Monday, February 16, 2009

Humphry Slocombe - what kind of name is that for a gourmet ice cream shop?!

Ever on the alert for new places where I can gain weight, I've been waiting for a new ice cream place to open at 24th and Harrison in the Mission/Potrero area of San Francisco. It was really the unusual name that first caught my eye in a magazine article, and it finally opened a few weeks ago.

Not letting the freezing temperature and bone-chilling gusts of wind dissuade us, I persuaded a group to trek down to try out Humphry Slocombe last weekend. It was packed so I guess I'm not alone in my crazy-new-ice-cream-hunting fanaticism.
The staff were super nice and let me try 6 different flavors - I was being a little indecisive that day, primarily because their flavors were so unusual. I tried out:
  • Balsamic Caramel - the balsamic flavor was a little strong for me, I still prefer the salted caramel at Bi-Rite Creamery.
  • Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee - if I liked coffee ice cream, this one would be a winner. Alas, I don't.
  • Pistachio Bacon - it was kinda good in a weird way, but I didn't think I could stomach a whole scoop of it.
  • Valrhona Fudgisicle - this was a sorbet as opposed to an ice cream. It was a little icy for me.
  • Hibsicus Beet - this was a beautiful color but to be honest, I can't remember what it tasted like.
  • some swirly pink and white ice cream that had rose petals (not listed on the board) - odd.
I finally picked the Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip - the flavors were very clean but I wasn't wild about it after a few bites.

So my Bay Area gourmet ice cream favorites stand in order at:
  1. Ici in Berkeley with its special cones with chocolate on the bottom
  2. Bi-Rite for the best salted caramel
  3. Sketch for vanilla with olive oil swirled on top
  4. Humphry Slocombe for its fascinating selection of flavors.

3 comments:

Leslie M said...

I think I'm a purest -- fresh fruit flavors seem to be my favorite. Is there anything better than fresh strawberry or peach ice cream? I find it interesting that these places are located in geographies that never get the full impact of the California summer sun.

Anonymous said...

i would recommend going back and trying the "secret breakfast" flavor - bourbon and candied corn flakes. this is their best flavor and it also has a perfect creamy texture (unlike some of the others, which i agree, can be a touch icy.)

i also tried their foie gras flavor last time - very interesting but exceedingly rich.

my all-time favorite ice cream anywhere is Bi-Rite's ginger ice cream - perfect taste and even more perfect texture.

Neeracha T. said...

I avoided secret breakfast because I don't usually like a liquor flavor in my desserts. How strong is the Bourbon flavor? As much as I love foie gras, I'm not sure it needs to exist as an ice cream flavor! And I'll have to look out for Bi-Rite's ginger, it sounds really good. Thanks for the tip!