding something weird and non-ice creamable. But I didn't want to mar the beauty of its integrity. Raspberry peanut butter? Yes. Mint julep? Yes. Peanut butter and jelly? Yes. Red wine & brie, yellow curry & coconut? Definitely maybe. Avocado & soy sauce? Mmm, maybe no. Split pea & tarragon, um, no.

Some of the flavors my fellow yelpers yelped about that have intrigued me and make me yearn to return: goat cheese with figs, chocolate Jack Daniels, jasmine, Guinness chocolate, bourbon vanilla, pomegranate & poppy seed, peach & pink champagne, black currant & lychee, blueberry ricotta, and so on and so forth and on and on and on.

Love the ice cream spoon mobile.

My personal visit to nirvana on a Monday night. One scoop of salty chocolate & mascarpone.


Hands down the best moment of the night.

6 comments:

tgirl said...

Scoops Brown Bread ice cream has actual GrapeNuts in it. It makes for the most wonderful crunch with the vanilla/carmel goodness. You know we'll always meet you there!

Kristine G said...

must.go.to.scoops

Cara said...

I just drooled on myself. I love a place that's not afraid to experiment with flavor. We are so there in May.

mattatouille said...

Interestingly, the recipe for brown bread (per Tai Kim, who owns the place) was changed (tweaked rather) recently. It's still really good, but I think this one's a better version. And yes, they are actual Grape Nuts!

scoops is one of my favorite places in the city, evidenced by the 2-3 times I used to go there a week. it's a little slower these days since it's on the way home (used to work in beverly hills), but it's always a good experience.

Aaron said...

I've been wanting to check out Scoops but it's no where near my neighborhood. Do they only do ice creams, or do they offer sorbets too? It seems like some of these flavors would be better made non-dairy based

Food, she thought. said...

maAaron: they do a few (more than 2) vegan options, although I did not see any sorbet.

matt: you think the recipe i posted looks better? there are a few floating around the internet I am dying to try because they don't require an ice cream maker.

cara: it.is.on.

kristine: see above.