Smitten in San Francisco www.smittenicecream.com/flavors/Let me start off by saying this is
Smitten in San Francisco https://www.smittenicecream.com/flavors/Let me start off by saying this is definitely one of those niche businesses hitting a specific market which is definitely taking off for us hipster, liberal, trendy, indie Californians.Smitten is a relatively new ice cream franchise started in the Bay Area, and makes each order of ice cream a la carte using liquid nitrogen to freeze their homemade ice cream mix on site. I’m going to start off with the Fresh Mint Chip. This is going to surprise you, but it’s actually made with fresh mint. The real herb, not the minty food coloring usually used by big ice cream companies, which we nonetheless have come to know and love. Because of this, when we tried this ice cream we were almost a little put off. “Fresh mint!?” we exclaimed incredulously, “this is not the makings of our childhood favorite!”. Slowly though, you get used to it, and start to appreciate the smooth creaminess of the ice cream itself and the fresh high quality ingredients they use to flavor it. Very good ice cream, just be prepared for something completely different to what you’re expecting, and then give yourself a couple bites to let it grow on you. Now for the good stuff. Smitten is now my favorite place to get cookie dough ice cream. For all die-hard cookie dough fans, this is a bold statement, I know, but let me explain why. You can actually not only order the cookie dough ice cream with salted pretzel pieces (which adds a yummy textural component), but you can order a special kind of sundae called ‘dough my goodness’ which piles on extra cookie dough on top of the ice cream which already contains cookie dough. Redundant? Perhaps. But I have chosen to see this not as an obvious move, but a much needed and welcomed option for all those who (like myself) always lick the ice cream off the cookie dough and save the best for last. The flavor of the ice cream and the cookie dough are very good, and again, like all Smitten’s ice cream, has that smooth freshness produced by freezing with liquid nitrogen. The only thing about the cookie dough is that it is crumblier than the cookie dough you might find in Ben and Jerry’s or other mainstream versions, but this is not necessarily a bad thing, since it holds up well to the sweet creaminess of the ice cream. The sweetness of the ice cream is complimented very well by the slight saltiness of the pretzel chocolate chip cookie dough. If you find yourself in the vicinity of a Smitten and are craving a yummy sweet treat, or if you’re just obsessed with cookie dough, take a side trip to Smitten. You won’t be disappointed as long as you keep in mind that the freshness and quality of the flavors is often not what you’re used to. It’s expensive for ice cream, but again, they’re targeting a niche market of hippie health nuts willing to pay for quality. ****/***** four out of five stars -- source link