I recently returned to Albuquerque’s ChocGlitz and Cream after several months away. I’m happy to report that they’re still doing some delicious business, keeping things COVID-safe and friendly as ever.
I debated picking up an additional treat while I was there, but ultimately I went with ice cream, and I chose really well! Here’s what I tried (no sampling allowed due to COVID-19):
Key Lime – This is super creamy, the perfect lime flavor, with the full texture and flavor honestly reminding me of a cheesecake. It really hits the spot!
Sweet Cream – This continues to be a delightful neutral ice cream. It’s great solo for a simple treat, but it pairs perfectly with both key lime and Irish coffee.
Irish Coffee – I was so excited about this flavor! It reminded me of a Brigham’s style, super smooth coffee ice cream, but with an extra kick. Just fantastic!!!
As always, ice cream here is outrageously smooth. They’ll let you get multiple flavors in lots of sizes, and they also have fudge, chocolate-covered apples, and many other sweet delights.
Have you visited ChocGlitz and Cream? Which of these flavors would you want to try first?
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A couple of years back, I visited Kakawa Chocolate House and was absolutely delighted with my brief visit. They offer everything from drinking chocolate (on the spot or bags to make it at home) to a gorgeous array of truffles to brownies (including a few gluten-free flavors) and homemade ice cream.
Last time, I went with their ice cream, of course, but with it being January and with pandemic life restricting my travel more than in the past, I’ve decided to incorporate some drinking chocolate reviews into this blog. (Let me know what you think in the comments!)
If you haven’t had drinking chocolate before, it’s not entirely dissimilar to hot cocoa, but it’s usually a much richer, thicker experience than the average hot cocoa. It also, in my experience, tends to be made with super high quality ingredients, and it’s a great way of showcasing particular sources of chocolate.
Here’s what I tried:
Kakawa’s American – This is where they start you with. They gave me a sample (I was the only customer at the time) but it felt weird to take off my mask, so this was the only sample I took. Kakawa’s American is an absolutely delicious showcase for their classic chocolate. The ingredients include 70% chocolate, organic almond milk and vanilla. I highly recommend this for anyone!
Chili – This is from their Meso-American menu. Their chili chocolate includes 100% chocolate (cacao), New Mexico chili, and coconut sugar. Wow! This starts with a delightful chocolate flavor, followed by a huge dried chile spice kick behind it. It’s so impressive! And then the chile flavor quickly clears and you’re ready to drink more. A delightful warming experience.
Jeffersonian – This comes from their European and Contemporary menu. In this case, it’s very much an old-fashioned, not very sweet, darker but not grainy, chocolate. This is rich and full, featurig 70% chocolate, organic almond milk, and nutmeg. The nutmeg is what gives it that classic older American chocolate recipe taste. Yum!
I kept going back and forth between which flavor I liked more. I had a small sample of the first and 3 ounce portions of each of the others. (In non-pandemic times, they’ve got a sampler available, but I made do.) I also picked up a couple of truffles (prickly pear and a goat cheese and sage) that I am savoring this week.
Thanks so much to Kakawa Chocolate House for another excellent experience. The customer service is second to none, and you don’t want to miss this chocolate!
P.S. Their drinking chocolate is available by mail for those in the United States. Head here to order!
Supporting This 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:
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.
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When I returned to the Albuquerque area, I initially gravitated toward El Cotorro, my favorite taco place that also makes their own Mexico City-style ice cream. But while doing a search for nearby ice cream options, out of habit, I realized I was even closer to another homemade ice cream place.
ChocGlitz and Cream offers a variety of treats, from mini and large candy apples to fair trade chocolate, and from fudge to handmade ice cream. I haven’t tried many of the treats, besides the apple, which was very tasty, but over the past several months I’ve gotten to try a variety of ice cream flavors. While they don’t have a gluten-free menu, the staff is reasonably knowledgeable and and clear about the limits of their knowledge in terms of what does or doesn’t have gluten.
Though on more recent visits they haven’t been able to allow anyone to taste flavors, the prices are fairly reasonable at $4 for a scoop, $6 for 2 scoops or $7 for 3. They usually have about a dozen flavors available, rotating a few staples and lots of seasonal flavors. Here’s what I tried:
Apple Cider Cinnamon – This tastes like fall. It’s so, so good! You get tart plus the cream…just fabulous. It makes me think of apple pie, fall, and fun and was my favorite of a couple of visits.
Licorice – This tastes like cold licorice! So if you love licorice, it’s a must do.
Chocolate – My goodness, it’s like brownie batter! It’s so soft, smooth, and creamy. Amazing. It’s my top one or two of a “brownie batter” style chocolate ice cream, and likely a top ten for chocolate in general. It’s about a medium chocolate. Yum!!! You can’t lose with this.
Sweet Cream – This is a simple and clean flavor, more subtle than most, and really nice. I was actually surprised the texture wasn’t as creamy as the others – perhaps because it was a half-full container and had frozen oddly? It tastes super creamy, but it looks harder visually. It’s almost fluffy!
Pumpkin Pecan Praline – This was like pumpkin pie. Canned pumpkin combines with tasty, not too sweet chunks that crunch. If you love pumpkin, this will be just like cold pumpkin with the seasoning you’d hope for.
Mint Chip – This is a fairly traditional take – a little too “off the shelf” for me. What you might expect.
Peanut Butter – Think peanut butter plus cream cheese in taste, like a cheesecake. It’s smooth and super yummy!
Pistachio – The super creamy pistachio base has a sweet fruitiness, delightful really, with real pistachio chunks. It’s so good! I never get pistachio, but I was happy to today.
Raspberry Lavender – Both flavors are here, first raspberry and then lavender. It’s bright and creamy, a little tart but balanced in strength by the cream. It’s an unexpected and fun combo, honestly really lovely and one of my favorite takes on lavender.
Matcha Green Tea – This is a perfect recreation of the tea flavor in ice cream form. It’s a very forward flavor. Delicious! Ross found it almost nutty, and it paired really well with the sweet cream.
I didn’t try it, but they carry a non-homemade vegan ice cream. The portions are HUGE, so if the prices seem a bit high, it’s actually very reasonable for what you get. I found the flavors extremely consistent across the board. They know how to make ice cream here for sure. And their flavors are in your face, generally exactly what you’d hope for when you hear the flavor.
Their COVID-19 precautions seem really smart, and we’ve always felt comfortable coming here.
Thank you SO MUCH to ChocGlitz and Cream. It’s been a true joy to visit and have traditional American-style ice cream done so well nearby. We hope to be back very soon to try some more flavors and your fudge.
Be well, and happy eating!
Supporting This 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:
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.
If you’re human and you like ice cream or tacos, I cannot more highly recommend a visit to Albuquerque – specifically, El Cotorro!
We discovered this spot on the hunt for a place for dinner to celebrate my birthday, and it absolutely fit the bill. Cheap artisan tacos, margaritas and outstanding ice cream, including gluten free waffle cone options! We returned several times during our visit, where my husband and I fell in love with the Nob Hill neighborhood and all that is El Cotorro.
Here are the details on what we tried:
Buttered Popcorn- Yum! This has a very bright and forward buttered popcorn flavor. It’s tasty and creamy – it also may perhaps get boring as a solo flavor? But I loved it.
Grapefruit Thyme- This unusual flavor was amazing!!!!!!!!! Both ingredients are in perfect balance here.
Coconut Curry and Basil – Yum! This vegan flavor is seriously incredible. They are two of my favorite flavors and it’s actually perfect in ice cream form! One of the best vegan flavors I’ve had, if not the best ever. There’s a warmth and sweetness to it. Amazing. I hope this counts as a meal, I’d eat it every day!
Cinnamon Apple – This is just like pie without the crust – it’s seriously perfect. So fresh and perfectly spiced and delicious. It’s even better then the apple pie or the best cinnamon apples you remember.
Red Chili Mango – I added extra tajine per their recommendation. It’s a lighter spice, great if you like mango, with the spice kicking in afterwards.
Strawberry Chocolate – This is fun, kind of like a strawberry candy rather than a typical real strawberry like I’d expect in a classic American strawberry ice cream.
French Toast – Yum, this is kind of an understated maple flavor with a butter type flavor in there… worth a try!
Pepino Con Coco – aka Cucumber and Coconut – Wow! What an awesome combination! I am in love with this combination. Who’d have thought?
Red Chile Sandia – This is big on the spice, and it’s really fun if you dig spicy ice cream! Picture watermelon but with a red chile kick, and more like a sorbet base.
Mexican Vanilla – The staff called this the end of a rootbeer float. It’s super creamy and fun, with a nice warm and gentle kick. I found it almost like squash! So yummy.
Azteca – This is a spicy Mexican chocolate that was recommended as perfect in an affogato. It’s smooth and very spicy, I love it!
Marble Double White – This has beer in it, of course! It’s really good according to my husband.
Matcha Vanilla – It tastes like the tea, without a lot of extra sweetness.
This place is so special. They said they make the mint chocolate chip from mint tea to avoid that artificial taste – how smart is that? Their sign says Mexico City style ice cream, so I guess I will have to make a trip someday! Their team of four makes ice cream every day or two.
Almost all of their flavors are super creamy, and the textures are awesome.
They also make their own waffle cones, and two of the three flavors are gluten-free! Blue corn waffle cones were kind of crumbly and a bit burnt, but still super delicious. Be prepared for crumbles! And their banana bread waffle cone, also gluten free and vegan, is just magical, like banana bread! It was also a tiny bit burnt in spots, but it’s delicious.
We came back several times with family and solo – this place is that good! We can even see ourselves living within walking distance of here someday.
El Cotorro also had amazing gourmet tacos with flavors from around the world and cheap margaritas and other drinks. I couldn’t recommend them more highly! Come early and explore the neighborhood of Nob Hill.
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Supporting My Blog
I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help by doing any or all of the following:
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 yourAmazon search here.
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If you’re looking for a wonderful place to spend an afternoon or a half hour, this adorable chocolate cafe is it!
The super friendly server encouraged me to try as many flavors as I wanted to, and the owner was also super nice and thanked me at the end of my visit.
They clearly label tons of gluten-free brownies and chocolates, so I made sure to grab a brownie (how could I resist?) and I’d LOVE to stop by again and try some more treats. They also offer chocolate sorbet.
Here’s what I tried!
Spicy Aztec – Super yum! It gets hotter and hotter as you eat it, a tasty chocolate with spice to it.
Classic Chocolate – This is a rich, creamy darker chocolate, though not creamy like a soft serve. It’s really, really nice.
Sea Salt Caramel – Oh my word! Oh my gosh. This might be the best I’ve had! It’s like the base is literally a creamier version of a melted caramel with the dairy and all…yum! It has a tanginess to it like a caramel. Yes, probably this is currently my #1 of all time for this flavor!
Although the ice cream is pricier at $6 for 6 ounces, you can add whipped cream or hot fudge for only $.50, and you should DEFINITELY add hot fudge because it’s probably the best I’ve ever had! A must try.
Kakawa House has decent parking options (harder to find in Santa Fe sometimes) and between the wonderful service and outstanding quality, this is a must visit while you are in town. Watch their hours and plan carefully to make sure you get there during your next trip. It’s well worth it!
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Supporting My Blog
I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help by doing any or all of the following:
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 yourAmazon search here.
Make other purchasesusing 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!
Manzanita Market in Taos, New Mexico is an adorable spot for coffee, a sandwich, baked goods or ice cream. Taos in general is full of some amazing ice cream and other eats, and this spot didn’t disappoint.
Here’s what I got:
Chocolate – The chocolate ice cream reminded me of a good chocolate bar. It’s tasty, though not particularly creamy. It’s very good.
World Cup Espresso – They use their own World Cup coffee in this ice cream – wow! It packs a major punch, perfect for lovers of good coffee. This makes my top five for coffee or espresso flavors, and it has plenty of creaminess.
Don’t come here expecting tons of flavors (I saw three), but it’s worth a scoop or two with your coffee. The single scoop, which was their smallest size, was only $2.71, with a great portion.
Taos has lots of excellent ice cream options, but don’t hesitate to grab a bite at Manzanita Market when you’re in town!
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Supporting My Blog
I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help by doing any or all of the following:
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 yourAmazon search here.
Make other purchasesusing 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!
Back in June, I was on the hunt for ice cream in Taos. The top pick was Taos Cow – but their website said they were currently closed. Thankfully on a return trip, I found them set up in their parking lot, serving out of a little food truck situation.
There’s a cool vibe in this part of the greater Taos area. I’d love to return for a longer visit.
Due to their parking lot setup, they couldn’t do samples (dishes would be tough), but they were willing to combine two flavors into a single ($5, or $6 to combine).
Nevertheless, I had a strong hunch it would be worth it, so I went with a double for $7, and I was glad I did. (Kind of pricey, but it’s the only one of its kind in a very touristy area, and portions were big, so what the heck?) Tax is included and it was cash only. (Always be prepared with cash!)
They were super friendly and helpful. Here’s what I got:
Piñon Caramel – The nuts are awesome, the giant caramel chunks are melty and delicious. So impressive! The base had a touch of iciness rather than being super creamy…kind of a milkiness, and maybe vanilla? I was digging the flavor combination.
Mexican Chocolate – Well, this is what it sounds like! It’s got delicious and excellent rich, darker chocolate chunks, and it’s super smooth. I’d love a bit more kick, but this is really tasty and an amazing smooth ice cream. It might be a top five contender!
They had seven flavors while I was there, and most were a little off the beaten path. It’s an especially fun place for more adventurous ice cream eaters.
I’m so thankful I got to try Taos Cow. I hope they get things figured out soon with their location. It was delicious ice cream and excellent service, and I hope to return someday!
Need another awesome Taos treat? Don’t miss Chokola!
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Supporting My Blog
I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help by doing any or all of the following:
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 yourAmazon search here.
Make other purchasesusing 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!
Hyperbole for a title? Perhaps. But trust me – you don’t want to miss Chokola in Taos, New Mexico.
I’d read excellent reviews of this chocolate cafe, and when I entered, I read the sign and ordered what I thought was the only flavor of ice cream. Turns out they had other flavors at my first visit too – straciatella, vanilla, chocolate sorbet etc.
I was tempted by the drinking chocolate signs, but I held firm to the goal – ice cream!
This was probably, legitimately, in fact definitely, the best chocolate ice cream I have EVER had.
Why?
Well, it’s creamy, like a soft serve. And during my first visit, they gave me chocolate shavings on top too!
Its just a gorgeous balance of flavors. The chocolate is real and absolutely heavenly.
This ice cream isn’t very sweet, but there’s enough sweetness, trust me. You’ll truly appreciate the chocolate flavor. It’s a perfect level of sweetness paired with outstanding creaminess. It’s perfect for chocolate lovers like me.
I got two other flavors too, on my subsequent second and third visits (yes! It was that good!)
Coconut Rum – Yum! If you love coconut, this rocks! The rum is a little more subtle and it tastes like your favorite tropical drink. It’s also super creamy, and perfect to pair with chocolate ice cream!
Olive Oil – This one doesn’t have a ton of taste at the start. On the back end you really taste the olive oil. It’s a more subtle flavor, creamy and interesting. I appreciated the experience, but I didn’t need a dish.
It’s a delicious deal at less than $5 with tax for a double scoop.
I can’t recommend the chocolate more highly. Go! Please!
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Supporting My Blog
I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help by doing any or all of the following:
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 yourAmazon search here.
Make other purchasesusing 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!
When I last visited Silver City, the only homemade ice cream of note was Vicky’s. Delicious as it was, they keep short hours, are a sit-down place and have limited options. So I was psyched when I stumbled on some ice cream in an antiques store.
This visit, I didn’t know if they’d still be in business. I was delighted to see them not just surviving, but thriving, in their downtown location!
Pretty Sweet Emporium is fancy, with small and pricey portions but clearly very high quality, homemade ice cream. They mention that their super premium ice cream uses no eggs and has less sugar than you might expect.
Taking the kids or just craving a big cheap sundae? They’ve got some more basic flavors too, at a price point your budget can more easily handle, if you can give up the homemade, higher quality.
Here’s what I tried:
Ghirardelli Chocolate Fudge Swirl – This is a pretty intense flavor! It’s not too sweet, and super creamy. I found it very smooth and almost fudge-like.
Dulce de Leche – This is their most popular – it’s a super forward caramel. I enjoyed this flavor – it isn’t my favorite, but it’s so unique!
Coconut Fudge – This is made of coconut cream, shreds and such. It’s very good if you love coconut!
Lemon Crepe Blueberry Ribbon – Wow. This was incredibly creamy – the creaminess reminds me of a cheesecake! The lemon and blueberry combo is fabulous – the lemon is especially prominent here. I highly recommend this!
They slow churn their ice cream like a gelato, which is really nice. Next time, I definitely want to try the raw Texas honey vanilla and the boysenberry.
Their other offerings include coffee house items, shakes and a chocolate float!
They gave me a single bowl with an extra scoop to get two flavors as small as I could. It came to $6.43 with tax. It was very rich and satisfying.
I’m delighted to see the direction these folks are going in. Be sure to stop in and give them a try when you’re in Silver City!
_____________________________
Supporting My Blog
I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help by doing any or all of the following:
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 yourAmazon search here.
Make other purchasesusing 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!
Vicki’s is a great place for sandwiches and other food, but until recently, it was also your only option for homemade ice cream in town.
Park downtown and stroll into Vicki’s. Ice cream comes 1 flavor/1 dish with a little whipped cream for $3.99. It’s delicious. Don’t miss it.
Last time I visited, I raved about both the coffee and the Mexican chocolate flavors.
This time? Here’s what I thought:
Coffee – I enjoyed it, but it actually wasn’t as memorable as the other dishes I’ve had here. It’s a stronger flavor, and very good, though not entering my hall of fame. Unfortunately there was a bit of ice in it, but since they told me their freezer had died, I can’t slight them for that.
Pistachio – Wow! The chunks of pistachio in here are fabulous. This is a winner! It’s the top one or two pistachio ice creams I have had.
The homemade whipped cream is always a nice touch, and the presentation is lovely as always. My husband also vouches for some good coffee.
The portions were bigger than I remembered, and the ice cream lacked the grainy quality I noticed last time.
Come here for a flavor or two and have a sandwich while you’re at it!
Thanks for stopping by, and happy eating!
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Supporting My Blog
I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help by doing any or all of the following:
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 yourAmazon search here.
Make other purchasesusing 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!
In Search of a Scoop 