As the weather grows terribly cold –– the kind that makes you wear a T-shirt instead of your usual tank top –– I racked my brain for the ultimate cozy treat: ice cream.
For this edition, I brought along news editor Michelle Jacob, staff writer Alek Ding and our chauffeur –– the only person kind enough to respond to texts from three unlicensed losers at 1 a.m. the night before –– Katherine Manassero.
To keep it consistent (and not pay for 10 scoops), I ordered one cup with two flavors at each store. One scoop was always chocolate — our baseline — and the other was recommended by the store’s cashier.
As we dug into our one cup with four tiny spoons, I felt a growing sense of appreciation for my ice cream panel…until they opened their mouths.
The Penny Ice Creamery, Los Altos
I like to think of my relationship with The Penny as Stockholm syndrome.
For years, I opposed their odd flavors and exorbitant prices, until the only other ice cream shop in downtown Los Altos, Baskin-Robbins, closed. So look at me now: willingly ordering a double scoop of dark chocolate and mint chocolate chip for a whopping $10.45.
First, we tried their dark (and vegan!) chocolate flavor.
Despite lacking milk and eggs, it still almost tastes like a chocolate mousse: very rich, but somehow light at the same time! Who said going vegan is hard?
But Michelle disagreed. “It’s too sweet to be a dark chocolate,” Michelle said. “And way too grainy.”
What did vegans ever do to her?
I also found their mint chocolate chip delicious, especially because it omitted the synthetic sweetness and unnatural green color that so often accompanies this flavor. This fresh treat –– like all their other flavors –– is made from scratch using local, organic ingredients!
“Mint chocolate chip usually tastes like toothpaste,” Alek said. “But this tastes just like a mint leaf.”
So true, Alek –– that’s why I eat this instead of salad. They are practically the same thing.
Salt & Straw, Downtown Palo Alto
Walking into Salt & Straw, we felt instantly at home with its warm lighting and sweet smell.
“It smells like my grandma’s baking,” Alek said.
“It feels like an oven,” Michelle added.
Things were getting Hansel and Gretel real fast.
Feeling unfortunately bold, I asked to sample their newest Thanksgiving flavor: turkey and cranberry sauce.
All I’ll say is that a sample was more than enough.
For our special flavor, the cashier suggested Salted, Malted, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
“This is miles better than the last place,” Alek said as he took a bite.
Miles, I’d argue, is quite the exaggeration. Someone needs to remind him of the difference between a mile and, like, a step.
It was a step in the right direction for sure. The first bite melted in my mouth in a gooey, caramel-chocolate mush of goodness.
But the more I ate, the more I realized that their pretentious “salted, malted” descriptor wasn’t just flair –– it was a warning. I was overwhelmed by its saltiness, and this is coming from someone who has, on many occasions, eaten salt directly out of its shaker.
Salt & Straw also doesn’t sell plain chocolate. Because of course they don’t. That would be too basic. The closest they had was Gooey Brownie. I loved the ice cream’s decadent taste –– and delicious brownie bits! –– but its density and stringy caramel got me tired after just a few bites. I think I built some muscle just trying to lift it out of the cup with my little spoon.
“I still think the chocolate ice cream at Penny’s was better,” I said.
“Absolutely not,” Michelle said. “The Gooey Brownie is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” Does she know who’s paying for that Gooey Brownie?
But my entourage seemed to love this store. And I can’t lie, their double scoop was $8.95, which is $1.50 less than Penny’s, and probably for twice as much ice cream. If you’re in downtown Palo Alto, definitely try it!
Classico Gelato, Downtown Mountain View
After we waited in the painfully long line, we ordered from a cashier who had forty flavors to choose from… and yet picked the crème brûlée.
We were all disappointed by the crème brûlée, affectionately titled “mild vanilla” by Alek.
“The texture is good, but it’s just boring,” said Michelle.
But the store redeemed itself with its chocolate gelato. It had the same silky texture as the crème brûlée, but also a classic chocolate flavor that wasn’t too bitter or too sweet. And that’s high praise, considering it’s our baseline flavor!
Still, Michelle thinks salty Gooey Brownie is unbeatable. Seriously, Salt & Straw, how much are you paying her?
Speaking of paying, Classico Gelato was the cheapest option out of the three –– $6.25 for a double scoop!
And to convince you that the crème brûlée was just an unfortunate outlier, I can assure you that I’ve tried a lot of their flavors over the years, and they almost always deliver. I can recall the countless times I absolutely annihilated their creamy, heaven-sent stracciatella while passerbys looked at me in fear. Alek would also like to recommend honey lavender, his favorite flavor.
I always wondered who would ever order that flavor.
Final Thoughts:
This was the first time I’d disagreed about the ranking with the people I’ve so generously treated to fine dining.
“You could make one ranking with your wrong opinion, and then another ranking with everyone else’s right opinion,” Katherine said.
Stick to driving, Katherine.
Although their comments tempted me to pretend we shared the same thoughts, I figured that’s not good journalism. Reluctantly, I gave Michelle, Alek and me all equal votes.
OK, I’ll cut the suspense. Here’s our final ranking!
- Classico Gelato –– We were robbed by the cashier’s poor pick, yes. But we figured this was the safest bet. No turkey this or vegan that –– simple, reliable gelato… classic(o), if you will.
- Salt & Straw –– It seemed no one else had problems with the caramel that’s still in my teeth. But I do understand why they liked this place: it’s cozy and I still dream of those first few bites, back before everything went wrong. I also think Michelle will literally be buried with a Gooey Brownie in hand.
- Penny –– I’m sorry I picked the wrong tasters this time. They did not do you justice. I’ll see you after school tomorrow for my daily greens.
A big thank you to Michelle, Alek and Katherine for doing this with me! Your input was not always wanted, but probably needed. See you all next time!
