When I read the reviews for this place, I knew it was worth a little risk and discomfort to visit. They offered curbside delivery for those who called ahead, but with a mask requirement, clear directions on where to go and strict capacity limitations, I felt very comfortable heading inside.
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What’s the Scoop? in Portland, Oregon may not be as well known as local celebrity Salt & Straw, but in my opinion it’s better! If you’re looking for a great ice cream experience with less of a line, consider What’s the Scoop.
Photo courtesy of What’s the Scoop?
Ice cream is quite reasonably priced for a city, with a single for $4.50, a double for $6.50 and a sampler with four flavors and four toppings for $9.00. They’re especially well-known for their toppings and tell you what’s gluten-free and vegan from the get-go. They’ve also got super fun sundae options, a fortune cookie cone and something called “The Gorge” which is basically a giant sheet cake ice cream sandwich (made with a cookie or brownie base) to share with a big party.
This was my first ice cream stop in Portland, though definitely not my last (!), and it was a really fun experience. They serve ice cream with baby spoons like a gelato place – I love that. I went with the sampler, and here’s what I thought:
Blueberry Basil – This is the one flavor I tried but didn’t ultimately order. I found the flavors a bit too washed out for me, so I skipped it.
Rosemary with Roasted White Chocolate – I chose toasted marshmallow as my topping for this scoop. The flavor is heavy on the rosemary, and the roasted white chocolate is more subtle, but it’s a very nice pairing. I enjoyed it a lot, and the toasted marshmallow is amazing! I highly recommend it. The rosemary is so strong that you can cover it up a lot without losing it. I thought it was almost like chocolate pudding with a punch! It’s great to pair with toppings.
3D Chocolate – I chose hot fudge for this one. The 3D description is apt, and the hot fudge is pretty fabulous! This ice cream has more dimension than regular chocolate, with cool chunks and very tasty. It was a great pairing.
Peanut Butter Curry – For this one, I went with a honey caramel topping. The honey caramel itself is full of personality and delicious, and it paired well with this. However, I wish the curry was heavier, and had more bite afterwards. It’s great if you love peanuts and peanut butter though. The other bummer was the ice cream melted quickly and the caramel fell off fast.
Brown Butter Almond Brittle – I topped this one with magic dust, which is actually the dust of the brittle. This is a subtler flavor, and I loved the brittle and dust combo. It’s super fun. As someone that’s gluten-free, having a texture like the dust felt very indulgent and rare.
Ice cream here is SO creamy! The sampler is the perfect size for sharing with someone…of course I managed to eat it solo! What’s the Scoop? has very good ice cream and excellent toppings. As we’re considering a move out to Portland in the future, I’m sure I’ll be indulging here again!
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Keeping it short and sweet with this post since I’m behind. You can expect the beginnings of an exciting series this Friday though!
Learn about last month’s flight here!
Flavor #1 – Teaberry – It’s exactly like Pepto-Bismol! Since I like that flavor, it was charming, particularly with the creaminess of ice cream. But I’m so glad I just had a small scoop…not my favorite, LOL!
Flavor #2 – White Sangria with strawberries, pineapple & cherries – Full of dried fruits aka fruitcake and a clearly alcoholic base, this was kind of fun, but honestly, not my favorite thing. I’m pretty picky about mix-ins and this was clever but not something I’d normally go for, although the cherry was quite tasty.
Flavor #3 – Mojito with organic mint leaves- Oh my goodness. It’s kinda minty, kinda alcoholy and absolutely delicious. More please! So refreshing.
Flavor #4 – Mascarpone & sweet cream with red raspberry swirl- Super delicious, creamy and cheesy. I love mascarpone cheese and it’s absolutely perfect as a creamy ice cream. It’s great alone and as a base for fruity goodness.
Very glad we went – I’d order mascarpone and mojito again in a heartbeat!
And while we were there, Ross got to get kettle cracked corn again, this time in a regular waffle cone, and he was well enough to eat it all! He said the cone wasn’t super fresh but was very tasty. And he loved the ice cream of course. 🙂
Thanks again, Jordan’s! We’ll be back!
Making ice cream isn’t easy. I knew this, of course. I haven’t made ice cream often. Once I helped a friend hand crank their old-fashioned ice cream maker. A few other times, I used a soft serve ice cream maker my mother was given as a gift but never took advantage of (and ultimately let me have). And a couple of other times, I’ve used the ice cream ball that my husband purchased for me for Christmas a few years ago. It’s not the most efficient way to make hard ice cream, but it’s one of the most fun, so I insisted I wanted it, of course. 🙂 And there was that one other time that I followed a recipe for ice cream made in the freezer without a machine….despite all of my substitutions and improvisations, it came out pretty well.
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In Search of a Scoop 