Tag: in search of a scoop

Eating at Olson’s in Eau Claire, WI

July 18, 2020Destination Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Olson’s has a classy and super cute downtown location with parking nearby and Phoenix Park practically next door for exploring. It was one of those places that made me wish I could come back again soon – the location really can’t be beat! (They also have a Chippewa location, which I haven’t visited.)

Olson’s has reasonable prices, and they’re honestly great for a small city in a location like this. They have an extensive menu with lots of traditional flavors, but I had to go for the wilder ones. They also have a nice coffee menu and homemade waffles (including gluten-free)!

Here’s what I tried:

Lemon Poppyseed – This flavor wasn’t particularly a smooth base, but it’s a super fun flavor combination. The base was on the hard side, with a lovely bright flavor and of course the poppyseeds.

Maple Mania – My word. This is a maple base with a maple swirl. The base is less sweet, not super creamy but very consistent. The swirl was outrageous and sweet and really made the ice cream. It reminded me of waffles!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake – They had me at “no crust” since I’m gluten-free…Oh my gosh! This is a cheesier, not super sweet, but very smooth cheesecake. To be fair, it isn’t my favorite cheesecake flavor ever, BUT the chocolate is great, the texture is awesome and it’s gluten-free. So worth a shot, ESPECIALLY if you’re gluten-free.

Raspberry Cheesecake – Luckily, this one is also without a crust. My favorite – the raspberry is SO luscious and bright and yummy! I really loved this one.

Next time I’m in town, the gluten-free waffle with ice cream for $8 will be an absolute must. Sounds like the perfect breakfast to me and I only wish I’d had more time.

Olson’s, you honestly comforted me a lot at a time when I really needed it – I was halfway through a solo trek across the country to get to my grandfather’s funeral. You’re the reason I stopped in Eau Claire for the night, and I’m so, so glad I did. I look forward to returning someday under happier circumstances!

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help keep the content coming regularly by doing any or all of the following:

  • Become a patron of my work!
  • Make purchases via my Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using my affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh or Capital One 360 is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support me, and I also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money. This link will take you to my other travel page with my husband – we’ll have one here soon!
  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to this as well as my other travel blog, RossAndJamieAdventure, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from me and my husband, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Molly Moon’s in Seattle, WA

July 4, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

My visit to Molly Moon’s in Seattle was on a very busy evening, with a big crowd outside. Despite the crowds, they were patient while I tried several flavors. It’s a cute spot (they have several locations) and they are “tip free” here, because the wage in Seattle is $15/hour. (Yay for a living wage!)

They suggested hot fudge in a waffle cone, which sounds amazing, but this gluten-free girl stuck to ice cream. Their prices are typical for a city and reflect the fancier ingredients and sourcing they do. They did let me get a single with two flavors (they charge $4.99 for that) so that’s the option I ultimately went with.

Here’s what I tried:

Melted Chocolate – This is more bitter than I expected. The texture is almost like a marshmallow! It’s very satisfying, and might make my top ten…it’s really unique among other chocolate flavors out there.

Yeti – This is granola, caramel and chocolate chunk, and it’s always fun to have a chunky texture, especially if you’re gluten-free like me. The base seemed to be vanilla or a similar creamy flavor, very smooth and satisfying. The caramel swirl is thin and drippy and sweet and delightfully satisfying. The granola and chocolate chunks are very tasty and give a nice texture contrast. It’s a nice sweeter flavor, and everything cuts through well.

Lemon and Blueberry Custard – This was a great flavor, but mine was a little bit icy.

Salted Caramel – I found this to be very bitter, but super creamy and with tasty caramel. It’s a solid caramel base, with no chunks. It’s unusual to have that bitterness – very fun.

They offer some really fun toppings here, but they’re very pricey, probably because they’re organic and such.

Molly Moon’s continued my pattern of finding excellent ice cream in Seattle. I wasn’t wowed by the prices particularly, and any time my ice cream is icy is a bummer, but I really enjoyed their flavors overall. In my experience here, I’d say it’s definitely a must-try if you like the more bitter side of ice cream flavors. If you like your ice cream sweet, you’ll have to shop around to find the flavors that suit you, but they’ll be very good.

This is my cousin’s favorite spot in Seattle, and since she knows her ice cream and is local, I definitely value her opinion! Thanks for the tasty treats, Molly Moon’s!

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help keep the content coming regularly by doing any or all of the following:

  • Become a patron of my work!
  • Make purchases via my Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using my affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh or Capital One 360 is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support me, and I also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money. This link will take you to my other travel page with my husband – we’ll have one here soon!
  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to this as well as my other travel blog, RossAndJamieAdventure, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from me and my husband, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Ruby Jewel in Portland, OR

April 18, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , Leave a comment

When I visited Ruby Jewel, the main purpose of my visit was to connect with a friend. Because I didn’t want her to think me the oddest of people, I didn’t take my usual 10-15 minutes to sample flavors and debate options.

Ruby Jewel, Portland, OR I In Search of a Scoop

Nevertheless, I got a nice glimpse of her favorite Portland-area ice cream spot. They have several locations to try, and their atmosphere is lovely, upscale but comfy and casual.

Here’s what I tried:

Nineteen27 Toasted Marshmallow – This was very tasty, but in the bit I tried, it was a little bit icy. A local company makes the marshmallows, and then they’re toasted and added to sweet cream ice cream. Definitely a fun concept!

Ruby Jewel, Portland, OR I In Search of a Scoop

Caramel with Salted Chocolate – I had this on two gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Honestly, how could it be bad? It was super satisfying.

So, I really liked Ruby Jewel! I’ll have to go back to give them a more fair review. I did notice their gluten-free flavors were limited, but they still had some really nice options. I look forward to a future trip!

Hope you’re staying well and have some ice cream in your future, friends. (Visit Ruby Jewel’s website for tips on getting your fix while their stores are closed.) If any of you are struggling with working from home/staying put, I’m featured in a new course bundle. Mine is called “Navigating Relationships When You’re Both Working From Home”. The link above will give you a huge discount on the course. Stay well, and take care!

Ruby Jewel, Portland, OR I In Search of a Scoop

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help keep the content coming regularly by doing any or all of the following:

  • Become a patron of my work!
  • Make purchases via my Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using my affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh or Capital One 360 is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support me, and I also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money. This link will take you to my other travel page with my husband – we’ll have one here soon!
  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to this as well as my other travel blog, RossAndJamieAdventure, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from me and my husband, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Tillamook Creamery, Tillamook, OR

April 11, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Grocery Store Staples, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , 3 Comments

Tillamook Creamery, unlike most of the ice cream places I visit, makes premium, not super premium, ice cream. So I was a little bit skeptical of how great their ice cream was – but when we were in Fort Collins, Colorado for a summer, we enjoyed their ice cream when it was on sale occasionally, and I can attest to their cheese and yogurt being excellent as well. Long story short? Their factory is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. They say their secret is more cream and less air. Could be!

IMG_1628

When you visit, be sure to check out the other area businesses too (like Blue Heron – their brie is incredible!), and of course a visit to the beach is highly recommended. That gorgeous Oregon coast….you should anticipate big crowds here. I recommend taking a tour (the exhibits are very well done, and you can sample cheese at the end), and they also have some mouthwatering meal options if you’d like a grilled cheese or lots of other deliciousness before your dessert. Depending on the time of day, they sometimes have an outdoor area just for ordering ice cream; at other times, you’ll order your ice cream in the food court and can sit inside or take it outdoors to enjoy.

Prices are very reasonable with big portions at $3.50 for one scoop, $5 for two scoops or $6.50 for three. They’ll let you try whatever you like first. And if you’d like one of their pre-selected flights, those will run you three flavors for $5.75.

IMG_1644

Here’s what I tried:

Pendleton Whiskey and Maple Custard – My bite was icy, but this was very tasty and the alcohol is very strong – they charge an extra dollar for this flavor!

Oregon Hazelnut Salted Caramel – This is a hazelnut base with chunks in it, and a salted caramel ripple. The hazelnut runs the show here, but the gentle salted caramel complements it well.

Mountain Huckleberry – This is a smooth and creamy base swirled with ample sweet and tart huckleberry. Very satisfying!

Chocolate Cherry Fudge – This was kind of a medicinal cherry, unfortunately. Not my thing.

Tillamook Mudslide – This is chocolate with chocolate chunks and a chocolate swirl. Yum!

IMG_1717

The ice cream here is super creamy, as mentioned, and though it won’t make my top five across the U.S., it’s a very satisfying option. Best of all is that when you’re in the Pacific Northwest, it’s very easy to find in the grocery stores. If we’re talking “grocery store” ice cream, this one is a top contender!

As of this writing, Tillamook Creamery is closed, so grab some at your local grocery store for now and plan a visit for the future. Stay well, and happy eating!

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help keep the content coming regularly by doing any or all of the following:

  • Become a patron of my work!
  • Make purchases via my Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using my affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh or Capital One 360 is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support me, and I also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money. This link will take you to my other travel page with my husband – we’ll have one here soon!
  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to this as well as my other travel blog, RossAndJamieAdventure, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from me and my husband, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Your Virtual Tour of Wiz Bang Bar in Portland, OR

March 28, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Let’s take a journey to Portland, circa July 2019, shall we? 

After learning that I could get gluten-free cookies and cream ice cream in Portland, a visit to Wiz Bang Bar was a must. The setup is kind of a fancy, high-end food court, with a variety of vendors so you can get dinner at one place, send your partner to another and meet up at another location or two for dessert. If you’re familiar with Salt & Straw, this is their whimsical soft serve experiment, and in my opinion, it’s better than the hard stuff. 

Read more

Little Man, Denver, CO

February 22, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , off

I really enjoyed my visit to Little Man Ice Cream, not least because I visited them after 1 a.m.! After flying into the airport, I was craving an ice cream treat, and I was super delighted to try Little Man at that hour. The staff were friendly and playful and happy to let me try flavors. Here’s what I had:

Read More…

Frozen Matter, Denver, CO

February 15, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Frozen Matter is not your average ice cream place! A microcreamery with unusual flavors, ice pops and soda, it was within walking distance to a venue my husband and I were performing at in Denver, so a stop was essential. They also have their own speakeasy inside called Retrograde – so a return visit for a cocktail is a must!

Frozen Matter, Denver, CO | In Search of a Scoop

It’s an adorable space, with excellent service and a nice mix of indoor and outdoor space. Super cute and the hipster vintage lovers like me will eat this out of this world theme up.

Frozen Matter, Denver, CO | In Search of a Scoop

Here’s what I tried:

Space Junk – This has a bourbon butter base with nuts and other fun things in it. Fun, but alcoholic flavors are always tricky, and this didn’t win me over.

Black Magic – This is a chocolate base with black tea and black currants. I really enjoyed this flavor combination! It’s very unusual, but also pretty excellent. I’d definitely go for this again. (I can taste it now! Very memorable.)

Frozen Matter, Denver, CO | In Search of a Scoop

Lemon Blueberry – I loved the lemon flavor, in particular, but this ice cream didn’t quite win me as a favorite unfortunately.

Lavender Caramel – This is a tasty and very forward lavender flavor. It’s very good, bit life-changing, but if you enjoy lavender ice cream you’ll enjoy it.

I loved the creative flavors here. Besides Space Junk, which was really wacky and perhaps even excellent in its weirdness, none of these got into the realm of excellence. But they’re trying for big things with high quality ingredients. The double was $7.40 with very large portions, so the prices are pretty decent for a big city.

This isn’t my favorite in Denver, but I look forward to stopping by in the future to see what they’ve cooked up and check out the speakeasy. Thanks, Frozen Matter!

___________________________

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help keep the content coming regularly by doing any or all of the following:

  • Become a patron of my work!
  • Make purchases via my Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using my affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh or Capital One 360 is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support me, and I also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money. This link will take you to my other travel page with my husband – we’ll have one here soon!
  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to this as well as my other travel blog, RossAndJamieAdventure, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from me and my husband, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Ice Cream Update

February 8, 2020Ice Cream, , , , , , , Leave a comment

Well, I know what you’re thinking.

Did she really have ice cream for breakfast last Saturday?

You bet your ice cream scoop I did.

National Ice Cream For Breakfast Day, In Search of a ScoopNational Ice Cream For Breakfast Day, In Search of a Scoop

And you know what? It wasn’t gourmet, but it sure was delicious.

So if you’re feeling inspired, I highly recommend a pancakes and ice cream combination. (Make mine gluten-free.)

Tune in next time for your regularly scheduled ice cream update.

And if you celebrated, I’d love for you to share a photo with me on Facebook! You’ll find me here.

Have a wonderful week, and happy eating!

___________________________

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help keep the content coming regularly by doing any or all of the following:

  • Become a patron of my work!
  • Make purchases via my Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using my affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh or Capital One 360 is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support me, and I also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money. This link will take you to my other travel page with my husband – we’ll have one here soon!
  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to this as well as my other travel blog, RossAndJamieAdventure, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from me and my husband, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

National Eat Ice Cream For Breakfast Day Is Today!

February 1, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , Leave a comment

Today is National Eat Ice Cream For Breakfast Day!

So if you’ve already had breakfast, it’s time for second breakfast, and if you haven’t, this is your perfect excuse for a treat!

So go grab some brunch and throw some ice cream on that waffle, show up at your favorite place and grab a scoop as soon as they’ll let you in, or (my plan) make yourself pancakes and throw some ice cream on top.

Life’s too short to save ice cream for last. Happy eating!

In Search of a ScoopIn Search of a ScoopIn Search of a ScoopIn Search of a ScoopIn Search of a ScoopIn Search of a ScoopIn Search of a Scoop

___________________________

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help keep the content coming regularly by doing any or all of the following:

  • Become a patron of my work!
  • Make purchases via my Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using my affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh or Capital One 360 is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support me, and I also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money. This link will take you to my other travel page with my husband – we’ll have one here soon!
  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to this as well as my other travel blog, RossAndJamieAdventure, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from me and my husband, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Inside Scoop, Littleton, CO

January 25, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I stopped at Inside Scoop without any expectations on my way to see a movie. Littleton’s downtown was a delight, truly, and this gem of a place was well worth a trip. Once again, I found myself saying to my husband, we could live here! (Is there any town in Colorado we wouldn’t have that reaction to?)

Inside Scoop, Littleton, CO | In Search of a ScoopInside Scoop, Littleton, CO | In Search of a Scoop

In any case, here’s what we decided on:

Inside Scoop, Littleton, CO | In Search of a Scoop

Minnesota Salted Toffee – Oh my word. This is a delicious toffee, bold and bright, in a super creamy base, with salt right behind it and tiny pieces throughout. Yum!!!!

Strawberry Basil – The basil here is super strong – if anything, it’s stronger than the strawberry, which makes me love it! It tastes like I am eating a garden.

Nutty Irishman – This has Frangelico and Bailey’s, I think – it’s kind of like a grownup coffee ice cream. So tasty and creamy. The flavors here are truly big and bold – they go for it and don’t hold anything back (unlike some of their more northern Colorado counterparts…) The occasional chocolate bites are fun, though maybe they are not needed? In any case, it’s delightful and has a very well-executed base.

Chocolate Mousse – This was creamy and chocolatey. It’s great, but there’s much more I’d be more excited to enjoy here.

Inside Scoop, Littleton, CO | In Search of a Scoop

Inside Scoop is very affordable and accommodating – they let me fit three flavors into a double, which was super reasonable at $4.55. My husband got a junior size for $2.85. Excellent city prices!

I was delighted to see that they have regular, gluten-free and waffle cone options (including chocolate ones) as well as fun and more unusual toppings, like blueberries.

Inside Scoop, Littleton, CO | In Search of a Scoop

The walls are fun, covered in great quotes, with drawings or photos of ice cream.

I’m a big fan of the super creamy ice cream and bold flavors here. Delicious! Definitely one of the best I’ve had in the area. They’ve apparently got Denver locations too.

Inside Scoop, Littleton, CO | In Search of a Scoop

Thanks for stopping by! Had any good scoops lately? I’d love to hear about them.

___________________________

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help keep the content coming regularly by doing any or all of the following:

  • Become a patron of my work!
  • Make purchases via my Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using my affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh or Capital One 360 is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support me, and I also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money. This link will take you to my other travel page with my husband – we’ll have one here soon!
  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to this as well as my other travel blog, RossAndJamieAdventure, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from me and my husband, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.