IcePan

Well, I went on an intrepid adventure to ice cream joint #2 today: Icepan. Sadly, Emily did not accompany me, as she was bringin' in the big bucks - but I was joined by the lovely and talented Savannah and Julia, who inaugurated me into the coolness of Icepan (and their ice cream).

The method is certainly a unique one, and to be praised - they literally make the ice cream in front of you, by combining flavored milk (soy, non-fat, low fat, or whole) with your topping(s) of choice. It seems pretty simple - they pour the milk onto the cooled surface - pan, if you will - and then use metal spatulas to fold it over and over until it's solidified into ice cream. Kind of awesome as far as creativity; the mix-in candy option is obviously a Herrell's invention, so I'm not sure it gets credit as far as that goes - but literally watching the server make your ice cream is pretty cool. So it scores 2 thumbs up for that.

As far as the ice cream itself - it stayed surprisingly solid for a long time. Minimal soupage at the bottom of the dish. The texture was good, if a little too icy - as was the flavor, which was also slightly off, somehow (I got the non-fat coffee, but there was a bit of an aftertaste). I'm not sure if the ice cream flavor issues come from using the same pan to make multiple flavors throughout the day, or if their mixes aren't that pure; the chocolate chips I had mixed in were pretty good, but flavor-wise I think I'd give it a sideways thumb.

While we were eating our ice cream, an older woman came up to ask what we thought of Icepan - she planned to try coffee as well. Apparently the opinion of this critic is already in high demand!

Next up: Zanzabelle. Look for a review this weekend!