Tag: texas

Independent Burger, El Paso, TX

May 25, 2019Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Sometimes, delicious homemade ice cream falls into your lap. That’s basically what happened to me in El Paso!

When I pulled into Gufo di Milani, known for great gelato in El Paso, I took a quick look around the cute plaza, which is a part of a larger live/work complex. I noticed a really cute burger place and was SHOCKED to see on their signs that they had ice cream!

Not only that – homemade ice cream! And that, my friends, is why in the span of an hour, I had a dish of gelato followed by a dish of ice cream. Independent Burger, El Paso, TX

Independent Burger is a really cute fast casual restaurant with a bar. Food and drinks are affordable and it feels like your cool neighborhood bar hangout for after work. I saw shakes and ice cream sandwiches on their menu, but not ice cream, so I was happy when they said sure, you can have a dish.

Independent Burger, El Paso, TXThey had a few flavors. I was floored by the price – $2.15! – for a large portion.

I didn’t ask to try it first. I can’t believe how cheap it was. And a to-go container was no problem.

Here’s what I had:

Independent Burger, El Paso, TXChocolate – This ice cream is dark, rich, creamy and delicious! It’s almost a fudgy texture. I highly recommend it as is and I’m sure it’s awesome in a shake too. Yum! This is such a find. If I lived nearby, I’d be here all the time!

Their regular menu looks fabulous, including excellent gluten-free options I can’t wait to try.

Big thanks to Independent Burger for keeping it classy and casual and making their own ice cream. Yum!

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Gufo du Milano, El Paso, TX

May 18, 2019Destination Ice Cream, Gelato, travel, , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Gufo di Milano gets the best reviews for ice cream or gelato in El Paso, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a sweet cafe worth a visit, offering coffee, sandwiches and occasional live music in addition to the gelato. They also host an open mic once a month, which we appreciate! Gufo di Milano, El Paso, TX | In Search of a Scoop

The staff was super-friendly and very patient with me. The sign stated we could try two samples each, but I was allowed the three I requested. Their signage shows a commitment to fresh and natural and to community, and it showed. Gufo di Milano, El Paso, TX | In Search of a Scoop

My first thought as the scooping began was that the gelato had a harder texture than I would have anticipated. But don’t you worry.

Here’s what I tried: Gufo di Milano, El Paso, TX | In Search of a Scoop

Pistachio Bronte – If the name sounds unusual, it refers to a specific kind of pistachio. This is some truly serious dark pistachio flavor. I found it very smooth, rich and pretty creamy too. I enjoyed the little chunks of pistachio. I could eat this all day! Yum.

Coffee – This coffee packs some serious heft. I really loved it. It’s for coffee lovers only. I found it a little deeper than Brigham’s, the coffee ice cream I hold as the standard from my childhood. This definitely makes my top 5, and maybe even my top 3, for coffee!

Lemon Cucumber Tajin – Wow. This is spicy, bright, and all the mentioned flavors come through clearly. It’s amazing and complicated and lovely. If I had to be picky, I’d mention that it’s slightly less creamy than the others I tried. This is a perfect summer flavor.

For the record, the pistachio and coffee are a fabulous pairing. Pricing here is reasonable for gelato, starting at $4.19 and going up to $5.99 for a large, which I did with three scoops.

This place offers really great gelato! Also, it appears that ALL of their gelato is gluten-free, which is awesome to see. I had a fantastic visit here and look forward to returning again soon!

Gufo di Milano, El Paso, TX | In Search of a Scoop

_____________________________

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help 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.

The Baked Bear in El Paso, TX

April 20, 2019Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The Baked Bear is a high-end ice cream experience catering to the younger set interested in a bit of nostalgia. Their menu is limited and focused, with about a dozen flavors of ice cream, a variety of cookies, including a gluten-free option, and several ways to combine the two or add other treats to your ice cream. The experience is kind of an assembly line in the Subway or Chipotle model, where you choose your cookies, ice cream, toppings and such.

Most of their flavors contain gluten, but I came in specifically to try a gluten/free ice cream sandwich, which is made by sandwiching a scoop of ice cream between two (warmed if desired) cookies.

Toppings are an additional $.50, and the cookies can be purchased separately if you aren’t an ice cream person – in which case you probably aren’t reading this!

What I tried:

I tried a few flavors of their homemade ice cream, both of which were okay, but not great. I settled on getting a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich with dark chocolate ice cream, topped with caramel. The Baked Bear, El Paso, TX | In Search of a Scoop

Luckily, I found the cookies to be delicious, so that and the caramel helped take the experience over the top despite the adequate but not memorable dark chocolate ice cream. The Baked Bear, El Paso, TX | In Search of a Scoop

While there are better places for a dish of ice cream or gelato in town, if you’re in for a super sugary treat, I can highly recommend an ice cream sandwich! My husband and I shared one, but heck, have it for dinner if you don’t feel like sharing.

The prices were on the higher side but nothing wild for a fancy dessert treat in the city – $5.95 before my topping, tax and tip. The Baked Bear, El Paso, TX | In Search of a Scoop

If you go, let me know what flavor combo you go for! They had some really beautiful cookie options.

Thanks, and happy eating!

_____________________________

Supporting My Blog

I am truly grateful for your support of my blog! You can help 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.

Cactus Flats, El Paso, TX

April 13, 2019Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Mainly a pizza place, Cactus Flats is the kind of comfy place you’d envision when you think of a hometown pizza spot. But unlike most pizza places, they don’t carry ice cream bars or the cheapest ice cream around. They make their own!

Read more

Stumbling Upon Gelato in Fort Worth, TX

February 25, 2017Destination Ice Cream, Gelato, travel, , , , , Leave a comment

People often ask me how I choose which ice cream (or gelato, or frozen yogurt) places to visit. Although I aspire to visit EVERY homemade ice cream place out there, my time and budget certainly don’t allow that. So I tend to do some research, read reviews and narrow my search down based on where will be convenient for me, their menu offerings and what I’m betting will be best based on reviews. 

But that isn’t the whole story. Sometimes I will be exploring a town or a city and I will literally pass an ice cream place that I hadn’t realized I’d be seeing. At that point, I do a little research, consider how hungry I am and how much money I’ve got for a treat. I’m certainly more likely to visit if it’s right in front of me. 

So although gelato isn’t my favorite treat, when I saw Paciugo calling to me as we explored the Christmas lights in Fort Worth last year, I decided to give it a look. (I was also craving ice cream but there wasn’t a homemade place nearby.) It turns out they’re a chain with locations in about ten states, and their gelato is made on site. They also have a nice coffee menu, and if coffee plus gelato sounds like a fun combination to you, you’ll enjoy it even more. I decided to check out a couple of flavors. My husband Ross stuck to a hot black coffee, which he was pleased with. The prices were on the higher side for smaller portions but we were in a fancy part of Fort Worth so it felt kind of normal. Here’s what I went with. Wild Berries: The true fruity taste of this is lovely. It’s actually dairy-free too. Delightful and not overly sweet with an awesome fruit tang. A nice mouth feel too.

Milk Chocolate: This gelato has a very nice feel, with a rich milk chocolate flavor. It reminded me of an excellent drinking chocolate. 

Ross enjoyed both flavors a lot too, and I also recommend the combination. Although this is so far the only location I’ve visited, I would definitely recommend Paciugo when you’re craving a tasty dessert. Do you have a favorite place to get gelato?

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