delicious ice cream

ice cream

ice cream

ice cream

ice cream

ice cream

Chocolate in Boston: JP Licks Ice Cream

Although the frozen yogurt may be what personally draws me to JP Licks, others are more impressed by their more decadent treats, like these ice cream cakes prominently displayed at the entrance.

Others are content with the ice cream itself. The friend who humored me at Teuscher and Hotel Chocolat was also with me for the JP Licks visit, and was uninterested in the frozen yogurt. She instead selected two ice cream flavors to sample: El Diablo and Mint Chocolate Lace.

The El Diablo, which she was kind enough to share with me, was chocolate based with cinnamon and cayenne pepper added in. She noted that the cayenne was more noticeable than the cinnamon, and stuck around far longer as part of the aftertaste. She shared some with me, and while I did detect a spicy cinnamon note, I agreed that the cayenne flavor stuck around longer. Both spices were complimentary to a creamy, well-balanced dark chocolate flavor. Clearly a winner all-around.

The Mint Chocolate Lace was a mint-based ice cream with ribbons of chocolate incorporated. In this ice cream, which my friend also generously let me sample, the mint base is far more prominent than the chocolate, and there is a strong mint aftertaste. The chocolate flavor is subtly delivered via small flecks of chocolate that crunch just a tad and then melt in your mouth. It was a nice, cool compliment to the fiery El Diablo flavor. Though the ice cream was richer than the frozen yogurt I got for myself, nostalgia will always lead me to select the frozen yogurt.

And then steal tastes of the ice cream from my friends. It works, OK?

Chocolate Versions of Ice Cream

Somethings really are better left alone.  I think ice cream is better as ice cream and chocolate shouldn't try to be ice cream.

I got these (by Turin) because peanut butter was included.  I think there should be real peanut butter ice cream.  But I've never seen it, so there must be a reason.  Maybe it's just no good.  It seems like it would be good.....

Well, I can say with certainty the peanut butter here was no good!  UGH!!!!!  Terrible!  The orange one in the lower right corner was supposed to be peanut butter.  HORRIBLE!

The tan one was coffee and that was much better.  Tasted like the coffee ice cream my Dad liked when I was a kid.  Faux ice cream in my book - I mean, really - coffee as an ice cream favor?  Even as an adult I don't like it.  As a kid I was convinced it was some kind of adult conspiracy.

Godiva produced a bunch of ice cream truffles - this one is pecan sundae:

Looks good with gooey caramel, vanilla and carmelized pecans on top.  But wasn't very extraordinary to me.  I think I'm the only person alive that thinks Godiva is totally overrated and completely overpriced. Zzzzzz.........

More Godiva ice cream flavors:

Pistachio:

I like the screaming green color and the layer of chocolate.  It was smooth and creamy, but I found the flavor weak.

This was supposed to be Neapolitan with strawberry and vanilla (notice the pink drizzle?):

No strawberry!  A total rip off - instead I got chocolate and vanilla.  Again smooth and creamy, but not very flavorful.

Ditto for this one which I think was supposed to be Rocky Road:

Zzzz.......

Hazelnut Gelato:

I love hazelnut and even this one was boring.  Totally disappointing.  Godiva is going to be my new Russell Stover.  I hate them both.  Although I might hate Russell less because he's so much cheaper.

Let's check out their $3.00 bars.  Here's Hazelnut Gelato again:

Look at those fancy G's - must stand for Gotcha!  or Gullible or Greedy:

I can see the hazelnut, but I can't taste much of it.  Tastes like a chocolate bar. Lame.

Here's Vanilla Sundae:

Boo!  What vanilla?  A nice dark chocolate (which completely overpowers the vanilla), but sure as hell nothing like a vanilla sundae.

And finally Oranges & Cream in white chocolate:

While heinously sweet, this actually resembles something like ice cream.  Remember those orange push-up things the ice cream man used to have?  My brother liked those.  Orange sherbet or some similar crap?  One step above SORBET?  That's what this tastes like.

When you are turning chocolate into sorbet you have lost all credibility as a chocolatier.  Like orange sherbet needs to be replicated in chocolate.  That's chocolate treason.

The Emperor really does have no clothes.  Maybe Lady Godiva really is a good image for them. 

Lessons?

Ah - they repeat so often!  Just because you CAN do it, doesn't mean you should.

A fancy wrapper and an expensive price don't mean a thing.  You really can't judge a chocolate bar by its wrapper.

Be who you are - ice cream should be ice cream and chocolate should be chocolate.  When you try to be something you 're not - we lose you.  And there's only one.

Ice Cream - It's Not Just for Dessert Anymore

You know how I feel about candy makers making political statements. Remember my rant about organic chocolate? (See September 27, 2008) Well that was nothing! Check this out:

Ben & Jerry's celebrates the beginning of the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont with the symbolic renaming of its well-known ice cream flavor "Chubby Hubby" to "Hubby Hubby."

Oh please.

Look - I really don't mind who marries who. As long as both parties are adults and both are free to choose - rock on. But I don't want my ice cream to get into the political fray! Can't there be one safe haven?

I mean, let's try these flavors on for size:

Pro-Choice Pomegranate

Anti-Abortion Almond

Bail-Out Banana

Healthcare Reform Raspberry

I think ice cream should be about ice cream not politics. Can't we just buy a product because we like it, not because we want to embrace a political view? Can't our refrigerators and candy dishes be political free zones where we can all come together - united by our taste buds?

And, at the end of the day, do the decision makers at Ben and Jerry's really think someone is going to change their belief system because of the name of an ice cream flavor? Do I really have to think about two men married to each other when I eat ice cream? (I don't really want to have Hubby Wifey ice cream either.)

I feel like the last safe bastion of summer and goodness and fun and carefree lazy days has been invaded by politics. Here's to taking ice cream back!

Hey - if Ben and Jerry's really wants to do something politically correct - maybe they should stop making ice cream at all. After all, there is an obesity epidemic. Maybe they should just call it "Tubby Chubby" and sell shaved ice.

Ice cream and politics just don't mix.