Tag: travel blog

Return to ChocGlitz and Cream

March 20, 2021Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , Leave a comment

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?

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:

  • 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.
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  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
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Return to Kakawa: Drinking Chocolate in Santa Fe, NM

February 6, 2021Drinking Chocolate, travel, , , , , , , Leave a comment

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:

  • 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.
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  • Listen to, subscribe and review my theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
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Tontitown Winery, Springdale, AR

January 9, 2021Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , Leave a comment

First off, a super quick announcement – I’m moving to twice a month ice cream blogs for the foreseeable future. With COVID I’m just not traveling very often, and rather than give you mediocre blogs, I’m cutting the frequency in half to make sure I’m posting quality content. So if you don’t hear from me for a bit, no worries, I’ll be back soon!

This week’s blog is a quick one. In August I visited Tontitown Winery for a night, and in addition to their delightful wine and an epic charcuterie board, my husband noticed they had homemade grape ice cream for sale!

Now, your mileage may vary. The only reason they had it was that they participate in an annual festival, and with the festival canceled due to COVID-19, they had tons of pints of ice cream on hand without an outlet.

So we got one of those pints. For $8.

It was really smooth, ridiculously creamy, and super grape-flavored! It was my first time ever having grape ice cream, honestly. It’s really fun if you like a grape flavor.

I was so impressed that this is the only ice cream they make – they have it down to a perfect science!

So visit Tontitown Winery, and if you’re looking for good ice cream nearby, don’t miss TJ’s Sandwich Shop.

Take care this week, everyone, especially my American friends, 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:

  • 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.
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  • 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.

Wondermade in Sanford, FL

November 14, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Wondermade in downtown Sanford, Florida is a super sweet spot with lovely and enthusiastic owners. In addition to homemade ice cream, they sell lots of nice chocolate bars, honeys and a wide selection of homemade marshmallows (including delightful alcoholic flavors like Fireball!) to enjoy in various ways or to take home. I would love to try a “krispwich” aka a sandwich of rice krispie treats and ice cream, someday.

If you need a drink, they’ve got hot and iced chocolate as well as iced honey milk to enjoy, and you can order their marshmallows and hot chocolates for delivery around most of the U.S. There’s even a “mallow of the month” club!

During our visit, they were experimenting with waffles for in-store enjoyment. I couldn’t try them myself being gluten-free, but my husband absolutely raved about them, and we always love free samples of course.

Here’s what I tried:

Nutella – This was very good! It’s a creamy, lighter flavor for fans of Nutella (like me).

Avocado – It’s so fluffy and not too sweet – honestly, a pretty awesome rendition!

Churro – I can’t believe this is gluten-free! It’s a cinnamon sugar ice cream. It’s super satisfying, like the cinnamon sugar on a churro or maybe a cinnamon bun. I got one amazing huge bite full of cinnamon sugar too.

Salted Caramel – This is light, with a whipped texture almost reminiscent of marshmallow (honestly, that texture holds true for many of their flavors). It’s unique, and very good, though it won’t make my top five.

Cornbread – My husband tried this and found it to be excellent! It’s sweet and smooth, with lots of chunks of cornbread.

All of the flavors have a whipped and fluffy base – all of them! Interestingly, it’s NOT always super creamy, but the consistency is there within each flavor, and it’s really unique and fun.

There are also lots of vegan and non-dairy flavors to try here for the future.

I loved the whipped and fluffy base – it reminded me of the delightful ice cream place that has unfortunately closed in downtown Roswell. All of the ice cream was very good and consistent, with cornbread and churro truly knocking it out of the park.

We also took home Fireball marshmallows and would highly recommend their marshmallows if you’re considering an order. They’d make amazing stocking stuffers or less expensive gifts for someone who is harder to buy for. And that mallow of the month club sounds pretty sweet too, no pun intended.

They’re willing to cram multiple flavors into any size, which my dedicated readers know is a major selling point for me. They have good portions, and it came to $10.36 for a small and medium, which felt pretty reasonable to us.

If it wasn’t for COVID-19, we would have returned several more times to Wondermade. Sanford is a delightful community and worth a visit for lunch or a stop by the water, and there are wonderful coffee shops nearby too including this non-profit dedicated to ending human trafficking.

Photos of Wondermade in Sanford, FL, a wonderful ice cream and marshmallow cafe. Photos by Jamie Feinberg.

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:

  • 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.

Jeni’s, Atlanta, GA and Online

October 24, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I’ve reviewed Jeni’s before (head here for my review from a few years back in Charleston), but I thought they could use another one. I was thrilled to bring a friend and her friends to Jeni’s when I was in Atlanta at the beginning of this year. (That was the last time I flew on a plane…those were the days!)

Read more

Kilwins, Celebration, FL

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

I’ve been meaning to visit Kilwins for years, but this was my first visit to the national chain. To be perfectly honest, I’d resisted visiting this location in the past because every time I went, the store was astonishingly crowded and felt overwhelming.

But last fall I found myself in the right mindset, so I made it inside. I limited myself to one flavor only because the crowds were quite extreme (and there were some really rude people too). They specialize in candy and fudge (made on site) and I wouldn’t be surprised if the ice cream itself is made elsewhere.

Here’s what I tried:

Cappucchino Chocolate Chip – It’s very creamy. Surprisingly, I found it a lot less sweet than I anticipated, but the chocolate pieces are excellent, melt in your mouth and plenty sweet, like a semi-sweet chocolate. It’s the kind of cappucchino or coffee flavor that I really enjoy, though a bit sweeter and a bit more of a coffee punch would have been great.

I got one scoop, which is quite pricey at $5.36. The portion is very plentiful, but it still feels overpriced.

The flavors on the board here are quite traditional, with perhaps 6 more unusual ones in the mix, and they all are in the sweeter realm.

Photo courtesy of Kilwins.com

This location is gorgeous – downtown Celebration is fabulous, with tons of water to walk around or sit and look out on, and they have several tables and chairs outside to sit at and benches nearby.

Overall I’d say if you need some ice cream while you’re in Celebration, go for it, particularly if you can tolerate crowds and aren’t on a budget.

Thanks, Kilwins!

I’ve got one more hot tip for you too – Wonderland Cookie Dough is also in downtown Celebration. They’ve got a sampler and a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie dough, and I highly recommend a visit if the idea of edible cookie dough is intriguing.

Have you tried Kilwins? Where, and what did you think?

Thanks for reading, 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:

  • 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.

Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream, Cary, NC

September 19, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Andia’s has a few locations in North Carolina, and it’s well-worth a visit when you’re in town. They offer a variety of flavors with decent portions and a sampler available too. It’s a cute shop.

I visited last fall, but they now offer some of their items (pre-packed pints, ice cream sandwiches and cakes) via online ordering for pickup. The rest of their menu must be ordered in the store itself.

Here’s what I tried:

Carrot Cake – This is very interesting. You can taste the very freshly grated carrot. The spices are interesting…they honestly reminded me of a satchel in a dresser drawer!

Peppermint – This is a little creamier than I usually see, with a higher cream to peppermint ratio…it was really nice!

Eggnog – This is a subtler flavor, super creamy and very delicious (not at all artificial-tasting as is sometimes the case).

Rose Pistachio – It’s got chunks of pistachio that are fresh and awesome! The rose is subtler, but still present. It’s really delicious.

Butter Pecan – This is honestly sweeter than I prefer. It’s harder to taste what’s going on here. It’s pleasant, but not as memorable unfortunately.

Double Dark Chocolate – This is smooth, creamy and dark. And perhaps a touch of graininess? It’s very nice (though not the best I’ve seen).

Dark Indulgence – This is super delicious! It’s so fudgy…nice dark chocolate with chocolate chips. A big winner!

Mint Chip – The real mint flavor here is pleasant, though be warned that my husband found it tasted like toothpaste! This is definitely freshly sourced. not my favorite, but a solid flavor.

Peanut Butter Fudge – This is peanut butter, Reese’s pieces, and a fudge ribbon. It’s a classic flavor for lovers of chocolate and peanut butter.

As you might have guessed, I went with a sampler! The sampler gives you seven mini-scoops and waffle pieces for $6.50 They also offer a single for $3.50, a double for $4.99 (you can get two flavors) and a triple for $6.47.

Overall I found the ice cream at Andia’s to be really consistent, super creamy and tasty! A few of the flavors had a bit of an odd spice or flavor profile. I really liked the chocolate and peanut butter ones, and the rose pistachio and eggnog were nice too.

I’m a HUGE fan of the labels they use – V for vegan, G for gluten, N for nuts – to help those of us with dietary restrictions. And the location was adorable, with flexible seating.

I look forward to visiting Andia’s again when I’m back in town. Have you tried Andia’s? If yes, what did you try, and if not, what flavor would be first on your list?

Photo courtesy of Andia’s website.

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:

  • 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!
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Ceo’s Gelato Bistro, Portsmouth, NH

September 13, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Gelato, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

My generous friend Tom, after getting ice cream with me, agreed to also stop for gelato with me while we were in Portsmouth. Ceo’s Gelato Bistro was friendly and fun. This homemade place hadn’t come across my radar before, and I was very glad I stopped. Prices were $5.96 for a large (8 ounces) or $5.27 for 6 ounces, plus tax, and they were willing to cram 4 flavors into one dish for me!

They’re currently offering contactless curbside delivery, with extra offerings like party packs and some other fun local products too.

Here’s what I tried:

Avocado Chocolate Chip – This is a bright and super creamy avocado base. Really nice!

Apple Cider Sorbet – This is like a smoother take on applesauce. It’s tasty, mild and reminds me of fall.

Honey Grapefruit – This has a nice natural sweetness, and the creamy pairing is neat with grapefruit. This is really fun and not too tart.

White Chocolate with Fig – Yum! This is a very smooth and creamy, not too heavy, white chocolate base. The touches of fig in it are lovely, and it has a nice and natural sweetness to it.

Ceo’s was definitely a hit. It’s a really fun place if you’d like to try some unique flavors, especially because they’ll let you sample a lot of them. And curbside pickup makes it even easier.

Thanks, Ceo’s!

Photo from Ceo’s website

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:

  • 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.
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Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe, Gloucester, MA

August 29, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Last fall, I visited Gloucester, and after an awesome visit to White Farms on the Causeway I had to check out the ice cream at Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe!

They pride themselves on their super premium ice cream and vegan offerings (4 flavors during my visit), and they have a trendy cafe with a fun vibe. They play around with macarons, s’mores, ice cream sandwiches and lots more. There were tons of seasonal flavors, and also tons of flavors with gluten in them, so I had to choose my bites strategically.

One of the coolest things was that they let you get multiple flavors in ALL sizes – that’s a major selling point for me!! Their portions are large too – I went with the $3.99 kiddie, and it is LOTS of ice cream. So don’t be alarmed that the prices look a little bit high – you’ll get plenty of ice cream even with the smallest sizes.

They make their waffle cones fresh to order. My husband got one, and found it warm and very tasty thin and crispy.

My only complaint, if I can call it that, is that the staff acted pretty bored with life during my visit. But they did whatever we asked without complaint, so I can’t really slight them for that. 🙂

Here’s what I tried: 

Pumpkin Spice Latte – I really dug this one! It almost has a bit of heat from the spices used. The coffee base is really yummy, very smooth and tasty. It’s such a fun combination of flavors. It was so good it motivated my husband to get a cup too!

Cranberry Walnut Chip – The cranberry spice is nice. It’s a more subtle flavor, without a particularly prominent cranberry flavor. The chunks in it were great. Personally, I’d prefer to have a more consistent cranberry base (like a gelato), but this is a nice fall flavor and appropriate. It has chunks of cranberry, walnut and chocolate.

Note: they don’t have a public restroom. But they do have very cute indoor seating. So just be aware.

They’ve got a walk-up window and are still sampling in the time of COVID, so you’ve got a handy outdoor option as well.

Thanks to Holy Cow for a tasty visit! Have you had any great ice cream lately?

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:

  • 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.