Holy Gelato Peach champagne sorbet : In the heart of the Inner Sunset District in SF is an ice cream shop called Holy Gelato, an eclectic mix of vintage toy shop and ice cream parlor. The peach champagne sorbet I ordered was surprisingly good, with a distinct but not overpowering champagne flavor and fresh, concentrated peach taste. The serving size is very generous such that their mini scoop would be a single anywhere else. Good value. 3.5/5.0

Cones Ginger and Cantaloupe Sorbet : Cones is a dependably excellent ice cream shop on Bleecker St in Manhattan. I almost always get sorbet when I'm there, and they're always super refreshing and flavorful. Both the ginger and cantaloupe this time were fresh and very light. I recommend getting a scoop and then going across the street to Book Book. 4.0/5.0

Wanderlust Creamery Green apple wasabi sorbet and yuzu cheesecake ice cream: Located on Glendale Boulevard in Atwater Village (LA), Wanderlust Creamery offers flavors inspired by locations around the world. Their unusual flavors made it very difficult to pick just two, but I went with their green apple and wasabi sorbet along with yuzu cheesecake. I loved the tartness and spicy aftertaste of the apple wasabi, which was expertly balanced, and the yuzu cheesecake had a delicious graham crackle crumble and yuzu jam throughout. The flavors were fantastic and some of t... (read more) 4.5/5.0

Tartine Manufactory Blood orange sorbet and cardamom soft serve: Tartine Manufactory closes its bakery section, including soft serve, for dinner service, but if you ask nicely, they will serve it (as I found out last night). This swirl of blood orange and cardamom was one of the best things I ate all year, with potently spiced cardamom and sharp citrus. The texture was smooth and consistent. Often, independent flavors in swirled soft serve compete and don’t quite work in harmony, but this unexpected combination was both balanced and even better with one a... (read more) 4.5/5.0

Morgenstern’s Passion fruit sorbet with chocolate magic shell: Last few days to get Morgenstern’s October Sorbae: passion fruit sorbet covered with their homemade chocolate “magic shell.” The sorbet didn’t need the chocolate at all, in my opinion, as the passion fruit is sharp and fresh on its own. 3.5/5.0

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