Garden Creamery Black sesame and oolong ice cream: By now, I've become wary of long lines in San Francisco, and there is nowhere else where this sense of trepidation is stronger than in the Mission, the tech-saturated, ultra-entitled west coast version of Williamsburg. Regrettably, I do find myself here once in a while, often to see a show at the neighboring Chapel, which is exactly what brought me to Garden Creamery, an ice cream shop squarely at the halfway point between the 16th and 24th street Mission BART stops. I had some extra time ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Seed + Mill Tahini Goats Milk Softserve: Mildly flavored nutty soft serve from Seed + Mill, a small stand in the middle of Chelsea Market. Goats milk gives it a slight tang. A unique offering. Just a tad icy. 4.0/5.0
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Il laboratorio del gelato Plum and grape sorbet: Whenever I'm in LES, I can't help but stop by this outstanding gelato shop, with its endless array of cycling seasonal flavors. The plum and grape were super concentrated, tasting exactly like those ingredients in their freshest form. The texture could have been better (this time, the grape was a bit icy); nonetheless, I've never had anything but solid fresh sorbet from this NYC mainstay. 4.0/5.0
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Sweet Olenka's Ontario strawberry ice cream: Stumbled upon this minuscule ice cream shop and was drawn in by newspaper clippings praising its unique flavors. Sadly, no especially bizarre combinations were to be found tonight, but I got a very solid Ontario strawberry ice cream that was somehow vegan despite being creamy and smooth. Strawberry flavor was very pure though more light than concentrated. Shout out to the extra nice worker that I ended up having a super long music conversation with on everything from math rock to Molly Nilss... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Asha tea Blueberry green tea: Another great fruit tea from Asha tea in Berkeley. The drink is tea-first, with a mild herbal flavor that’s clean and refreshing. It pairs well with the fresh blueberry pulp, which turns the drink a deep shade of purple. 4.0/5.0
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Little Giant Ice Cream Thai Green Curry and Key Lime Pie Ice Cream: Known for unusual flavors like asparagus and beez cheese (a combination of goat cheese, honey, and black pepper), Little Giant Ice Cream, located on Telegraph in Oakland, did not disappoint, particularly with the well-balanced Thai green curry ice cream. Equal parts savory and sweet, it's a creamy concoction where the lemongrass is unmistakable, and while it's vegan, it's incredibly smooth. The key lime pie was quite good but did not quite hit the same high point largely due to its slightl... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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