Cute signage welcomes you to Bluebird
Here are my favorite ice cream picks in the city:
1) Bluebird Ice Cream and Tea Room – Usually, an ice cream excursion is an in-and-out mission. You stand in line, ask for a free sample or two, get your cup or cone, and then either walk out or sit for a minute or two before leaving.
Not so at Bluebird, where I walk in and my first impression is that I have mistakenly entered through the wrong door and am in a coffee store or a lounge. I descend the steps of this Capitol Hill joint and notice the place is inundated with couches and old wooden tables where I see one couple playing Scrabble and another person settling into the place with a John Michener novel and a pint of beer.
Ice cream and a game of Scrabble
I get in line and hear the hipster chick in front of me order an Immersion Amber and a scoop of Theo chocolate chunk. Logic tells me the two don’t jive, but the chick looks so cool I am tempted to follow suit.
I snap back to my senses and end up debating between ordering a scoop of PB + J or peanut butter. The PB purist in me sticks with ordering the peanut butter though the sound of mixing Remlinger Farm’s marionberry ice cream with peanut butter ice cream sounds pretty appetizing. In my first bite, I notice the ice cream is as smooth as can be and tastes like it was just made that day. There are absolutely no traces of the much-dreaded freezer burn and the ice cream does not taste syrupy sweet. I am in love.
I am not surprised to learn Bluebird makes all of their ice cream onsite from Pacific Northwest cows that are not treated with rbGH (growth hormone). Bluebird gets the peanuts for their prized peanut butter flavor from Kingston, Washington’s CB’s Nuts.
The most popular flavors at the moment are Snickerdoodle (cinnamon + brown sugar) and Oatmeal chocolate chip (made using mom’s homemade chocolate-chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies). I plan on going back soon to try the beverage-inspired ice cream flavors – horchata and the Stumptown coffee.
I will bring a book next time, hopefully snag a seat on the small raised platform that is made from a local middle school’s basketball court, order a scoop or two, and stay a while.
Address:
1205 E Pike St.
Suite 1A
Seattle, WA 98122
Hours:
Noon-10pm, 7 days a week (although I have occasionally seen them stay open later on the weekends)
2) D’Ambrosio gelato – This 1-year old gelaterium really messes with my goal of limiting my sweets intake. I have a hard time bypassing this shop anytime I am in Ballard proper and am resigned to the fact I have a mild obsession with D’Ambrosio and its 20 flavor selection.
The pistachio gelato – which uses nuts from the Sicily region of Bronte – is one of the most sought-after flavors, and as a result, has proven to be one of the most elusive scoops in town. They sold out of it the first five times I visited the store. The pale green-colored pistachio is amazing because it actually tastes like pistachio with a subtle nutty taste. Oftentimes, pistachio-flavored ice cream and gelato have a high ratio of the artificial tasting almond extract.
I also get a hankering for Piedmont’s hazelnut and crunchy biscotti. D’Ambrosio is just about to unleash their summer menu which will include fruity delights such as lemon and mango.
For those of you who can be indecisive when it comes to frozen sweets, the two-banger cones are a fabulous way to sample two flavors.
Pistachio and caramel & figs side-by-side
Owner Marco D’Ambrosio’s father “University certified master gelataio” Enzo D’Ambrosio leads up production and makes sure quality control is high. These men are the real deal.
Tip: D’Ambrosio makes all the gelato they will serve for the day from scratch every morning so show up earlier than later if you are craving a particular flavor and don’t want to get shut out.
Address:
5339 Ballard Ave NW Seattle WA 98107
Hours:
Mon-Thu noon – 10 PM
Fri-Sat noon – midnight
Sunday 10 AM – 10 PM
3) Parfait Ice Cream - I was initially drawn by the aesthetic of the cute pristine brown truck and the fact they handed out little pop-out cards when they first debuted two years ago. Since then, Parfait has kept my interest with their high-quality production and creativity. Like a lot of Seattlites, my favorite is peanut butter cup. They make their own dark chocolate peanut butter cups, chop ‘em up and mix it with chocolate ice cream.
If that sounds a bit too decadent for you, try the Earl grey tea, Ballard Bee honey (my second favorite) or Meyer lemon.
Parfait hangin' out in West Seattle next to the Marination mobile truck on a Saturday
This artisan organic ice cream operation only uses four ingredients to create their base: Milk, cream, sugar and eggs which they get from local certified organic farms. You will not see any neon yellow dyes in the Meyer lemon or corn syrup or stabilizers. In addition to making their own peanut butter cups, Parfait also makes their own toffee for their toffee crunch.
The cones are handmade, pretty as heck (after all, owner Adria Shimada is a trained pastry chef), and taste good on their own.
Bummer I don’t see much of this cute lil’ truck in the fall or winter. But rest assured, they now offer home delivery.
You can also sample Parfait’s ice cream at the newly opened Skillet Diner.
I should also call out I was slightly disappointed during my last visit to the truck as the texture was a bit off (harder than usual/less smooth on the palate and more frozen-like). I am going to chalk up the experience to a one-time temperature control issue. My cone was still delicious by most ice cream business’ standards, but did not match Parfait’s typical high standards.
Click here to view this truck’s whereabouts.
Thanks for sharing, Jen! I haven’t tried either the first or the third places that you recommend, so I’ll have to check them out this summer. I can’t say I’m enamored with Molly Moon like the rest of the city. We were in SFO last weekend and spent about half an hour in line at each Bi-Rite Creamery and Humphrey Slocombe. Bi-Rite was good but overrated, and when tasted one day after Humphrey Slocombe was pretty pale. Humphrey Slocombe is definitely worth a visit – extremely dense, rich and flavorful with relatively traditional (we had chocolate cherry) and not so traditional (we tasted salt and pepper – good but too weird for me, and then opted for fluffernutter, which was nice and peanut buttery, especially when paired with the chocolate cherry). Can’t wait to taste it again.
Paige – Thanks for the great input! I adore Humphrey Slocombe too and don’t think there is anything in Seattle that rivals it in character or in innovative flavors. Last time I went, I tried the Jesus juice (cherry cola mixed with something or another) and fluffernutter (which I still pine after).
Having said that, Bluebird has its own sort of originality which I think you will appreciate and I really liked the smooth texture of the ice cream.
I think you will like Parfait’s flavors, and that truck is just so darn cute.
So distinctly not in Seattle…but where do you rate Mora?
Suz – You and another reader brought up Mora to me. I will answer your question after I try Mora for the FIRST time this weekend.
What do you think of the place?
I really like it! Inventive seasonal flavors…pure ingredients. Make sure to try one of their sorbets too. I find it to be very smooth and soft on the tongue – hard to believe it’s all water crystals with no dairy.
Thanks for the tip, Suz. I am so on it this weekend.
I love Seattle! Lived there one summer when at uni and now my sister lives there…I will have to put Bluebird on my eating list for next time I visit!
Tenina – Great to hear, you are a fan of Seattle! Bluebird is a winner, although I still think about the Movenpick’s Double cream gruyere meringue ice cream I tasted in Switzerland. Oh, what a delight.
Don’t forget Fainting Goat in Wallingford:)
Their goat milk and mastic is a classic of Turkey/Greece. They easily compete with D’Ambrosio on texture and freshness.
Ooh, thanks for the reminder Luke. I haven’t been to Fainting Goat in a while and will definitely check it out. Maybe even today;-)